QUARTER 1: January - March 2013 | USC-PRC Notes

"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"

Topics in this issue

NEWS YOU CAN USE:
First Lady Michelle Obama Announces Unprecedented Collaboration to Bring Physical Activity Back to Schools
Nike’s Investment In Physical Activity Starts in U.S., Will Spread Elsewhere
The GEO Group Earns Gold in Healthyroads "Fit Company Awards"®
South Carolina Midlands Schools Get Creative with Physical Activity
Upcoming Events and Observances: April, May, June

RESEARCH NOTES:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine Supplemental Issue on Active Living
Perceptions of Neighborhood Park Quality: Associations with Physical Activity and Body Mass Index
The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial in African-American Churches
Potential Effect of Physical Activity Based Menu Labels on the Calorie Content of Selected Fast Food Meals
Effectiveness of Safe Routes to School Program in Preventing School-Aged Pedestrian Injury
Active Living Collaboratives in the United States: Understanding Characteristics, Activities, and Achievement of Environmental and Policy Change

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
County Health Rankings Show Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Every State
Physical Activity Mid-Course Report
The Wellness Impact: Enhancing Academic Success Through Healthy School Environments

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
Health Coalition Outlines Plans for Spending Grant Money
City of Maplewood, Minnesota: Living Streets Plan
Contra Costa Health Services Seeks Community Input on Nutrition, Physical Activity
City RTC adopts Complete Streets Design Guidelines for Southern Nevada

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
April, May, June

USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE:
Sumter County on the Move! to Complete Recruitment
USC PRC Researchers Present at the Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions
National Physical Activity Plan Update

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces Unprecedented Collaboration to Bring Physical Activity Back to Schools: First Lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of the Let’s Move! Active Schools initiative last month, marking the beginning of an extensive collaborative effort to increase the physical activity of American children.  The program will be developed and implemented by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN); the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD) and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.  With significant financial backing from industry and research, the efforts to support physical activity in schools marks an important step to extend the current efforts of the Let’s Move! initiative. 
[Source: White House Press Office]  

Nike’s Investment In Physical Activity Starts in U.S., Will Spread Elsewhere: As one of the large industry partners for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Active Schools initiative, Nike has pledged $50 million dollars to help get the effort off the ground.  Nike sees this investment as the beginning of a larger movement to help increase physical activity worldwide, and the company has plans to increase their involvement to the United Kingdom, China, and Brazil.  The investment marks the first major step for Nike to fulfill pledges they made in a report last year, called “Designed to Move,” which described the growing problem of physical inactivity worldwide.  
[Source: Biz Journal]

The GEO Group Earns Gold in Healthyroads "Fit Company Awards"®: The GEO Group was awarded the gold medal in the third annual Healthyroads Fit Company Awards program, a national program that recognizes exceptional initiatives for employee health and wellness.  The GEO Group, the world’s leading provider of correctional detention and community reenty services, has a large employee wellness program, which extends through all levels of the organization, being with active participation from the CEO and executives.  Last year, over 8,329 of GEO Group’s employees participated in part of the program, which includes components like a pedometer challenge with incentives, health fairs at worksites nationwide, and lunch-and-learn presentations.
[Source: Market Watch]

South Carolina Midlands Schools Get Creative With Physical Activity
While students at Pleasant Hill Elementary School only have one physical education period of 50 minutes per week, one teacher is doing his part to increase the physical activity levels of his students.  Physical education teacher Tom Cronin has organized 15 minute run-walk sessions in the mornings before school begins, and each grade level has its own day for the extra activity.  Cronin’s program is just one example of how physical activity advocates are trying to make changes within their local schools to promote more opportunities for children to have active play time. [Source:The State]

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES:

