July - August 2011 | USC-PRC Notes
"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"
Greetings from South Carolina! In May, I took the reins from Dr. Steve Hooker and accepted the position as Interim Director of our Prevention Research Center (PRC). I am about to begin my 13th year at USC (I counted and recounted, and it’s true!). One of the things that drew me to USC was the PRC, at that time led by Dr. Barbara Ainsworth. The PRC has been a continued source of support and enrichment for me, and I am honored to be taking on this new leadership role. If your work or community is touched by a PRC (there are 37 PRCs in 27 states), I encourage you to contact the Senator or Representative from that state and ask that they support the PRC Program in fiscal year 2012. These are difficult economic times, but we cannot afford to lose steam in promoting health and keeping prevention at the forefront in our communities. I wish Steve the very best as he makes his transition to Arizona State University. You will have wonderful colleagues there. Thank you for your service, leadership, and optimism over the past 8 years, Steve!
Sara Wilcox, PhD, Interim Director
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Denver B-Cycle Available to Employees & Guests: Bikeshare companies are popping up all over the country and now a major hotel company is recognizing the positive impact bicycling has on its employees and guests. DENVER-Sage Hospitality announced a partnership with Denver B-cycle to become the first large-sized employer to purchase annual bike sharing memberships for all full-time employees in downtown Denver -- approximately 600 people. Sage is also becoming the first Denver hospitality company to offer guests discounted access to the bike sharing program. The six participating Sage hotels include The Curtis, a Doubletree Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Denver Downtown, The JW Marriott Denver at Cherry Creek, Residence Inn by Marriott Denver City Center, The Oxford Hotel and TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown. Learn about the DENVER-Sage/B-Cycle partnership.
[Source: League of American Bicyclists]
Maryland Elementary School making strides in fitness: One Maryland elementary school is using a simple idea to increase the physical activity of its students. Physical education teacher Brenda Tarquinio created a ‘mileage club’ which awarded students charms for running a certain number of laps around a course during recess. In addition to the charms, names are recorded in the gymnasium for students completing laps equivalent to a marathon (26.2 miles, or 131 recess laps) and 100 miles (500 recess laps). Beyond increasing the amount of physical activity the students obtained each day, disciplinary problems decreased and test scores rose.
[Source: The Washington Post]
National Parks and Recreation Month
July 1-31, 2011
www.nrpa.org
Family Golf Month
July 1-31, 2011
http://www.pga.com/
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
National Complete Streets legislation introduced: Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced legislation on May 24, 2011 that aims at improving roadways to make them safer and to encourage Americans to walk or bike to their destinations. The Complete Streets Act of 2011 (Senate Bill Number S. 1056) would promote the design of streets that are safe for all who use them - including motorists, bus riders, pedestrians, bicyclists, and people with disabilities. The bill encourages federal, state, and regional agencies that receive federal transportation funding to fully consider incorporating pedestrian and bicycle safety measures when roads are built or modernized.
[Source: League of American Bicyclists]
RESEARCH NOTES:
Using the tax system to promote physical activity: Canada has recently introduced several tax incentives in an effort to increase physical activity levels. These taxes vary, but are generally categorized into income tax measures (e.g. tax credits for enrollment in youth activity programs) and sales tax measures (e.g. sales tax exemptions for the purchase of bicycles). This article explores the rationale behind these tax incentives and provides a critical analysis for the estimated influence of these measures on increasing physical activity levels.
von Tigerstrom, B., T. Larre and J. Sauder (2011). "Using the tax system to promote physical activity: critical analysis of Canadian initiatives." American Journal of Public Health 101(8): e10-16.
2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: First introduced in 1987, the Compendium of Physical Activities has been used in studies worldwide to assign intensity units to physical activity questionnaire responses and to develop innovative ways to assess energy expenditure in physical activity studies. The August 2011 Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise features the second revision of ‘The Compendium.’ The newest revision includes new and updated energy costs for many activities, and provides literature references for energy expenditure values that are assigned to activities. Additional resources to support the 2011 Compendium can be found on the Compendium of Physical Activity website.
Ainsworth, B. E., W. L. Haskell, S. D. Herrmann, et al. (2011). "2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: A Second Update of Codes and MET Values." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 43(8): 1575-1581.
