September – October 2012 | USC-PRC Notes
"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"
I recently attended a childhood obesity taskforce meeting for the South Carolina Medical Association. It was my first meeting with this group. An impressive number of people from multiple agencies and organizations were in attendance. Several things struck me during the meeting. First, I noticed that both clinically and community/public health oriented people were communicating effectively about this topic. All agreed on the need to better link clinical and public health practice and to think of multilevel and multicomponent approaches to addressing this issue. Second, it struck me that many of the “solutions” and approaches we discussed were not age specific. People need safe places to be active, they need environments that support active transport and recreation, and they need access to affordable healthy foods. And (most) children live in families and interventions need to consider this broader context. Of course, some settings and programs were age-specific, such as pediatric practice, school physical education, and the school food environment, but many were not. And third, the meeting allowed me to reflect on the progress that has been made in South Carolina over the past decade in the area of promoting a healthier environment for physical activity and healthy and local food options. I left the meeting with optimism that communities can come together and make change.
Happy Fall!
Sara Wilcox, PhD,
Director
Topics in this issue
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
30,000 Bicyclists,
12 Million Miles,
One National Triumph
New Data Shows More Than 11 Million Students Involved In Making Healthier Changes At School With Fuel Up to Play 60
The More They Burn the Better They Learn
Upcoming Events and Observances:October, November, December
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Announces New Fitness Program Aimed at Helping Kids Stay Active
Presidential Proclamation -- National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012
RESEARCH NOTES:
The Influence of the Macro-Environment on Physical Activity: a Multilevel Analysis of 38 Countries Worldwide
Point-of-Choice Prompts to Reduce Sitting Time at Work
Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Physical Activity of Japanese Older Adults Who Own and Walk Dogs
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
Steps to a Walkable Community
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2012
Free Online Course for Assessing the Built Environment for Physical Activity
CDC Health Equity Resource Toolkit for State Practitioners Addressing Obesity Disparities from Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
New Milwaukee Schools Must Now Contain Outside Play Areas
Bridging The Gap Between Two Neighborhoods
School District Festival Promotes Healthy Lifestyle
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
October, November, December
USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE:
The Prevention Research Centers Program: Translating Research Into Public Health Practice and Impact
USC Prevention Research Center and Partners Host Screening of HBO’s “Weight of the Nation”
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
30,000 Bicyclists, 12 Million Miles, One National Triumph: When the National Bike Challenge came to a close on August 31, the event had an impressive 30,000 participants across the country, who rode a total of 12 million miles on their bikes during the four month challenge. The Challenge was a collaboration of industry and bicycle advocates, and was sponsored by: Kimberly-Clark Corporation, League of American Bicyclists, Endomondo and Bikes Belong. Individuals and corporations participated in the competition, which connected bicyclists through a website and social media so that they could provide support to one another, and encourage each other to bike during the four-month challenge.
[Source: National Bike Challenge]
New Data Shows More Than 11 Million Students Involved In Making Healthier Changes At School With Fuel Up to Play 60: The youth-led program, Fuel Up to Play 60, has wide reach across the United States, with a reported 11 million actively involved students. The program is a collaboration of the National Dairy Council, National Football League, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is focused on empowering youth to take control of their health and learn to make choices about eating healthy and being physically active; visit FuelUpToPlay60.com to learn more about the program.
[Source: Sacramento Bee, GENYOUth Foundation]
The More They Burn the Better They Learn: With the beginning of a new school year, the CDC’s Division of Community Health has launched a new campaign aimed at increasing youth physical activity using the slogan, “Burn to Learn”. The campaign includes catchy infographics and quizzes about the effects of physical activity on academic performance, all available on the Burn to Learn website for practitioners to circulate.
[Source: CDC]
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES:
OCTOBER
Healthy Lung Month
October 1-31, 2012
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 1-31, 2012
National Physical Therapy Month
October 1-31, 2012
International Walk to School Month
October 1-31, 2012
International Day of the Older Persons
October 1, 2012
National Child Health Day
October 1, 2012
International Walk to School in the USA Day
October 3, 2012
World Food Day
October 16, 2012
World Osteoporosis Day
October 20, 2012
NOVEMBER
American Diabetes Month
November 1-30, 2012
Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month
November 1-30, 2012
World Diabetes Day
November 14, 2012
National Family Health History Day
November 22, 2012
DECEMBER
none
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Announces New Fitness Program Aimed at Helping Kids Stay Active: On September 10, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, announced that the Youth Fitness Test, established in 1946, would be replaced by a new fitness program, the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. The new program is the first major change to the assessment in 25 years, and represents a big shift in approach—instead of focusing on athletic performance, the new program focuses on health-related fitness over time, which organizers hope will help to foster a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity in children.
