QUARTER 4: October - December 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!
QUARTER 4: October - December 2015
Topics in this issue
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Surgeon General: Medical Professionals Must Boost Emphasis on Prevention
Nominate Someone for a PCFSN Award
Call for Proposals: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Launching the Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund
GoNoodle Now Engages 10 Million Kids per Month; Company Receives $5 Million Investment to Support Growth
Upcoming Events and Observances: January, February, March
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act Signed into Law
RESEARCH NOTES:
Patterns of Walkability, Transit, and Recreation Environment for Physical Activity
Systematic Review of Physical Activity Promotion by Community Health Workers
Quality of Public Open Spaces and Recreational Walking
The Added Benefit of Bicycle Commuting on the Regular Amount of Physical Activity Performed
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
Physical Activity Snapshots of 131 Countries Unveiled
Physical Activity: Moving Toward Obesity Solutions: Workshop Summary
America Walks 2016 Webinars
What Works in Schools and Colleges to Increase Physical Activity? A Briefing for Head Teachers, College Principals, Staff Working in Education Settings, Directors of Public Health and Wider Partners Everyday Words for Public Health Communication
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
RWJF Culture of Health Prize Winners
Healthy Active Arkansas
A Small City Embraces Walkability and Reverses Decline
Growing, Sharing, Giving and Investing in the Health of Our Community
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
January, February, March
USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATES:
CDC Launches New PRC Website
Update from the USC PRC Core Research Project
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 are still collecting responses for our survey about physical activity information; if you have not filled out the survey, we 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.
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Surgeon General: Medical Professionals Must Boost Emphasis on Prevention
In a recent speech at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy used personal anecdotes to drive home his message about the importance of a focus on preventive medicine. “Given that we know that diet and physical activity are powerful factors in the development of chronic illness, we can’t afford not to change our environment to make healthy choices easier,” Murthy said. Acknowledging that this is a difficult mission, Murthy described an example initiative to help inspire future projects--the “Walk with a Doc” program. What started with one doctor meeting his patients for walks has now turned into over 160 chapters nationwide.
[Source: American Heart Association]
Nominate Someone for a President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Award
The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) is now accepting nominations for the PCFSN Community Leadership Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations will be accepted through February 1, 2016 in two categories: Community Leadership Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Community Leadership Award is given annually to individuals and organizations that provide or enhance opportunities to engage in sports, physical activity, fitness, or nutrition-related programs within a community. The President's Council Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually to individuals whose careers have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, sports, or nutrition nationwide. More information and the full application are available here.
[Source: PCFSN]
Call for Proposals: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Launching the Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund
In 2015, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RCT) launched the Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund to provide funds to local and regional organizations working on trail development and improvement projects. The goal of the program is to help organizations close gaps in their trail systems, build capacity and complete significant projects with long-term positive impact in their communities. Up to $85,000 per year will be awarded for the each next five years to projects selected through a competitive process. Preference will be given to projects that support RTC’s mission of transforming unused rail corridors into vibrant public places, but all multi-use trail projects are eligible. Applications are due January 31, 2016. For more information and to see the 2015 awardees, visit the RCT website here.
[Source: RCT]
GoNoodle Now Engages 10 Million Kids per Month; Company Receives $5 Million Investment to Support Growth
GoNoodle, a growing provider of online movement videos and games, recently announced a $5 million strategic investment from Children's Health, one of the nation's leading pediatric health care providers. GoNoodle's movement videos aim to get kids moving at school and at home, applying research that connects physical activity to improved health and learning. Teachers also use it to transition between subjects in an effort to energize and focus their classrooms. GoNoodle plans to use the investment to expand its reach, sales and marketing efforts, and to accelerate product innovation at school and home.
