UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER NOTES
“Promoting Health through Physical Activity”

I recently attended two outstanding meetings: the Active Living Research (ALR) Conference and the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health (ICPAPH).  At the ALR conference, the progress we’ve made in understanding environmental and policy approaches to promote physical activity was apparent, as was the lack of understanding we have in how to get certain sectors (e.g., schools) to implement these strategies.  At the ICPAPH, I became aware of similar challenges faced by others throughout the world.  Sedentary lifestyle is a global phenomenon, and it seems as if we are fighting an uphill battle.  That being said, there are excellent researchers and practitioners in many countries working hard to discover and implement effective PA promoting programs and policies.  Kudos to the planning committees for excellent programs!  I encourage you to visit the web sites for information about the presentations at these two meetings (http://www.activelivingresearch.org/alr/conference/2008 and http://www.icpaph08.org).  It will be well worth your effort.

Steve Hooker, PhD, Director

Delores Pluto, PhD, Newsletter Editor (dmpluto@sc.edu)
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu

IN THIS ISSUE – May-June 2008

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Public Bike Rental Program in DC; We Play!; National Senior Health and Fitness Day; National Trails Day; Bike Week [UK]

RESEARCH NOTES: Is PA a Gateway Behavior for Diet?; PA and Neighborhood Resources among High School Girls

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES: Healthy Minnesota Workplace Initiative; Potential of Parks and Recreation; Evaluation Tools for Local SRTS Programs; Community Assessment Tools (CAT’s)

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES: A Residents’ Guide to Creating Safe and Walkable Communities; Healthy Transportation Network; Benefits of Complete Streets; Local Governments Can Promote Active Living

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS: Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM); 53rd Annual AAHPERD Leadership Development Conference; 7th World Congress on Aging and Physical Activity; Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2008

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

PUBLIC BIKE RENTAL PROGRAM IN DC.  Next month, Washington, DC will be initiating a self-service, public bicycle-sharing program called SmartBike DC.  Bicycles will be available to subscribers at 10 locations in the city for a fee of $40/year.  Learn more about it at http://www.smartbikedc.com/.

WE PLAY! Community members can learn how to fundraise, build and advocate for great places to play at Workshops Entirely on Play (WE Play!).  These one-day, free regional trainings cover everything from planning a playground project to involving your local government in the cause of play.  See http://preview.tinyurl.com/6bb2fr  for more info.

NATIONAL SENIOR HEALTH AND FITNESS DAY:  The common goal for this day: to help keep older Americans healthy and fit.  May 28, 2008.  http://www.fitnessday.com/senior.

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY:  Discover, learn about, and celebrate trails while participating in educational exhibits, trail dedications, gear demonstrations, instructional workshops and trail work projects.  June 7, 2008.  http://www.americanhiking.org/events/ntd/index.html

BIKE WEEK [UK]:  A challenge to everyone to get out of their cars, step away from the TV, and get on their bikes!  June 14-17, 2008.  http://www.bike2work.info

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For a list of PA related observances and events, visit the PA links section of our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/PAlinks/index.htm.
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RESEARCH NOTES:

IS PA A GATEWAY BEHAVIOR FOR DIET?  Eating behaviors of 280 sedentary women enrolled in a randomized controlled physical activity trial were monitored to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between health behaviors within the context of physical activity.  Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three print-based interventions, including Jumpstart, Choose to Move and a wellness control condition.  Investigators found that participants in more advanced PA stages of change reported significantly greater fruit/vegetable consumption than participants in less advanced stages.  Tailored and targeted print-based PA interventions showed significant reductions in fat intake from baseline to month 3 and baseline to month 12.  There was no significant effect on fruit/vegetable intake.  Researchers concluded that diet change was independent of physical activity improvements.  Dutton, Napolitano, Whiteley, & Marcus. “Is physical activity a gateway behavior for diet?  Findings from a physical activity trial.” Preventive Medicine, 2008, 46:216-221.

PA AND NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES AMONG HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS:  Researchers examined the relationship between neighborhood physical activity resources and physical activity level in high school girls.  High school girls who had participated in a large physical activity intervention trial (n=1506) completed the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall in 12th grade.  Data were collected on the number of physical activity resources within a .75 mile buffer of each girl’s home.  An average of 3.5 physical activity resources were found within a .75 mile street-network buffer; but 36% of the girls had no physical activity resource within the buffer.  After considering multiple physical activity resources, significant associations were found between vigorous physical activity and the number of commercial physical activity facilities.  Additionally, there was a significant increase in total METs with an increase in the number of parks for white girls. Pate, Colabianchi, Porter, et al. “Physical activity and neighborhood resources in high school girls.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2008; 34(5).

For additional summaries of recent research on promoting physically active lifestyles, visit the Research Updates section of our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/updates/index.htm.

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REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:

HEALTHY MINNESOTA WORKPLACE INITIATIVE.  The Minnesota Department of Health received a grant from the National Governor's Association to promote health through active living and healthy eating strategies.  A web-based toolkit was developed for Minnesota employers to implement worksite wellness programs.  It features ready-to-use materials such as handouts, newsletters, and e-mail templates, as well as sample wellness policies, assessment tools, and examples of promising programs throughout the state.  The toolkit is a one-stop-shop for wellness coordinators charged with improving the health of their workforce.  For more information, visit .http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/worksite/index.htm

POTENTIAL OF PARKS AND RECREATION.  The March 2008 issue of the Research Digest from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports focuses on "The Potential of Parks and Recreation in Addressing Physical Activity and Fitness." The article summarizes current research on the relationship between PA and parks and recreation.  The March issue can be accessed at http://preview.tinyurl.com/6e7qul.  To see an archive of previous issues or subscribe to the Research Digest, go to http://preview.tinyurl.com/3kdgg4.