Physical Activity and Cognition in Women: A growing body of evidence suggests physical activity plays an important role in cognition, though most of this research has involved healthy individuals. The manuscript by Vercambre et al. extends these previous findings to a cohort of women with prevalent vascular disease or at least 3 coronary risk factors. The authors found regularly walking for exercise was strongly related to slower rates of cognitive decline, with the rates of cognitive decline between the least and most fit group equivalent to 5-7 years of aging.
Vercambre, M. N., F. Grodstein, J. E. Manson, et al. (2011). "Physical Activity and Cognition in Women With Vascular Conditions." Archives of Internal Medicine.
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.
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
F as in Fat: How obesity threatens America’s Future 2011: Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did not decline in any state, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Twelve states now have obesity rates above 30 percent; Four years ago, only one state was above 30 percent. This report provides state-by-state obesity statistics plus recommendations for policy makers.
[Source: Trust for America’s Health]
TIGER Grants Available:The latest round of the hugely popular federal TIGER grant program is now accepting pre-applications. Nearly $527 million will be available on a competitive basis for road, rail, transit, and port projects that promise to achieve national objectives, strengthen the economy, and make communities more livable and sustainable. Past rounds of the TIGER program have funded many Complete Streets projects, including implementation work being done in St. Paul, Minnesota and a network of Complete Streets in a revitalizing area of Dubuque, Iowa. Pre-applications are due October 3, 2011. Additional information, including slides from a recent half-day seminar, is available at http://www.dot.gov/tiger/. A summary from the seminar is available from the League of American Bicyclists.
[Source: http://www.dot.gov/tiger/ & The League of American Bicyclists]
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
Southern California Becoming More Pedestrian Friendly: In an area famous for ‘Carmageddon’ and a song that states ‘Nobody walks in LA’, efforts are underway in several Southern California cities to provide space on the roadways for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. This article highlights the efforts of Dan Burden, the ‘Johnny Appleseed of walk-able communities,’ and the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Diego, and Los Angeles County.
[Source: http://abcnews.go.com/]
Complete Streets Coming Soon to New York State: In one of the highest profile legislative victories for the movement to date, both houses of the New York State legislature passed "Brittany's Law," a Complete Streets bill. The bill was passed in honor of Brittany Vega, who died while crossing a road on her way to school; her mother Sandi became one of the cause's most tireless advocates. The bill, passed in late June, awaits Governor Cuomo's signature.
[Source: League of American Bicyclists]
South Dakota town host Great Day of Play: On July 27, the Yankton Parks and Recreation in partnership with the South Dakota Parks and Recreation Association is hosting the annual Great Day of Play. The mission of the Great Day of Play is to encourage children, adults and families to increase physical activity by getting out and playing in the city’s parks, recreation facilities, and trails, with free admission to the community pool.
[Source: http://www.yankton.net]
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
AUGUST
XIX IEA World Congress of Epidemiology
8/7/2011 - 8/11/2011
Edinburgh, Scotland
http://www.epidemiology2011.com/
IDEA World Fitness Convention
8/11/2011 - 8/14/2011
Los Angeles, CA
http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-conferences
3rd Safe Routes to School Conference
8/16/2011 - 8/18/2011
Minneapolis, MN
http://saferoutesconference.org/
SEPTEMBER
Public Health International Conference 2011
9/8/2011- 9/9/2011
London, United Kingdom
http://www.rsph.org.uk/
Physical Activity and Public Health Course
9/13/2011 - 9/21/2011
Hilton Head, SC
http://www.sph.sc.edu/paph/index.htm
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.
USC PRC UPDATES:
National Physical Activity Plan Evaluation: Launched in 2010, the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) is a comprehensive set of policies, programs, and initiatives that aim to increase physical activity in all segments of the American population. A product of a private-public sector collaborative, hundreds of organizations are working together to create a national culture that supports physically active lifestyles. Since the NPAP is designed to be a dynamic document that reflects the current state of US policy and science, measurement of the plan is critical for success. The effort to evaluate the NPAP is being spearheaded by the Prevention Research Centers at Washington University in St. Louis, The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the University of South Carolina.
[Source: National Physical Activity Plan]
Writer: Robin Shook
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.
This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U48-DP-001936 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.
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