[Source: President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition]
Presidential Proclamation -- National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012: Building from work completed in the past 2 years by First Lady Michelle Obama and the Let’s Move initiative, President Obama declared September National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, with the goal of refocusing America’s attention on this serious problem. President Obama stated in the official proclamation that this month will provide the opportunity to “encourage all Americans to learn about and engage in activities that promote healthy eating and greater physical activity by all our Nation's children”.
[Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary]
RESEARCH NOTES:
The influence of the macro-environment on physical activity: a multilevel analysis of 38 countries worldwide: Building off data about the micro-environment’s effects on levels of physical activity, researchers used data from the World Health Survey to examine macro-environmental influences on physical activity, including gross domestic product, temperature, gender equality, and government functioning. The analysis demonstrated that there is a wide range of levels of physical activity between countries, and the national level of physical activity appears to be influenced by many macro-environmental factors, including higher temperature and higher urbanization.
Bosdriesz JR, Witvliet MI, Visscher TLS, Kunst AE. (2012) The Influence of the Macro-Environment on Physical Activity: a Multilevel Analysis of 38 Countries Worldwide. IJBNPA.
Point-of-Choice Prompts to Reduce Sitting Time at Work: For many people, a large portion of the week is spent sitting at work, adding to the already large portion of American’s days spent in sedentary activities. Looking for a new way to decrease sedentary time at work, researchers tested the impact of using point of choice software that reminds workers to stand up every 30 minutes. The goal of the study was to limit the number of sitting periods as well as the duration of sitting periods in the intervention group as compared to a control group that only received a brief educational session on the importance of reducing long bouts of sitting. Though the sample size was small (14 in each condition), the results of the study are promising; the point-of-choice group reduced the number and duration of long-sitting events as compared to the education group, suggesting that the point-of-choice software could be an effective strategy for reducing workplace sitting.
Evans RE, Fawole HO, Sheriff SA, Dall PM, Grant PM, Ryan CG. (2012) Point-of-Choice Prompts to Reduce Sitting Time at Work: A Randomized Trial. Am J Prev Med.
Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association: In order to provide recommendations about population-level approaches to improve diet, physical activity, and smoking habits, researchers at the American Heart Association reviewed and graded current research about each health behavior. The research reviewers also considered the roles of healthcare and surveillance systems in their research recommendations. The report includes the graded research, gaps that were discovered in the research, and the next steps that are needed to facilitate the necessary changes, such as new collaborations that will be necessary in order to translate the recommendations into action.
Mozaffarian D, Afshin A, Benowitz NL. et al. (2012) Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation.
Physical Activity of Japanese Older Adults Who Own and Walk Dogs: While past research has shown a positive correlation between owning a dog and being sufficiently physically active, most of this research has taken place in the US and Australia with adults. Researchers in Japan were interested to see if dog ownership and dog walking in older Japanese adults had similar benefits for their physical activity levels. The results showed that dog walkers were more likely to be sufficiently active than non-dog walkers and non-owners, demonstrating that dog-walking might be a good strategy to encourage older Japanese adults to exercise.
Shibata A, Oka K, Inoue S, Christian H, Kitabatake Y, Shimomitsu T. (2012) Physical Activity of Japanese Older Adults Who Own and Walk Dogs. Am J Prev Med.
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
Steps to a Walkable Community: America Walks and Sam Schwartz Engineering have released a free PDF of their collaborative book, “Steps to a Walkable Community: A Guide for Citizens, Planners, and Engineers”. The book offers insights from successful community campaigns to encourage walking, including tips for overcoming the inevitable challenges associated with these efforts. The authors hope to empower and enable citizens, planners, and engineers by providing them with innovative pro-walking tactics. For a copy of the book, visit the Steps to a Walkable Community website.
[Source: America Walks]
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2012: The 2012 update of the F as in Fat report warns that if conditions continue as they are, adult obesity and related chronic diseases are poised to increase dramatically in the next 20 years, driving up health care costs significantly. The report, produced by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation contains state-by-state his report provides state-by-state obesity statistics and forecasts for 2030, including obesity rates and the potential resulting health care costs.
[Source: Trust for America’s Health]
Free Online Course for Assessing the Built Environment for Physical Activity: The Built Environment Assessment Training Institute has launched a free online course to learn how to assess the built environment for physical activity. Participants will learn about the main variables found in most physical activity-focused built environment audit tools, with a more in-depth look at a few specific tools (IMI, ANC, PEDS, PARA, EAPRS & PEAT). Participants will also learn how to customize the tools and train others to conduct assessments. For more information, visit the BEAT Institute’s website.