APRIL
Cancer Control Month
April 1-30, 2012

National Minority Health Awareness Month
April 1-30, 2012

National Public Health Week
April 1-7, 2013

Medical Fitness Week
April 22-28, 2013

Screen-Free Week
April 29- May 5, 2013

National Start! Walking Day
April 3, 2013

National Walk to Work Day
April 5, 2013

World Health Day
April 7, 2013

World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day
April 27, 2013

MAY
American Stroke Month
May 1-31, 2013

Clean Air Month
May 1-31, 2013

National Arthritis Month
May 1-31, 2013

Older Americans Month
May 1-31, 2013

National Bike Month
May 1-31, 2013

National Cancer Research Month
May 1-31, 2013

National Employee Health and Fitness Month
May 1-31, 2013

National High Blood Pressure Education Month
May 1-31, 2013

National Osteoporosis Awareness Prevention Month
May 1-31, 2013

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
May 1-31, 2013

National Physical Education and Sports Week
May 1-7, 2012

National Women's Health Week
May 12-18, 2013

National Bike to Work Week
May 13-17, 2013

National Run A Mile Day(s)
May 1-5, 2012

National Bike to School Day
May 8, 2013

National Bike to Work Day
May 17, 2013

National Senior Health & Fitness Day
May 29, 2013

JUNE
National Trails Day
June 1, 2013

World Environment Day
June 5, 2013

RESEARCH NOTES:

Annals of Behavioral Medicine Supplemental Issue on Active Living: The February, 2013  Supplement of the journal, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, was devoted to reporting brief reports, original articles, and commentaries about various aspects of active living research.  The full supplement can be accessed here: http://link.springer.com/journal/12160/45/1/suppl/page/1. One of the articles from the supplement by Bai et al. is profiled below.

Perceptions of Neighborhood Park Quality: Associations with Physical Activity and Body Mass Index: This study used surveys in Kansas City, Missouri, to investigate the associations between perceptions of neighborhood park quality and overall moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), park-based physical activity, and body mass index (BMI).  A secondary aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of a new scale to measure park perceptions, which demonstrated good test-retest reliability and internal reliability. The results of the survey showed that positive perceptions of parks were related to higher levels of MVPA and park-based physical activity, and were related to lower levels of BMI.  The researchers propose that the measurement of park perceptions could be an important component of future intervention work.
Bai H, Wilhelm Stanis SA, Kaczynski AT, Besenyi GM. (2013). Perceptions of Neighborhood Park Quality: Associations with Physical Activity and Body Mass Index. Ann Beh Med.

The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial in African-American Churches: To capitalize on the existing resources and networks of the faith community in South Carolina, researchers used a community-based participatory research approach in 74 African Methodist Episcopal churches to work to make sustained lifestyle changes for the congregation members.  The project was focused on making structural changes in the churches to support physical activity and healthy eating, such as changes to the foods served after church services.  Results showed small but significant increases in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, and the trainings attended by church leaders were rated favorably.  The research team reports that the project has implications for future interventions which could be widely disseminated through the church infrastructure. 
Wilcox S, Parrott A, Baruth M, Laken M, Condrasky M, Saunders R, et al. (2013) The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial in African-American Churches. Am J Prev Med.

Potential Effect of Physical Activity Based Menu Labels on the Calorie Content of Selected Fast Food Meals: As mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act of 2010, restaurants have begun to include calorie information on their menus.  However, little is known about how the calorie information can be contextualized to be more effective in influencing consumers to make healthy food choices.  Researchers tested four different menu schemes via a web-based survey, to see if offering calorie information with the corresponding number of steps or the number of miles one would have to walk to burn off those calories would influence “ordering” behaviors from the menu. The study found that including the number of miles to walk to burn the calories could significantly reduce the calories of the meal an individual orders.  Participants also demonstrated a preference for the physical activity based calorie counts on the menu (as opposed to no calorie information or calories alone).
Dowray S, Swartz JJ, Braxton D, Viera AJ. (2013) Potential Effect of Physical Activity Based Menu Labels on the Calorie Content of Selected Fast Food Meals. Appetite.

Effectiveness of a Safe Routes to School Program in Preventing School-Aged Pedestrian Injury: While there is widespread support for the implementation of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs, including $612 million from Congress allotted to these efforts, little is known about the actual effects the programs have had on pedestrian safety.  SRTS programs are designed to help children choose active forms of transportation (e.g., walking, biking), to and from school, and are meant to help increase the safety of children while they actively commute.  In the present analysis, researchers used geocoded traffic data from New York City to compare census tracts with and without SRTS programs.  They found that there was a significant reduction in the number of school-aged pedestrian injuries during school-travel hours in the tracts with an SRTS program, while the rates remained unchanged in the other tracts.  The authors make a case for expanding the SRTS programs in light of their findings.
Dimaggio C, Li G. (2013). Effectiveness of a Safe Routes to School Program in Preventing School-Aged Pedestrian Injury. Pediatrics

