QUARTER 3: July - September 2015 | USC-PRC Notes

"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"

Topics in this issue

The University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center (USC PRC) would like to hear from YOU!

NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Call to Action: Every Body Walk! Collaborative Micro Grants
Translating Research into Action: Go4Life Month Promotes Exercise
500 Communities and Counting, Impacting Nearly 80 Million Americans
Park(ing) Day Scenes from Coast to Coast
Upcoming Events and Observances: October, November, December

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities
Rep. Larsen Leads Transportation and Infrastructure Democrats In Push For Bicycle Infrastructure Funding

RESEARCH NOTES:
Promoting Active Living in Rural Communities
Longitudinal Associations with Changes in Outdoor Recreation Area use for Physical Activity During a Community-Based Intervention
Municipal Officials' Participation in Built Environment Policy Development in the United States
Bicycle Trauma Injuries and Hospital Admissions in the United States, 1998-2013

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
The Built Environment Assessment Tool
Can Monthly Passes Improve Bike Share Equity?

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
Cities and Universities Will Work Together in New MetroLab Network
Washington’s Fight for Bike and Pedestrian Funding: The Need for Constant Vigilance
Winners of the RWJF Sport Award
U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $19.5 Million to Improve Transit Access in Selected Communities Around the Country

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
October, November, December

USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE:
USC PRC Director Receives Honor
USC PRC Hosts Seminar on Engaging Faith-based Organizations in Health Initiatives
Update from Physical Activity and Public Health Courses
Update from the National Physical Activity Plan
Update from the South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network II
Update from the South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network

The University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center (USC PRC) would like to hear from YOU!
We would like to better understand how physical activity researchers and practitioners receive, seek out, and share information about physical activity and public health. We also want to know preferences for this type of information. Please complete a brief (10-minute) anonymous online survey. Feel free to also share this link with your colleagues and distribute on any related listservs.
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2154919/eMedia-Use-and-Preferences-for-Physical-Activity-and-Public-Health

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Call to Action: Every Body Walk! Collaborative Micro Grants
America Walks and the Every Body Walk! Collaborative recently announced a new micro grant program designed to assist local walking advocates build on the momentum of the newly released Surgeon General’s Call to Action. This one time award will fund 10-15 community groups up to $2500 for activities designed to increase local walking programming and stimulate community demand for infrastructure improvements that provide accessible, safe walkable places for the entire community. Grant applications (see here) are due by 5:00pm EDT on October 15, 2015.
[Source: America Walks]

Translating Research into Action: Go4Life Month Promotes Exercise
September 2015 marks the first-ever Go4Life Month, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in collaboration with the White House Conference on Aging. The month is designed to bring attention to the NIA campaign which seeks to empower adults 50+ to become more physically active. Go4Life features a variety of evidence-based materials to make it easier for older adults to be active and exercise safely. There are over 250 public and private partner organizations, many of whom are holding events this month to help promote exercise and physical activity. Interested individuals can find more information on the Go4Life website, by subscribing to their e-mail updates, or by visiting their Twitter feed.
[Source: NIA]

500 Communities and Counting, Impacting Nearly 80 Million Americans
Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC) has reached a significant milestone: 500 communities across the country are Let’s Move! communities. On September 16, leaders gathered at the White House to talk about their achievements with engaging their local residents in healthier lifestyles through system-based changes. The communities are focused on helping kids and families make changes to eat healthier and get more physical activity. The program, led by the National League of Cities and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, works with local elected officials to help each individual community achieve their goals. First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the group and challenged leaders to double down with their efforts and continue to work on making their communities healthier places for the next generation. Her full remarks can be seen here.
[Source: Let’s Move!]

Park(ing) Day Scenes From Coast to Coast
PARK(ing) Day is an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks. The project started in 2005 when a group of San Francisco designers transformed one parking spot into a park; it is now a global movement with independent groups of people creating their own temporary public spaces in urban areas. The mission of the project is to “call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!” For scenes from this year’s parking day, celebrated on September 18, see here.
[Source: Park(ing) Day; StreetsBlog USA]

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES:

OCTOBER
Healthy Lung Month
October 1-31, 2015

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 1-31, 2015

National Physical Therapy Month
October 1-31, 2015

International Walk to School Month
October 1-31, 2015

International Day of the Older Persons
October 1, 2015

National Child Health Day
October 6, 2015

International Walk to School in the USA Day
October 7, 2015

World Food Day
October 16, 2015

World Osteoporosis Day
October 20, 2015

NOVEMBER
American Diabetes Month
November 1-30, 2015

Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month
November 1-30, 2015

Walk to Work Day [Australia]
November 6, 2015

World Diabetes Day
November 14, 2015

National Family Health History Day
November 26, 2015

DECEMBER
NONE

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:

Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities
On September 8, 2015 the Surgeon General issued his landmark Call to Action to get Americans moving-- Step It Up! Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. The Call to Action is supported with extensive web resources available to the public here: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/StepItUp, including:

Read more about the involvement of the National Physical Activity Plan in the Call to Action the PRC updates section below.
[Source: Surgeon General]

Rep. Larsen Leads Transportation and Infrastructure Democrats In Push For Bicycle Infrastructure Funding
On September 10, 2015 Rep. Rick Larsen (Washington State) led all 23 House Democrats on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to sign a letter supporting funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program. The letter, sent to Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Ranking Member Eleanor Holmes Norton, requests funding for community investments in infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians, including Safe Routes to School programs. The letter also states that there is high demand for the funds that would be provided to communities through the transportation program, and that the potential benefits to communities extend beyond logistics in transportation to also include increased safety, economic impact, and increased quality of life. The House is set to vote on their full transportation bill later this fall.
[Source: Rep. Larsen]

RESEARCH NOTES:

Promoting Active Living in Rural Communities
In a Research Brief for the RWJF researchers summarize the health challenges that rural children and adults face with specific attention to the lack of opportunity for healthy eating and physical activity. The report also highlights the fact that approximately 15 percent of the US population lives in rural communities and thus there is a large potential impact for any health improvement programs for this population. The report also provides an overview of the evidence around what makes rural communities different than other areas, including a focus on the opportunities for active living including transport options. Among the recommendations for future action are to work on enhancing aspects of the physical environment that promote physical activity including improvements to parks and other public spaces and implementing Complete Streets policies to help ensure that people can safely walk and bike on roads.
Hansen A.Y., et al. 2015. Promoting Active Living in Rural Communities. Active Living Research.

Longitudinal Associations with Changes in Outdoor Recreation Area use for Physical Activity During a Community-Based Intervention
While outdoor recreation area use is associated with cross-sectional physical activity, little is known about longitudinal predictors of physical activity in public spaces like parks and trails. Using data from the previous USC PRC Core project, researchers looked at the cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of the use of outdoor recreation areas for physical activity during a group walking intervention. The analyses used a decomposition scheme which allows for the simultaneous modeling of cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors, examining variables from baseline and the 6-month post-program assessment. Cross-sectional predictors of outdoor recreation area use were physical activity, self-efficacy, and social support, while longitudinal predictors included social support and lighter neighborhood traffic. Overall, the analysis demonstrates that both physical and social environmental characteristics are important predictors of outdoor recreation area use.
Schoffman D.E., et al. 2015. Longitudinal Associations with Changes in Outdoor Recreation Area use for Physical Activity During a Community-Based Intervention. Preventive Medicine.

Municipal Officials' Participation in Built Environment Policy Development in the United States
In order to better understand the participation of different types of municipal leaders in built environment policy, a team of researchers including investigators from several PRCs conducted a web-based survey of 453 elected and appointed officials in US municipalities with at least 50,000 residents. The survey asked about self-reported participation in land use design, transportation, and parks and recreation policy to increase physical activity, as well as perceptions of importance, barriers, and beliefs regarding physical activity and community design and layout, and physical activity partnership participation. Regression models showed that compared with other leaders, public health officials were much less represented in policy for land use design, transportation, and parks and recreation. Other findings included the fact that perceptions of the extent to which physical activity was considered in community design and physical activity partnership participation were positively associated with participation in each of the policy initiatives. The authors discuss possible reasons for the lack of inclusion of public health leaders, including the need for more improved collaborations in the future.
Lemon S.C., et al. 2015. Municipal Officials' Participation in Built Environment Policy Development in the United States. American Journal of Health Promotion.

