September - October 2011 | USC-PRC Notes
“Promoting Health through Physical Activity”
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of spending a weekend at Sea Pines Resort at the annual Physical Activity and Public Health course. I had not been to the meeting in two years. It is always a re-invigorating experience! I was delighted to see that both the research and practitioner fellows took part in an entire morning session focused on policy change. I believe this is such an important area for our field. My presentations focused on community-engaged research, and I was struck by how many of the fellows were interested not only in working with communities, but in conducting community-based participatory research. I also attended the presentations given by other faculty members while I was there, and enjoyed and learned from each of them. Despite the cool weather, I left the course with a renewed excitement about physical activity and public health and a good feeling about an upcoming generation of researchers and practitioners.
I hope that you enjoy this newsletter. I feel very grateful to Robin Shook for his excellent writing of our newsletters and website management over the past year. He went beyond the call of duty to continue this work as I awaited Danielle Schoffman, who will now be taking on this role. I wish Robin the best as he fully transitions to a new project with Dr. Steve Blair and I warmly welcome Danielle to the PRC!
Sara Wilcox, PhD, Interim Director
IN THIS ISSUE – SEPTEMBER- OCTOBER 2011
NEWS YOU CAN USE: How a Park Helped One Town Weather the Recession; Bike-sharing Gears up in U.S. as Gas Prices Soar; Active Aging Week; 8th Annual World Wide Day of Play; Family Health and Fitness Day USA; International Walk-to-School Day; Walk to School Month
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON: Transportation Funding Extended
RESEARCH NOTES: Effects of Physical Activity on Teen Smoking Cessation; Activity Across Adulthood and Physical Performance in Midlife- Findings from a British Cohort Study; The Association Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Body Size and Physical Activity in the California Teachers Study Cohort
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES: Key Findings on Bicycling and Walking from the U.K.; Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Years
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES: Screen Time Reduced for Chicago Preschools; Missoula is a Runner Friendly Community; Mason City Iowa Receives Grant to Begin Walking School Bus
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS: 85th Annual ASHA School Health Conference: Limitless Possibilities - School Health in the New Decade; 138th American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition; European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Annual Conference; Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting
USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE: Physical Activity and Public Health Courses; Walking Intervention
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
How a park helped one town weather the recession: Greenville, South Carolina has thrived during the recent recession, with relatively low unemployment and a recent upgrade in the town’s credit rating. Part of the Greenville’s success is due to a recent beautification of the town’s downtown park. Says the mayor, "The park cost $13 million. Within two years, over $100 million in private investment was created around the park — hotels, restaurants, condominiums, apartments. The entire, what we call the West End of our downtown, just blossomed."
[Source: npr.org]
Bike-sharing gears up in U.S. as gas prices soar: Cities large and small have started bike sharing programs recently, including Washington, DC, Denver, and Des Moines, Iowa. Bike share programs allow users to rent bicycles for all or part of a day for a small fee, and are ideal for short trips around town. While the emergence of these programs is due to many factors, including being healthy and non-polluting, they also are inexpensive. "Some of the main reasons we hear about people joining Bikeshare or biking in general is the cost of gas. That is not going to go down anytime in the future, and it will only keep getting worse," says a program manager for the Washington, DC bike share program.
[Source: McClatchy Newspapers]
Active Aging Week
September 25- October 1, 2011
http://www.icaa.cc/aaw.htm
8th Annual World Wide Day of Play
September 24, 2011
http://www.nick.com/thebighelp/worldwide-day-of-play
Family Health and Fitness Day USA
September 24, 2011
http://www.fitnessday.com/family
International Walk-to-School Day
October 5, 2011
http://www.walktoschool.org/
Walk to School Month
October 1-31, 2011
http://www.iwalktoschool.org/
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
Transportation funding extended: On September 15th the US Senate passed an extension of the nation’s transportation bill, which included funding for walking and bicycling trails, but not without controversy. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) pushed for an amendment to strip transportation enhancements from the overall bill, which would have eliminated funding of $700 million for biking and walking infrastructure projects (less than 2% of the entire transportation bill). The bill ultimately passed by a margin of 92-6, which will extend funding until March 31, 2012.
[Source: League of American Bicyclists and America Walks]
RESEARCH NOTES:
Effects of Physical Activity on Teen Smoking Cessation: This study examined whether adding a physical activity component to a smoking cessation program could increase the rates of smoking cessation in teens (ages 14-19 years). Researchers compared a brief intervention, a clinically proven cessation program (Not on Tobacco), and a combination of the Not on Tobacco program and a physical activity module. At 6-months, teens in the combination program had a greater likelihood of cessation compared with those in just the Not on Tobacco program, and results showed that the physical activity module was especially effective for smoking cessation in boys.
Horn, K., G. Dino, S.A. Branstetter, et al. (2011). "Effects of Physical Activity on Smoking Cessation." Pediatrics.