[Source: GoNoodle]
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES:
JANUARY 2015
NONE
FEBRUARY
American Heart Month
February 1-28, 2016
National Cancer Prevention Month
February 1-28, 2016
National Wise Health Consumer Month
February 1-28, 2016
National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
February 14-20, 2016
National Girls and Women in Sports Day
February 3, 2016
National Wear Red Day
February 5, 2015
2015 Hike the Hill
February 6-11, 2015
MARCH
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
March 1-31, 2016
National Kidney Month
March 1-31, 2016
National Nutrition Month
March 1-31, 2016
National School Breakfast Week
March 1-5, 2016
Kick Butts Day
March 16, 2016
American Diabetes Alert Day
March 22, 2016
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act Signed into Law
On December 4, 2015 President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or the “FAST Act.” It is the first law enacted in over ten years that provides long-term funding certainty for surface transportation, meaning states and local governments can move forward with transportation projects, including new highways and transit lines, with the understanding that they will have a federal partner over the long term. Overall, the FAST Act largely maintains current program structures and funding shares between highways and transit. Essentially, it is a down-payment for building a 21st century transportation system, increasing funding by 11 percent over five years. The law also makes changes and reforms to many Federal transportation programs, including streamlining the approval processes for new transportation projects, providing new safety tools, and establishing new programs to advance freight projects. More detailed descriptions of how the FAST Act will affect various modes of transportation will be released in the coming weeks.
[Source: Transportation for America]
RESEARCH NOTES:
Patterns of Walkability, Transit, and Recreation Environment for Physical Activity
Emerging research shows that the diversity and combination of built environment features may better explain differences in physical activity than examination of the features individually. However, it is difficult to measure complex patterns of the built environment and there has been limited research in this area to date. Using data from the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study in Seattle and Baltimore, researchers explored whether patterns of GIS-derived built environment features explained objective and self-reported physical activity, sedentary behavior, and BMI. Researchers used a combination of built environment variables to estimate latent profile analyses for each city, including net residential density, land use mix, intersection density, retail floor area ratio, transit density, park density, and private recreation density. For each city, the analysis yielded four distinct profiles of communities with different combinations of built environment features. The profiles and their relation to physical activity are presented in the paper; overall, patterns of environmental features explained greater differences in adults’ physical activity than the four-component walkability index.
Adams M.A. et al. 2015. Patterns of Walkability, Transit, and Recreation Environment for Physical Activity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Systematic Review of Physical Activity Promotion by Community Health Workers
Community health workers (CHWs) serve in a range of important roles across many public health settings. While there is general consensus that CHWs can help to bridge gaps between research and communities, there is less known about the specific impact of CHWs on physical activity promotion in communities. The authors conducted a systematic search of five scientific databases to locate interventions targeting adults that were delivered by community health workers and had physical activity promotion as an objective (primary or secondary). Of the initial 950 references found, only 26 were included for the final analysis. Most of the studies showed positive changes in physical activity, and effective interventions used health education models via counseling by the CHWs. However, the successful interventions were also conducted with a narrow range of populations (mainly women, individuals older than 30 years of age, specific ethnic groups, and people suffering from or at-risk for chronic disease) and most relied on self-reported physical activity. Recommendations for future research include the use of a more diverse group of participants as well as objective measurement of physical activity.
Costa E.F., et al. 2015. Systematic Review of Physical Activity Promotion by Community Health Workers. Preventive Medicine.
Quality of Public Open Spaces and Recreational Walking
Findings linking physical activity to the quality of public open spaces (POSs) have been mixed, with some studies demonstrating increased walking and other physical activities in relation to higher quality of POSs and others finding null results. One possible explanation for this inconsistency is the method of measurement used in past studies and the need to measure context-specific physical activity including activities near and in POSs. Additionally, it can be difficult to attribute the quality of specific POSs to the physical activity of individuals when they likely have access to multiple POSs in their neighborhood. This study attempted to bridge these gaps in the literature by examining audit data about park attributes observed within 1.6 kilometers of each participant’s home as well as their recreational walking to local POSs. Analyses demonstrated that walking to a POS was associated with features of the POS, including presence of gardens, grassed areas, walking paths, water features, wildlife, amenities, dog-related facilities, and off-leash areas for dogs. Results also suggest that quality may be more important than quantity, such that having one high quality POS in a neighborhood may be more effective to help promote physical activity than having many average-quality POSs.