Bicycle Trauma Injuries and Hospital Admissions in the United States, 1998-2013
There have been large increases in the number of people bicycling for recreation, sport, and transport in recent years, as well as changes in infrastructure to encourage further expansion such as the installation of bike lanes and expansion of bike share programs. However, it is difficult to describe trends in cycling-related injuries, as most nonfatal injuries sustained during cycling are never reported to the police and are not included in traffic statistics. In order to better describe the injury-related consequences of increased cycling, researchers used data from 1998 to 2013 from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to describe trends in adult cycling injuries and related hospital admissions in the US. The assessment showed that there was a 28 percent increase in age-adjusted injuries and 120 percent increase in resulting hospitalizations. The researchers hypothesize that the increase injury rate could be due in part to the increasing proportion of cyclists over the age of 45, as well as the increase in sport cycling which is associated with faster speeds. When describing the results to the New York Times, lead author Dr. Breyer stated that he still believes that the “benefits of cycling to the cardiovascular system and to one’s overall sense of well-being way override the risks.”
Sanford T., et al. 2015. Bicycle Trauma Injuries and Hospital Admissions in the United States, 1998-2013. Journal of the American Medical Association.
New York Times

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:

Built Environment Assessment Tool
The Built Environment Assessment Tool (BE Tool) measures the core features and qualities of the built environment that affect health, especially walking, biking, and other types of physical activity.
The core features assessed in the BE Tool include:

Built environment infrastructure—such as road types, curb cuts and ramps, intersections and crosswalks, traffic control, and public transportation.
Walkability—for example, access to safe, attractive sidewalks and paths with inviting features.
Bikeability—such as the presence of bike lane or bike path features.
Recreational sites and structures.
Food environment—such as access to grocery stores, convenience stores, and farmers markets.

More information about the tool, including a manual for use, instructions for training data collectors, and tips for selecting road segments for examination, can be found here.
[Source: CDC]
Can Monthly Passes Improve Bike Share Equity?
Bike-share programs have been popping up across the US as a way to allow users to access bikes for short distance trips at self-service bike stations. The programs are, in theory, an excellent way to increase access to options for active transport without burdening individuals with the expenses of investing in their own equipment up-front (e.g., expensive bike and helmet). However, the customer base to date has been largely affluent white men. This new report, from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, discusses some of the lessons learned from attempts to increase the diversity of bike-share users. The report discusses insights from the tests, including the fact that the price of annual memberships can be cost-prohibitive for some, and monthly passes are better suited for those with little free income month to month as well as individuals who have a less stable source of income. Additionally, the findings suggest that monthly membership plans may also have benefits for cities and operators.
[Source: National Association of City Transportation Officials]

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:

Cities and Universities Will Work Together in New MetroLab Network
The Obama Administration announced the new “Smart Cities” initiative that will invest over $160 million in research to facilitate creative collaborations, new technology, and the use of big data to help cities tackle various issues. The projects can address a range of problems that the communities are facing, but will all involve the collaboration of local government, non-profits, businesses, universities, and community members. For example, The University of Pennsylvania will collaborate with the City of Philadelphia on three major projects that use new technology and data to improve infrastructure and city services and to foster equitable development.
[Source: White House Press Secretary; Next City]

Washington’s Fight for Bike and Pedestrian Funding: The Need for Constant Vigilance
This year, the Washington state legislature passed an impressive 16-year, $16 billion transportation revenue package, adding a record $235 million in direct state investments for biking, walking and Safe Routes to School, and more than $100 million for complete streets projects. To learn more about this historic effort, PreventObesity.net sat down with Blake Trask, the state policy director at Washington Bikes and Lindsay Hovind, government relations director at the American Heart Association in Puget Sound. Read more about the history of transportation advocates and their work with local organizations to help put this landmark legislation into action.
[Source: Prevent Obesity]

Winners of the RWJF Sport Award
The RWJF Sports Award recognizes innovative and collaborative approaches to making communities healthier places to live. The three winners for 2015 are: the Chicago Fire Foundation, the Tony Hawk Foundation, and Doc Wayne Youth Services. These three organizations are implementing cutting edge programing to offer services including safer places for children to play, as well as a program that fuses sport and therapy together to help support the physical activity of youth faced with mental health challenges. See a video about each of the three winners here.
[Source: RWJF]

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $19.5 Million to Improve Transit Access in Selected Communities Around the Country
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that 21 organizations nationwide will receive part of $19.5 million in grants to help support improvements to public transportation. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx explained that the project is meant to help encourage development of transit systems around the places that residents live, work, and play, helping to also encourage economic development. This FTA pilot grant program was established under the current transportation funding authorization, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). A full list of the recipients can be found here.
[Source: DOT]

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:

OCTOBER
European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Annual Conference
October 14-17, 2015
Milan, Italy

89th Annual ASHA School Health Conference
October 15-17, 2015
Orlando, FL

143rd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition
October 31-November 4, 2015
New Orleans, LA

NOVEMBER

6th International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health (ICPAPH)
November 16-19, 2016
Bangkok, Thailand

Gerontological Society of America 68th Annual Meeting
November 18-22, 2015
Orlando, FL