Activity Across Adulthood and Physical Performance in Midlife- Findings from a British Cohort Study: While existing evidence demonstrates that physical activity is an important factor for physical performance and strength in older age, little is known about how the benefits of physical activity change over time. Using data from the UK Medical Research Nation Survey of Health and Development, researchers looked at the association between leisure time physical activity reported for ages 36, 43, and 53 years and measures of physical performance and strength measured at age 53 (grip strength, standing balance, and chair rise times). The authors found associated benefits from physical activity for chair rise (all ages), standing balance (43 and 53), and grip strength (only men, 53), suggesting that the benefits of physical activity are cumulative and not just important during sensitive periods of aging. Cooper, R., G.D. Mishra, D. Kuh. (2011). "Physical Activity Across Adulthood and Physical Performance in Midlife; Findings from a British Birth Cohort." American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
The Association Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Body Size and Physical Activity in the California Teachers Study Cohort: Investigators used data from the California Teachers study to look at the interactions of physical activity, body mass index (BMI) and neighborhood factors. They found that low physical activity and being overweight or obese was correlated with other characteristics of the individual, such as their race/ethnicity and age. For some women, household crowding was associated with less physical activity, while other neighborhood factors (low socioeconomic status of the neighborhood, less neighborhood amenities, more people working outside the home), were also associated with higher probability of low physical activity and higher probability of being overweight or obese.
Keegan T.H., S. Hurley, D. Goldberg, et al. (2011). " The Association Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Body Size and Physical Activity in the California Teachers Study Cohort." American Journal of Public Health.
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:
Key findings on bicycling and walking from the U.K.: Understanding Walking and Cycling, a three-year study funded by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, looked into the reasons why people may or may not choose to ride bicycles or walk to their destinations. Their findings suggest that the perception of bicycling and walking as "abnormal" or "second class" is a roadblock, but building safer environments for walking and bicycling, lowering speed limits, and reducing trip distances are helping boost the number of people choosing to travel by those modes.
[Source:Understanding Walking and Cycling & National Complete Streets Coalition]
Physical activity guidelines for early years: The United Kingdom’s British Heart Foundation National Center for Physical Activity and Health (BHFNC) recently released physical activity guidelines, including a special group of guidelines for the first time, specifically for children under five years old. Divided into two groups, walkers and non-walkers, the guidelines include recommendations for both the time and type of physical activity that children under five should try to achieve.
[Source: British Heart Foundation, U.K. Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Years- Non Walkers (pdf), U.K. Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Years- Walkers (pdf)]
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
Screentime reduced in Chicago preschools: The Department of Public Health in Chicago will begin requiring children who attend preschool or day care centers to spend less time in front of television and computer screens and more time being active beginning in November. Children will now spend less than 60 minutes in front of a screen and at least 60 minutes participating in physical activity. Also included are recommendations on the types of food provided at these facilities. This is part of a broader effort by new mayor Rahm Emanuel, which also provides incentives for schools to extend the school day, which could provide time for recess.
[Source: Care2.com]
Missoula is a runner friendly community: The Road Runners Club of America recently recognized Missoula, Montana as a “Runner Friendly Community.” The award was given based on the town’s infrastructure, community support, and local government support for running. The distinction is important for both runners and non-runners, as these communities can increase the quality of life, improve physical activity as outlined in the National Physical Activity Plan, and provide for increased economic impact for the community. According to the award, Missoula has shown that community organizations and business work together to promote running for both exercise and sport.
[Source: KPAX.com]
Mason City Iowa receives grant to begin walking school bus:Mason City, Iowa recently received at $25,000 grant from the Wellmark Foundation to begin a Walking School Bus program. The award will fund students at two area elementary schools to walk or bicycle safely to school under adult supervision. As part of the application, a study was conducted which found low levels of students actively commuting to school, only 10% at one of the schools. The project aims to increase this number and help establish exercise habits early in life.
[Source:Mason City Globe Gazette]
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
OCTOBER
85th Annual ASHA School Health Conference: Limitless Possibilities - School Health in the New Decade
10/12/2011 - 10/15/2011
Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.ashaweb.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3315
138th American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition
10/29/2011 - 11/2/2011
Washington, DC
http://www.apha.org/meetings/
NOVEMBER
European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Annual Conference
11/9/2011- 11/12/2011
Copenhagen, Denmark
http://www.eupha.org/
Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting
11/18/2011 - 11/22/2011
Boston, MA
http://www.geron.org/
USC PRC UPDATES:
Physical Activity and Public Health Courses: The Physical Activity and Public Health Courses took place at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, SC from September 13 to 21. The Postgraduate Course on Research Directions and Strategies, directed by Dr. Russell Pate, trained 34 participants. The Practitioner’s Course on Community Interventions, directed by Mr. Dennis Shepard, trained 27 participants. For more information about the courses, see the website at http://www.sph.sc.edu/paph/practitioners.htm.
Walking Intervention: The USC Prevention Research Center is gearing up to start a community walking intervention in Sumter, SC. The intervention is developed in partnership with the Sumter County Active Lifestyles coalition. The intervention, directed by Dr. Lyndie Forthofer, will help people engage their existing social networks to support increased walking. It will be open to all Sumter County residents, but will especially target underserved areas of the community.
Writers: Robin Shook, Danielle Schoffman
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
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