Sugiyama T. et al. 2015. Quality of Public Open Spaces and Recreational Walking. American Journal of Public Health.
The Added Benefit of Bicycle Commuting on the Regular Amount of Physical Activity Performed
In order to better understand whether bicycle commuting adds to or replaces other physical activity, a team of researchers in Spain conducted telephone surveys across various locations in the city of Barcelona, collecting information from 752 individuals. The survey included questions about self-reported physical activity (type and duration), mode of commuting, and other measures including willingness to cycle and perceptions about cycling and built environment. Analyses showed that there were differences in overall physical activity duration according to an individual’s commute mode. Researchers determined that physical activity from bicycle commuting is an addition, rather than a substitution, to the regular physical activity adults engage in. The extra physical activity performed by bicycle commuters is the result of engaging in more moderate physical activity while traveling by bicycle, accounting for 2 extra hours of physical activity per week compared to motorized commuting. The authors indicate that future research should include assessments of energy expenditure to better account for the intensity of active commuting versus other forms of physical activity.
Donaire-Gonzalez D., et al. 2015. The Added Benefit of Bicycle Commuting on the Regular Amount of Physical Activity Performed. Preventive Medicine.
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
Physical Activity Snapshots of 131 Countries Unveiled
The Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!), a council of physical activity researchers, unveiled baseline data cards for 131 countries across the world. These cards offer a detailed look at physical activity research, policy and surveillance worldwide. GoPA! was launched in 2012 in response to growing evidence of the worldwide physical inactivity problem, and the organization is made up of physical activity researchers, epidemiologists, public health policy makers and practitioners. To prepare the data cards, researchers examined rates of physical activity, scientific productivity, national surveys and monitoring, and the development of public policies in the area of physical activity and public health. GoPA! hopes to engage experts and policymakers, as well as national and international physical activity societies, to work side by side with them to combat inactivity. More details on GoPA! and the ratings of all 131 countries can be found here.
[Source: GoPA! and University of Texas Health Science Center]
Physical Activity: Moving Toward Obesity Solutions: Workshop Summary
On April 14-15, 2015, the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Obesity Solutions held a 2-day workshop titled “Physical Activity: Moving Toward Obesity Solutions.” The workshop was held to: (1) provide an expert summary of the state of the science regarding the impact of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity and (2) to highlight innovative strategies for promoting physical activity across different segments of the population. The workshop explored physical activity for both the prevention and treatment of obesity and also covered diverse patient populations from children to adults. A summary of the workshop can be found here.
[Source: IOM]
America Walks 2016 Webinars
America Walks has announced their lineup of webinars for 2016, including four different series of presentations. Series 1: Tools for the Field focuses on resources to help get started with walking promotion efforts. Series 2: Call to Action in Action focuses on responses to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Walking & Walkable Communities in September 2015, highlighting what has been done so far and activities that are planned for the future. Section 3: Expanding the Movement focuses on how walking advocates can work together to advance the group vision of a walkable America. Section 4: Walking is for Everyone focuses on the ways that individuals, organizations, and governments can work together to increase opportunities for walking. A description of all upcoming webinars and registration links are available here.
[Source: America Walks]
What Works in Schools and Colleges to Increase Physical Activity? A Briefing for Head Teachers, College Principals, Staff Working in Education Settings, Directors of Public Health and Wider Partners
Emerging evidence suggests an association between physical activity and academic improvement. Additionally, being physically active helps to promote emotional and physical health and wellbeing. Children and adolescents who are physically active are more likely to be physically active adults. “What Works in Schools and Colleges to Increase Physical Activity” is a collaborative strategy prepared by Public Health England, the Youth Sport Trust, and the Association of Colleges Sport, which provides an overview of the methods used to incorporate school-based physical activity into the lives of children and adolescents. This strategy outlines eight principles for practice, which aims to inspire practitioners and researchers to take action by providing practical examples, which could be proven useful for teachers, principals, or others working in the school setting.