EVALUATION TOOLS FOR LOCAL SRTS PROGRAMS.  The National Center for Safe Routes to School has announced the release of new resources to assist local communities in evaluating their SRTS programs.  These include a review of the benefits of evaluation, a step-by-step process for conducting one, and an overview of commonly used methods, including standardized forms developed by the Center.  The “Student Travel Tally” records the frequency of various transportation modes.  The “Parent Survey” measures parent attitudes that influence whether children are allowed to walk or bicycle to school.  Evaluation resources are part of the SRTS Guide at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/evaluation/.

COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT TOOLS (CAT’s).  Geographic Information System (GIS)-based CATs are featured in a new on-line demonstration by the Active Living Resource Center.  Tools were developed that allow community members to assess the strengths and limitations of an area by using a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) to collect information about safe routes to school.  Software quickly assembles maps showing curb ramps, streets that are deemed unsafe due to heavy traffic, missing sidewalks, or intersections difficult for children to cross.  Other planned modules include ADA, transit, Complete Streets, and bikeability.  The on-line demo can be viewed at http://www.activelivingresources.org/cat_resources.php.  [Source: CDC/NSPAPPH Physical Activity One-Way Listserv, 4/2/08]

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PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:

A RESIDENTS' GUIDE TO CREATING SAFE AND WALKABLE COMMUNITIES.  Walkable communities have sidewalks, trails, and street crossings that are safe, accessible, and comfortable for people of all ability levels.  "A Residents' Guide to Creating Safe and Walkable Communities" from the Federal Highway Administration provides examples from communities that are working to improve pedestrian safety.  The guide provides a thorough introduction to pedestrian safety, and includes many references to other resources and materials for those interested in more in-depth information.  You can find the PDF document at http://preview.tinyurl.com/5qmdw6  or view it online at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped/ped_walkguide

HEALTHY TRANSPORTATION NETWORK (HTN).  The HTN website provides walking and bicycling safety information for everyday transportation - doing it safely and in supportive environments.  HTN also trains local stakeholders interested in creating environments that encourage safe walking and bicycling.  The network is a project of the California Center for Physical Activity - a joint program of the California Department of Public Health State and Local Injury Control Branch (SLIC) and the University of California San Francisco, Department of Nursing's Institute for Health and Aging.  Funding is provided by the Federal Highway Administration and administered by the California Department of Transportation.  Visit this website at http://www.healthytransportation.net/. [Source: New Smart Growth Network State by State News Headlines, 4/14/2008]

BENEFITS OF COMPLETE STREETS.  Visit the Benefits page on the Complete Streets website at http://www.completestreets.org/benefits.html  for two new fact sheets, "Complete Streets Fight Climate Change” and “Complete Streets Spark Economic Revitalization.”  There are also fact sheets documenting the benefits of complete streets for children, people with disabilities, older adults, health, transit, and safety. [Complete Streets News, 4/10/08]

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN PROMOTE ACTIVE LIVING. The top three actions local governments say they could take to combat health problems related to obesity are 1) developing a cohesive system of parks and trails, 2) using zoning to support mixed land uses, and 3) requiring neighborhood streets to be designed considering pedestrians and cyclists.  These are the results of a survey recently conducted by ICMA (International City/County Management Association) to understand how local government leaders view their role in promoting active living and healthy eating.  For details go to http://www.icma.org/main/ns.asp?nsid=3695&LGM=1.

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UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM):  “At the Crossroads of Science and Practice.”  May 28-31, 2008, Indianapolis, IN
http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Annual_Meeting2

53RD ANNUAL AAHPERD LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE:  “Many Voices, One Mission.”  June 18-21, 2008, Washington, DC
http://www.aahperd.org/aahperd/template.cfm?template=ldc_main.html

7TH WORLD CONGRESS ON AGING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: “Active Aging:  Focus on Longevity and Physical Activity.”  July 26-29, 2008, Tsukuba, Japan.  http://www.isapa2008.org/

PRO WALK/PRO BIKE 2008:  “Transforming Communities" (registration opens May 10).  September 2-5, 2008, Seattle, WA.  http://www.bikewalk.org/conference.php

For a more complete list of conferences and workshops, visit the PA links section of our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/PAlinks/index.htm.
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USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE

CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AS A PREDICTOR OF STROKE. Dr. Steven Hooker, Director of the USC Prevention Research Center, recently presented a study on the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and stroke at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans. Based on an analysis of data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX between 1970 and 2001, this study is the first to find a significant, independent association between cardiorespiratory fitness and fatal and nonfatal stroke in men and nonfatal stroke in women. An abstract of Dr. Hooker's presentation can be accessed at http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/39/2/527. The paper will be published in Stroke.

For a more complete list of conferences and workshops, visit the PA links section of our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/PAlinks/index.htm.
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This and past issues of the “University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center Notes” are available on our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/Newsletter/index.htm.

To submit an item, please e-mail Delores Pluto at dmpluto@sc.edu.

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For continuing discussions about physical activity, join the Physical Activity and Public Health On-Line Network listserv. Instructions are located on our website, at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/newsletter/commands.htm.

The USC Prevention Research Center is a member of the CDC Prevention Research Center's National Network, consisting of 33 Centers in the U.S. For more information about the PRC National Network, visit http://www.cdc.gov/prc.

Prevention Research Center
Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina
921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
803-777-4253

This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 5-U48-DP-000051 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.

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