[Source: BEAT Institute]
CDC Health Equity Resource Toolkit for State Practitioners Addressing Obesity Disparities from Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity: The purpose of the CDC/DNPAO Health Equity Resource Toolkit for State Practitioners Addressing Obesity Disparities is to increase the capacity of state health departments and their partners to work with and through communities to implement effective responses to obesity in populations that are facing health disparities. The Toolkit’s primary focus is on how to create policy, systems, and environmental changes that will reduce obesity disparities and achieve health equity. The Toolkit provides: a 6-step planning framework to guide the implementation of effective responses to obesity in populations facing health disparities, guidance on how to supplement and complement existing state efforts to address obesity across populations, and evidence-informed and practice-based examples of strategies for addressing disparities. See the CDC/DNPAO website for more information.
[Source: CDC]
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
New Milwaukee Schools Must Now Contain Outside Play Areas: In an effort to combat childhood obesity through changes in the school environment, the Milwaukee Common Council voted to require all new elementary schools to provide an adequate outdoor play area or transport students off-campus to play. Alderman Michael J. Murphy, the primary sponsor of the ordinance, discussed the importance of the ordinance in a statement: "Academic research has shown a direct correlation between healthy minds and strong bodies. Now is the time to ensure our children have access to a healthy and active lifestyle." For the full text of the ordinance, see the city of Milwaukee’s website.
[Source: Education Week & City of Milwaukee]
Bridging The Gap Between Two Neighborhoods: A movement is underway in Washington D.C. to transform an old automobile bridge into a pedestrian bridge, complete with a park and river activity centers to promote physical activity. The footbridge would connect a wealthy side of the city (Washington Navy Yard and Capitol Hill) with a low-income side (Anacostia), serving as a way to reconnect two areas and cultures of the city that have long been fragmented. Some remain skeptical about the feasibility of the project and the unintended consequences it could have in terms of driving up the property values of the Anacostia area, potentially forcing residents out of their neighborhoods.
[Source: NPR]
School District Festival Promotes Healthy Lifestyle: Thanks to funds from a Carol M. White Physical Education Grant (PEP) Grant, students in the Beloit, WI area are enjoying new state-of-the-art physical activity centers and physical activity equipment. The city also used some of their PEP funds to involve families and communities in their efforts to get physically active by hosting family-friendly event, the Second Annual Good to Great Activate Festival. The event was open to the public, and featured a 2 mile walk/run, information booths, and a healthy lunch, with activities and information focused on getting the community excited about healthy eating and exercise.
[Source: The Beloit Daily News]
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
OCTOBER
86th Annual ASHA School Health Conference
October 10-13, 2012
San Antonio, TX
140th American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition
October 27-31, 2012
San Francisco, CA
Be Active: 4th International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health (ICPAPH)
October 31-November 2, 2012
Sydney, Australia
NOVEMBER
European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Annual Conference
November 7-10, 2012
Portomaso, St. Julian’s, Malta
International Council on Active Aging Conference 2012
November 29-December 1, 2012
New Orleans, LA
DECEMBER
None
USC PRC UPDATES:
The Prevention Research Centers Program: Translating Research Into Public Health Practice and Impact: Through community-based academic research, the Prevention Research Centers (PRC) across the US help to disseminate research through the application, evaluation, and translation of public health research into community settings. The September 2012 issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine highlights some of the work of the thematic network for the Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN). Six centers are funded as members of the network and another nine PRCs are involved in the network. The members of NOPREN hope that collaborations such as theirs which involve many stakeholders, can help make obesity interventions more effective.
[Source: American Journal of Preventative Medicine]
USC PRC and Partners Host Screening of HBO’s “Weight of the Nation”: The USC PRC teamed up with the Arnold School of Public Health, Eat Smart Move More South Carolina, Palmetto Health, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to bring a screening of the HBO documentary, "Weight of the Nation" and a panel discussion about obesity to the USC community. The screening attracted about 125 attendees, and was featured on Columbia's WACH Fox News; click here for the WACH Fox interview with USC PRC Director, Dr. Sara Wilcox. For more information on the documentary series, visit HBO's website, Weight of the Nation.
USC PRC Core Project, Sumter County on the Move!, Featured on Columbia, SC News Broadcast: Sumter County On the Move! (SCOTM!) was recently featured on WLTX News in Columbia, SC and Sumter, SC; click here for the WLTX interview with SCOTM! participants and program coordinator, Lili Stoisor-Olsson. SCOTM! is a walking program for residents of Sumter County, SC focused on getting people active and utilizing support networks to stay motivated. For more information on SCOTM!, please visit: SCOTM!'s website.
Writer: Danielle Schoffman
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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.
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