[Source: gov.uk]
Everyday Words for Public Health Communication
In the United States, 9 in 10 adults may have problems understanding and using common health information. The CDC has developed a new resource, Everyday Words for Public Health Communication, to improve the readability of health materials. The tool provides: substitute terms, real-life examples of complex public health language, revised wording, and tips to reinforce meaning and avoid other common pitfalls.
[Source: CDC]
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize Winners
Every year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) awards the Culture of Health Prize to a select group of communities that are working to create partnerships and commitments to local health changes in schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. The eight winners this year were selected from more than 340 applicants; each community will receive a $25,000 cash prize and the opportunity to inspire other communities and share their successes and lessons learned during their transformational journeys. While all of the communities focus their efforts in different areas, wining community Lawrence, MA was recognized for their efforts to improve their education system, expand the school day, and restore bike paths, parks, and greenspaces. For more information on the program and the winners for 2015, see here.
[Source: RWJF]
Arkansas Governor Launches Plan to Improve Health Across the State: Healthy Active Arkansas
In a major effort to improve the health of all Arkansans, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson launched a statewide plan, Healthy Active Arkansas. The plan has nine focus areas: Physical and Built Environment; Nutritional Standards in Government, Institutions and the Private Sector; Nutritional Standards in Schools—Early Child Care Through College; Physical Education and Activity in Schools—Early Child Care Through College; Healthy Worksites; Access to Healthy Foods; Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Reduction; Breastfeeding; and a Marketing Program. The announcement of the plan comes just weeks after a study was released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation identifying Arkansas as having the highest rate of obese adults in the United States. “Healthy Active Arkansas is about the future of our state,” Hutchinson said. “We want to create a state where all Arkansans can lead healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.” The full plan can be downloaded here.
[Source: Arkansas.gov]
A Small City Embraces Walkability and Reverses Decline
Birmingham, Michigan, a small city located north of Detroit, and home to just 20,000 people, is committed to building a new identity: “The Walkable Community.” After roughly 35 years of having a “ring road” highway that directed traffic away from the downtown area, dealing with continually impeding construction, losing two department stores and cinemas, and facing financial competition from a mall being built miles away, Birmingham citizens and leaders agreed it was time for a change. In 1996, the city resolved to pursue a new strategy of calming traffic, building parks, improving streetscapes, and reforming regulations. Their plan was to accomplish this by changing zoning laws to incorporate more parking garages, a prototype Kroger supermarket, and a downtown movie theater built to the sidewalk on all 4 sides featuring liner buildings. Today, Birmingham's downtown has a Walk Score of 92, which is considered one of the most walkable downtowns in America, and the city attracts shoppers from all over the Detroit region.
[Source: CNU]
Growing, Sharing, Giving and Investing In the Health of Our Community
In 2014, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) contributed $10.75 million to over 530 Massachusetts’ non-profit organizations and continue investing in them today. To help raise awareness of the importance of nutrition and physical activity, Blue Cross corporate citizenship efforts will focus on Healthy Living and support community-based work that helps to promote healthier lifestyle choices. These core lifestyle choices include a focus on healthy active lifestyles, healthy eating, and healthy environments. To launch the new strategy, the Boston Public Market is holding a series of healthy cooking classes and Blue Cross is hosting a Healthy Living forum and a Twitter chat to discuss their strategy with community non-profits.
[Source: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts]
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
JANUARY
Active Living Research Conference
January 31-February 3, 2016
Clearwater Beach, FL
FEBRUARY
Fifteenth Annual New Partners for Smart Growth: Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities
February 11-13, 2016
Portland, OR
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: 14th Annual International Comprehensive Symposium
February 18-20, 2016
Miami, FL
MARCH
National Bike Summit
March 7-9, 2016
Washington, DC
Aging in America Conference
March 20-24, 2016
Chicago, IL
ACSM’s 20th Annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition
March 29- April 1, 2016
Orlando, FL
37th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine
March 30-April 2, 2016
Washington, DC
USC PRC UPDATES:
CDC Launches New PRC Website
CDC’s PRC Program recently launched a new PRC website. The site offers extensive information about the PRC core research and special interest projects and the research thematic networks. Additionally, the site’s Project Database offers a simple way to research current and past research projects based on categories such as research settings, health topics, gender, and race.