Active Living Collaboratives in the United States: Understanding Characteristics, Activities, and Achievement of Environmental and Policy Change: Researchers interviewed the leaders of 59 active living collaborative groups across the U.S. to learn more about their efforts, commonly used tactics, and successes.  The interviews revealed that parks and recreation as well as Safe Routes to School are two popular areas of work, and media activities and influencing policy development are two frequently used tactics.  Additionally, the interviews revealed areas for potential efforts in the future, such as transit projects and infill redevelopment.
Litt JS, Reed HL, Tabak RG, Zieff SG, Eyler AA, Lyn R, et al. (2013). Active Living Collaboratives in the United States: Understanding Characteristics, Activities, and Achievement of Environmental and Policy Change. Prev Chronic Dis

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:

County Health Rankings Show Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Every State: For the fourth year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released a report ranking the health status of counties in the U.S. The report takes into account 25 factors which represent individual behaviors and structural issues, including obesity levels, physical inactivity, access to healthy food, and rates of childhood poverty.  The report is intended to show trends by county, and to inform the decision making of those in power to improve the health infrastructure of the county, including governors, mayors, business leaders, and citizens.
[Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation]

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth: The Physical Activity Mid-Course Report was released at the end of 2012, as a summary of the work that is currently underway to promote physical activity for youth in a variety of settings. Specifically, the report includes a review of reviews that describes the evidence for the efficacy of intervening on physical activity in a variety of settings (e.g., family, physician’s office, schools), and makes recommendations for those settings that have been shown to be effective and those that need more evidence.  The report also points out general trends in physical activity levels, describing current victories (e.g., efforts in schools appear to be working) and highlighting areas that need more attention (e.g., neighborhood built environmental changes to support physical activity).
[Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]

Healthy Students Are Better Students: New Report Illustrates "The Wellness Impact" Of Good Nutrition And Physical Activity On Improving Academic Achievement: In a recent report, The Wellness Impact: Enhancing Academic Success Through Healthy School Environments, the GENYOUth Foundation, National Dairy Council (NDC), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American School Health Association (ASHA) collaborated to explain the connection between a healthy environment and academic achievement for students.  The report draws on research that shows links between good nutritional habits (e.g., eating breakfast every day, obtaining physical activity during the day), and having better outcomes in school and on standardized tests.  The partners for the Wellness Impact report are also involved in the Let’s Move! Active Schools initiative and hope to make an impact on the low levels of physical activity of students through this partnership.
[Source: PR News Wire]

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:

Health Coalition Outlines Plans for Spending Grant Money: As a recipient of a $2.4 million community transformation grant from the CDC in 2012, the Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita is moving forward with plans to put the grant money to use.  One half of the money has been earmarked for a “healthy living campaign” which is set to launch by early summer. The campaign development is underway with a local corporate partner, will be tailored to the unique needs of Wichita residents.  Other efforts will include research by Wichita State University to determine the best use of the funds, an assessment of access to fruits and vegetables across the city, and a partnership with Tobacco Free Wichita.
[Source: Kansas.com]

City of Maplewood, Minnesota: Living Streets Plan: The city of Maplewood, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, published an extensive report outlining their plans for future community improvements based on a Living Streets Plan.  The “living streets” movement aims to transform streets into places where walking, biking, socializing and play can all occur safely.  The Maplewood report details the collaborative efforts of city planners, engineers, naturalists, and others involved in the project and serves as an excellent model of the process involved in creating “living streets”. To see the entire report, visit: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/cs/policy/cs-mn-maplewood-policy.pdf
[Source: Smart Growth America]

Contra Costa Health Services Seeks Community Input on Nutrition, Physical Activity: The Contra Costa Health Services hosted three public forums in February as part of their Community Wellness and Prevention Program, to solicit feedback on the impact of existing programs and to gauge the successes and shortcomings of current efforts.  The forums will help to inform the next generation of grant-funded initiatives financed through the Network for a Health California.  Attendees at the forum discussed some of the barriers they currently experience in their attempts to maintain healthy lifestyles, including safety concerns which prevent them from exercising at night, and limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables in some areas of the county.
[Source: Richmond Confidential]

RTC adopts Complete Streets Design Guidelines for Southern Nevada: The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada recently adopted the “Complete Streets” design guidelines to inform their development of new streets that can best accommodate various modes of transportation.  The goal of the RTC is to support alternative transportation, such as walking and biking, through designing streets with wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and better lighting. Tina Quigley, the general manager of the RTC, commented that “Complete Streets enable our roads to become more inviting public spaces for everyone to enjoy and use safely.”
[Source: Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada]

