QUARTER 4: October - December 2014 | USC-PRC Notes

"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"

Topics in this issue

NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Blair Connects Energy Balance Experts World-Wide With New Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN)
How Private Data is Helping Cities Build Better Bike Routes
‘L.A. Vision Zero’ Workshops Use Art as a Tool For Community Engagement & Building Safe Streets
Rise of Walking for Fun & Fitness as a Social Trend
Upcoming Events And Observances: January, February, March

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
Impact of November Elections on Transportation Legislation
Millennials Demand Public Transportation, But Lose Out By Skipping The Voting Booth
With GOP Victories, SAFETEA-LU Team in Line to Chair Senate Committees
States Stepping up to Raise Transportation Revenue
Review of Transportation Legislation

RESEARCH NOTES:
Supplement: Preventive Medicine, The Active Living Research 2014 Conference: “Niche to Norm”
Cost-Effectiveness of Population-Level Physical Activity Interventions: A Systematic Review
Point-of-Decision Prompts for Increasing Park-Based Physical Activity: A Crowdsource Analysis
The Results of the “Positive Action for Today’s Health” (PATH) Trial for Increasing Walking and Physical Activity in Underserved African-American Communities

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
Walking is Going Places
Leveraging Health Funding
CDC Releases New Tools to Improve Community Health Through Parks and Trails

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
America Walks Releases Case Studies on Healthy Communities
Improving Health through Collaboration: The BUILD Health Challenge
Outdoor Gyms Planned for 15 Mecklenburg Parks
Announcing the Recipients of Smart Growth America’s 2015 Free Technical Assistance

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
January, February, March

USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE:
Update from the National Physical Activity Plan

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Blair Connects Energy Balance Experts World-Wide With New Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN)
USC Exercise Science Professor Dr. Steve Blair collaborated with Dr. James Hill of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado Denver to launch the Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) on December 5: http://gebn.org/ Though separately known for their expertise in energy balance, Blair and Hill recognized the need for an interdisciplinary network of experts within the field. According to GEBN, healthy energy balance means maintaining a body weight and level of physical and metabolic fitness compatible with good health. With current lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical inactivity) serving as causal factors in chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, researchers are turning to energy balance to provide sustainable solutions. For more information on the GEBN, visit the newly launched website: http://gebn.org/
[Source: GEBN]

How Private Data is Helping Cities Build Better Bike Routes
Two major issues stand in the way of transportation agencies trying to promote increased cycling—a lack of data on current cyclists (what type of roads they are riding on, where they aren’t riding) and the perceived lack of safety for cyclists. However, in order to better understand cycling patterns and increase safety, more money is needed for many projects, which is difficult to secure without that very same information. In order to bridge this gap, public officials such as those in the Oregon Department of Transportation are beginning to partner with private sector technology companies to gain access to data collected through apps and other tracking technologies. “Right now, there’s no data. We don’t know where people ride bikes,” professor Jennifer Dill said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “Just knowing where the cyclists are is a start.”
[Source: Urbanful]

‘L.A. Vision Zero’ Workshops Use Art as a Tool For Community Engagement & Building Safe Streets
In an effort to make community planning a more inclusive process, a group of non-profits in the Los Angeles area have joined together to offer a unique activity for all interested citizens. The groups offered a series of workshops called “L.A. Vision Zero,” during which residents of any age and walk of life were encouraged to come express what safe streets look like to them, using artistic mediums such as legos, blocks, trinkets, and other arts and crafts supplies. Vision Zero is a multi-national movement aimed at eliminating traffic-related deaths and serious injuries from accidents. The goal of the L.A. Vision Zero workshops is to raise awareness of what a healthy community could look like, and to use these visuals help promote safe streets for walking and biking in the Los Angeles area.
[Source: Salud America!]

Rise of Walking for Fun & Fitness as a Social Trend
According to the Huffington Post, walking is on the rise in its popularity, and it is not a fleeting trend. Walking is being more widely embraced as evidenced by its representation across multiple domains of public influence- in popular culture (music videos), real estate preferences (trending toward walkable neighborhoods), and a growing body of scientific research that supports the health benefits of walking.
[Source: Huffington Post]

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES:

JANUARY 2015
NONE

FEBRUARY
American Heart Month
February 1-28, 2015

National Cancer Prevention Month
February 1-28, 2015

National Wise Health Consumer Month
February 1-28, 2015

National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
February 8-14, 2015

National Girls and Women in Sports Day
February 4, 2015

National Wear Red Day
February 6, 2015

2015 Hike the Hill
February 7-15, 2015

MARCH
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
March 1-31, 2015

National Kidney Month
March 1-31, 2015

National Nutrition Month
March 1-31, 2015

National School Breakfast Week
March 2-6, 2015

Kick Butts Day
March 18, 2015

American Diabetes Alert Day
March 24, 2015

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:

Impact of November Elections on Transportation Legislation
The impact of the November, 2014 elections on transportation legislation are multidimensional. First, while recent polls showed that millennials (18-29 year olds) place a high value on access to multimodal transportation and reliable infrastructure, ballot measures relating to these issues failed to pass in a number of cities in the recent election, amid low millennial turnout at the polls (1). Changes in Senate representation from the November elections also have implications for the leadership of federal transportation committees, and could result in shifts in transportation funding sources (e.g., gas taxes, shift to more state control) as well as funding levels for discretionary programs (e.g., the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program) (2).
Additionally, the dwindling funds for transportation projects at the national level have led some states to take matters into their own hands, raising funding at a more localized level (3). Read more about these stories below:

Review of Transportation Legislation
The Center for Transportation Excellence offers an interactive tool for tracking current and past legislative efforts to support transportation quality and safety. Their tracking database includes trends at the state and aggregate levels. For example, in 2014 there were 18 states that attempted to pass a total of 61 measures; of those, 42 were classified as “wins”, for a success rate of 69%. Explore the interactive tool here.
[Source: Center for Transportation Excellence]

RESEARCH NOTES:

Preventive Medicine: Supplemental Issue: Active Living Research 2014 Conference, “Niche to Norm”
Highlighting top research from the 2014 Active Living Research conference, Preventive Medicine released a special supplemental issue to give an in-depth look at the work of researchers working on physical activity promotion. The theme of the conference was “Niche to Norm”, the effort to move research, practice, and advocacy of active living to the forefront of local and global conversations. Additionally, many of the articles featured in the supplemental issue describe barriers in conducting active living research and practice at present. The special issue is broken into sections by the setting of the work, including: Schools, Afterschool & Shared Use, Communities, Parks & Recreation, and Commentary. The complete issue is available on the Preventive Medicine website.
Preventive Medicine. (December 2014) Supplement: Active Living Research - Niche to Norm

Cost-Effectiveness of Population-Level Physical Activity Interventions: A Systematic Review
Many approaches have been taken to promote and maintain physical activity at a population level, with the intent of impacting the behavior of a large number of individuals. However, little was known about the comparative cost-effectiveness of these approaches. Researchers performed an economic analysis of the cost and effectiveness of population-wide physical activity interventions in six different categories: environment, built environment, sports clubs and enhanced access, schools, mass media and community-based, and workplace. The analysis compared the cost-effectiveness of interventions as dollars per MET-hours gained (for an individual person), and the intervention scale and budget impact of the intervention were also taken into account. Overall, the most cost-effective interventions were community rail-trails, pedometers, and school health education programs. The authors conclude that offering improved opportunities for walking and biking are cost-effective methods for increasing population-wide physical activity, but note that this result is based on a relatively small number of studies.
Laine J. et al. 2014. Cost-Effectiveness of Population-Level Physical Activity Interventions: A Systematic Review American Journal of Health Promotion.

Point-of-Decision Prompts for Increasing Park-Based Physical Activity: A Crowdsource Analysis
Parks can serve as an effective resource for the community promotion of physical activity; however, many park users are observed in sedentary behaviors while in parks. Researchers were interested in a method of promoting physical activity at point-of-decision for park users, to measure whether a reminder about physical activity helped increase intentions to engage in physical activity in a hypothetical situation. Using an online crowdsourcing marketplace, participants were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In the first condition, participants viewed pictures of a park with a persuasive, theoretically-based sign that encouraged them to walk. In the second condition, participants saw identical pictures with no sign. Participants in the sign condition reported significantly greater intentions to be active than those who did not see the sign, suggesting that a point-of-decision prompt might be an effective method to increase physical activity in the park setting.
Kaczynski A.T. et al. 2014 Point-of-Decision Prompts for Increasing Park-Based Physical Activity: A Crowdsource Analysis. Preventive Medicine.

The Results of the “Positive Action for Today’s Health” (PATH) Trial for Increasing Walking and Physical Activity in Underserved African-American Communities
The “Positive Action for Today’s Health” (PATH) trial tested an environmental intervention to increase walking in underserved communities. The study randomized three matched communities to one of three interventions: police-patrolled walking plus social marketing, police-patrolled walking-only, or no walking. Participants were recruited and enrolled into the walking programs in each of the three communities for the 24-month study. Researchers tracked the walking engagement (number of walkers) and amount the of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity of participants. Overall, there was no difference in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity across the three communities. However, walking attendance grew over the course of the study in the social marketing group, and was maintained at a higher level, suggesting that this added support helped to engage and sustain interest in the walking intervention.
Wilson D.K. et al. The Results of the “Positive Action for Today’s Health” (PATH) Trial for Increasing Walking and Physical Activity in Underserved African-American Communities. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:

Leveraging Health Funding
Advocacy Advance, a collaboration of the League and the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists, released a report to review the recent round of CDC awards in the area of prevention and provide examples of partnerships where transportation and health have worked together. This fall the CDC awarded 193 awards totaling nearly $212 million to state, local, or tribal public health departments, and non-profit organizations or coalitions for projects that address prevention and wellness. Specifically, the funding program aims to reduce the prevalence of obesity and to reduce the rates of death and disability due to diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. This report highlights the role that active transportation can play as one of the solutions to create healthy communities.
[Source: Advocacy Advance]

Walking is Going Places
Walking is Going Places is a report by author and speaker, Jay Walljasper, about the “the unexpected rise of foot power as a social trend, transportation innovation and path to happiness.” The report is promoted by America Walks as a representation of their continued commitment to promoting safe, convenient and accessible walking conditions, and their role in sharing stories about the development of walking as part of developing physically and economically fit communities.
[Source: America Walks]

CDC Releases New Tools to Improve Community Health Through Parks and Trails
To encourage outdoor activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a parks and trails toolkit that will help communities create parks with expanded health benefits. The toolkit includes:

Resources that provide data about health issues in an area, for example, childhood obesity rates, mortality rates, or percent of low birth weight babies
Recommendations from existing health impact assessments, including ways to improve access by evaluating park entry points and support physical activity that can help improve cardiovascular health
Citations that support the recommendations

[Source: CDC]

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:

America Walks Releases Case Studies on Healthy Communities
America Walks released three case studies that highlight how a number of states have been working successfully at the intersection of public health, transportation and commerce, in ways that support walking for all ages and abilities and that foster walkable environments. The three states profiled in these case studies incorporate a variety of approaches, such as using health impact assessments and data sharing, or uniting disciplines and programs.

For more information, see http://americawalks.org/america-walks-releases-case-studies-on-healthy-communities/
[Source: America Walks]

Improving Health through Collaboration: The BUILD Health Challenge
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently announced that they will partner with the Advisory Board Company, the de Beaumont Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation as leaders of the BUILD Health Challenge. The Challenge will award up to $7.5 million in monetary awards and low-interest loans over two years to support up to 14 community-driven efforts in two areas: planning and implementation. The Challenge will focus on strengthening community partnerships in order to improve the health of low-income neighborhoods and projects will be driven by the interests and goals of each specific community. For more information, see the BUILD Health Challenge website.
[Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation]

Outdoor Gyms Planned for 15 Mecklenburg Parks
As part of a project funded by the Trust for Public Land, Mecklenburg County North Carolina park officials opened the first of 15 planned outdoor gyms. Manufacturer PlayCore donated fitness equipment for the park and organizers hope to do local fundraising to collect most of the $900,000 it will cost to equip the other sites. Mecklenburg County picked 15 priority sites based on assessments that included demographic, economic and health indicators and ease of access.
[Source: Charlotte Observer]

Announcing the Recipients of Smart Growth America’s 2015 Free Technical Assistance
Each year, Smart Growth America makes a limited number of technical assistance workshops available to interested communities at zero cost. The award offers an opportunity to learn about smart growth and participants build specific goals and strategies for their communities. Of the 120 applications, 14 communities were awarded the cost-free workshops (see the list here). “Smart Growth America is committed to providing the tools and training to help community leaders keep their cities and towns livable, sustainable, and economically prosperous places,” said Smart Growth America Vice President Roger Millar. “We are excited about working with each of these communities to develop local solutions that support thriving neighborhoods now and for generations to come.”
[Source: Smart Growth America]

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:

JANUARY 2015
Fourteenth Annual Partners for Smart Growth: Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities
January 29-31, 2015
Baltimore, MD

FEBRUARY

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: 13th Annual International Comprehensive Symposium
February 19-22, 2015
Miami Beach, FL

Active Living Research Conference
February 22-25, 2015
San Diego, CA

MARCH
National Bike Summit
March 10-12, 2015
Washington, DC

2015 SHAPE America National Convention & Expo
March 17-21, 2015
Seattle, WA

Aging in America Conference
March 23-27, 2015
Chicago, IL

ACSM’s 19th Annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition
March 31-April 3, 2015
Phoenix, AZ

USC PRC UPDATES:

Update from the National Physical Activity Plan
To mark the five year anniversary of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP), the NPAP Alliance is working to revise and update the NPAP. As part of the revisions process, the NPAP Alliance will host the 2015 National Physical Activity Plan Congress in Washington, D.C. on February 23-24, 2015. A key component of the Congress will be town hall and sector-based breakout sessions in which attendees will discuss revisions to the NPAP. Each session will provide a unique opportunity to work side-by-side with a diverse group of community leaders to help shape the 2015 release of the Plan by providing input, prioritizing tactics and creating strategies. Learn more and register online www.npapcongress2015.org.

Writer: Danielle Schoffman

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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.

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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