[Source: CDC]
Update from the USC PRC Core Research Project
Church enrollment and training are now complete for phase 1 of the USC PRC Applied Public Health Research Project, the Dissemination and Implementation of the Faith Activity and Nutrition (FAN) Program. USC PRC staff trained two community health advisors (CHAs) from the partnering county to train churches in the FAN Program. These two CHAs then trained 142 people from 36 churches in October and November. The CHAs will provide technical assistance, by telephone, to these 36 churches over the next year. In October of 2016, the CHAs will train 20 additional churches who are currently serving as the comparison group for those trained in 2015. The USC PRC is using the RE-AIM model and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to study adoption, reach, implementation, and maintenance of the program and the multilevel influences on each.
Update from the National Physical Activity Plan
In April 2014, The National Physical Activity Plan Alliance (NPAPA) released the inaugural U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth (the Report Card). The primary goal of the Report Card was to assess levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in American children and youth, facilitators and barriers for physical activity, and related health outcomes. With support from our organizational partners, the Alliance committed to updating the Report Card on a bi-annual basis.
In preparation for the 2016 update, the Alliance has appointment a committee to reassess the Report Card grades for physical activity using more recent data when available. The committee anticipates a release date of mid-2016 for the updated Report Card. A list of the committee members is available at http://physicalactivityplan.org/committees.php.
For more information on the U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, visit their webpage at http://physicalactivityplan.org/reportcard.php.
Update from the South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network II
The South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (SC-CPCRN) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2016-2017 Community Health Intervention Program (CHIP) Mini Grant Program are now being accepted. Interventions will be centered on efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening and HPV vaccination uptake. For information about submitting an application here. Please share the information on the website with your community partners and/or any other community based organizations interested in applying for a mini grant. All applicants must first attend an information session and submit a Letter of Intent. Please visit the website below to more detailed information about the grant process and how to register for an information session. http://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/public_health/centers_institutes/cpcp/for_the_community/cper/index.php
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, November). 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 24(11): 916-923 (DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2014.5114).
Guest, M.A., Feedman, D., Alia, K.A., Brandt, H.M., & Friedman, D.B. (2015, October). Dissemination of an electronic manual to build capacity for implementing farmers' markets with community health centers. Clinical and Translational Science 8(5): 484-489 (DOI: 10.1111/cts.12318).
Update from the South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network
The goal of the SC-HBRN is to advance the public health and aging agenda by making a major contribution to CDC’s Healthy Brain Initiative and working with other funded HBRNs to develop and implement actions in The Public Health Road Map for State and National Partnerships, 2013–2018.
On December 9, 2015, the SC-HBRN hosted a Healthy Aging Forum: A Focus on Brain Health at the University of South Carolina Thomas Cooper Library Hollings Special Collections. The forum highlighted innovative research and programs focused on cognitive health and healthy aging by researchers and partners of the SC-HBRN. There were approximately 75 attendees and special guests included Lieutenant Governor Henry McMaster, Dean Thomas Chandler, and the plenary speaker, Dr. Victor Hirth. The objectives of the forum were: 1) To promote awareness about cognitive health, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease, 2) to describe current research related to physical activity, nutrition, and cognitive health, and 3) to foster collaborations and networking opportunities for researchers, students, and community. Sessions included a panel on current research on cognitive health, programs and initiatives that work to promote healthy aging, and a roundtable and networking session. For more information on the forum, including slides from some of the presenations, see here.
Writer: Danielle Schoffman and Nathan Peters
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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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