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:

APRIL 2013

Be Active: 4th International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health (ICPAPH)
April 8-11,
Rio de Janerio, Brazil

Symposium on Therapeutic Recreation and Adapted Physical Activity
April 15-17, 2013
St. Louis, MO

AAHPERD National Convention & Exposition
April 23-27, 2013
Charlotte, NC

MAY
Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association 18th Annual Symposium
May 2-4, 2013
Las Vegas, NV

European Congress on Obesity
May 12-15, 2013
Liverpool, UK

National Outdoor Recreation Conference
May 19-23, 2013
Traverse City, MI      

2013 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
May 22-25, 2013
Ghent, Belgium

ACSM's 60th Annual Meeting and 4th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine
May 28- June 1, 2013
Indianapolis, Indiana

44th Annual Conference of the Environmental Research Design Association
May 29 - June 1, 2013
Providence, RI

JUNE
48th Annual Canadian Transportation Research Forum Conference
June 10-12 2013
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

2013 Built Environment Assessment Training (BEAT) Institute
TBA

9th Annual International Conference on Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences
July 29-31, 2013
Athens, Greece


USC PRC UPDATES:

Sumter County On The Move! To Complete Enrollment: The USC Prevention Research Center’s group-based walking intervention study, Sumter County on the Move!, will be enrolling new participants through April 2013. The project is investigating whether strategies for mobilizing, supporting, and reinforcing existing social networks are effective for increasing physical activity levels among residents of Sumter County, SC.  Thus far, the program has enrolled 180 participants in walking groups of 4-8 members. Analysis of program results is underway, but initial findings reveal that one participant has been motivated to walk over 400 miles as part of the program. For more information, visit: www.sumtercountymoves.org.

USC PRC Researchers Present At The Society Of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting And Scientific Sessions: Researchers from the USC Prevention Research Center presented four posters at the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions held in San Francisco, March 20-23.  One poster highlighted results from a random-digit dialed telephone survey about the outdoor recreation area use of rural South Carolina residents, while the other three described results from the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) program.  The titles of the posters were:

PRC:

  • Schoffman, D.E., Wilcox, S., Kaczynski, A.T., Child, S., Barr-Anderson, D.J., Sharpe, P.A., Forthofer, M. Predicting park use in a Southeastern US county: a signal detection analysis. 

FAN:

    • Baruth, M., Wilcox, S. Psychosocial mediators of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption in the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) program.
    • Warren, T.Y., Wilcox, S., St. George, S.M., Brandt, H.M. A qualitative study of African-American women’s perceived influences on and strategies to reduce sedentary behavior.
    • Wilcox, S., Kyryliuk, R., Baruth, M. Predictors of weight loss in overweight and obese African American women.

    Update On The National Physical Activity Plan: The National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) was released in May, 2010.  Since its inception, the need to evaluate the NPAP was recognized.  While measuring population levels of physical activity is a natural outcome measure for the NPAP, it’s so distal, that evidence of change may not be observed for years, maybe decades.  Therefore, more proximal measures (e.g. adoption of the NPAP at state and local levels) have been emphasized as they are likely precursors to increasing physical activity across the population.

    The PRC at the University of South Carolina, as well as those from UNC-Chapel Hill and Washington University, St. Louis, have all contributed to a series of evaluation projects, the products of which are available now or in the near future.  The following six Practice Briefs summarize the work of implementation teams from six of the NPAP’s eight societal sectors and are available at their corresponding URL.

    Additionally, results from two surveys, one of members of the National Physical Activity Society, and the second of state public health practitioners, are also now available at the following URLs.

    Lastly, the following three articles are currently in press and will be available in the very near future:

    • Evenson KR, Brownson RC, Satinsky SB, Eyler AA, and Kohl III HW.  Initial dissemination and use of the United States National Physical Activity Plan by public health practitioners.  Am J Prev Med.  2013; in press.
    • Bornstein D, Carnoske C, Tabak R, Maddock J, Hooker SP, and Evenson KR.  Factors related to partner involvement in development of the US National Physical Activity Plan.  J Public Health Management Practice.  2013; in press.
    • Kohl III HW, Satinsky SB, Whitfield GP, and Evenson KR.  All health is local:  state and local articulation of the US National Physical Activity Plan.  J Public Health Management Practice.  2013; in press.

     

    Writer: Danielle Schoffman

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