International Council on Active Aging Conference 2015
November 19-21, 2015
New Orleans, LA

DECEMBER
none

USC PRC UPDATES:

USC PRC Director Receives Honor
With nearly 20 years in the fields of psychology and exercise science, Prevention Research Center Director and Exercise Science Professor Dr. Sara Wilcox has been elected to membership as an Active Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology. Election is a sign of being highly respected by her professional peers, and Wilcox was chosen based on her contributions to scholarship and leadership in the field of kinesiology. As an Active Fellow, she will promote the study and educational applications of human movement and physical activity through continued exemplary scholarly productivity and knowledge dissemination. The newly inducted Fellows, including Wilcox, were recognized at the Academy’s annual meeting with a formal ceremony in Philadelphia on September 20. Also announced at the Academy’s annual meeting were current five-year cycle of national rankings of doctoral programs in kinesiology, where the University of South Carolina’s Exercise Science department was named as the #1 doctoral program.

USC PRC Hosts Seminar on Engaging Faith-based Organizations in Health Initiatives
On Tuesday, September 29, the USC PRC hosted a seminar on Engaging Faith-based Organizations in Health Initiatives, focused on strategies for partnering with faith-based organizations in health initiatives. Reverend Kenneth Taylor, Pastor of Turner Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) in West Columbia, SC delivered the keynote address about the power of effective partnerships with faith-based organizations and some of the key ingredients for success with health programs in his own church. The keynote address was followed by a panel discussion with Reverend Taylor, Ms. Cheryl Goodwin (Special Services Coordinator of Fairfield Behavioral Health Services), Dr. Meghan Slining (Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Furman University), and Ms. Margaret Stephens (Managing Director of LiveWell Greenville), moderated by Dr. Patricia Sharpe (Professor of Social Work at USC and Co-Investigator at the USC PRC). The discussion included key considerations and strategies for success in engaging faith-based organizations in health initiatives.

Update from Physical Activity and Public Health Courses
We are pleased to announce that the Physical Activity and Public Health (PAPH) Courses have been funded by CDC as a Special Interest Project (SIP) and will return in 2016. The PAPH Courses include a Postgraduate Course on Research Directions and Strategies and a Practitioner's Course on Community Interventions. The long-term goal of the courses is to improve the public's health by increasing the number of public health researchers and practitioners who have expertise in the relationship between physical activity and health in populations. Stay tuned for specific details regarding dates and location.

Update from the National Physical Activity Plan
On September 9th, the United States Surgeon General issued a call to action to address major public health challenges such as heart disease and diabetes. Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities articulates the health benefits of walking while addressing the fact that many communities unacceptably lack safe and convenient places for individuals to walk or wheelchair roll. The National Physical Activity Plan Alliance (NPAPA) was actively involved in the conceptualization and dissemination of the Call to Action and has committed to supporting the Call to Action in two important ways.

* First, a National Plan for Walking and Walkability will be developed as the overall National Physical Activity Plan is revised (anticipated early 2016) and prepared for release in the coming months.

* Second, the NPAPA is committed to developing a National Report Card on Walking and Walkability to provide a framework for evaluating our progress toward attainment of the goals laid out in the Call to Action.”

To read the Surgeon General’s Call to Action and learn how to promote walking and walkable communities, please visit www.surgeongeneral.gov

Update from the South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network II

Recent SC-CPCRN publications:

Adams, S.A., Choi, S.K., Eberth, J.M., Friedman, D.B., Yip, M.P., Tucker-Seeley, R.D., Wigfall, L.T., & Hébert, J.R. (2015, July 24 Epub). Is availability of mammography services at federally qualified health centers associated with breast cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios? An ecological analysis. Journal of Women's Health (DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2014.5114).

Guest, M.A., Feedman, D., Alia, K.A., Brandt, H.M., & Friedman, D.B. (2015, August 22 Epub). Dissemination of an electronic manual to build capacity for implementing farmers' markets with community health centers. Clinical and Translational Science (DOI: 10.1111/cts.12318).

Update from the South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network
Dr. Daniela Friedman (Principal Investigator) recently presented on “Public perceptions and media coverage of cognitive health and impairment” at the 2015 Healthy Aging Summit in Washington, DC.

On December 9, 2015, the SC-HBRN will be hosting a Healthy Aging Forum: A Focus on Brain Health from 10 am – 1 pm at the University of South Carolina Thomas Cooper Library Hollings Special Collections. The forum will highlight innovative research and programs focused on cognitive health and healthy aging by researchers and partners of the SC-HBRN.

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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