QUARTER 4: October - December 2016 | USC-PRC Notes
"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"
Topics in this issue
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Who Won the Race for Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding?
Communities Built for Active Living Have Healthier Residents
Pokémon Go Increases US Activity Levels
President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award
Upcoming Events and Observances: January, February, March
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting 2
RESEARCH NOTES:
The First National Study of Neighborhood Parks: Implications for Physical Activity
Activity and Sedentary Time 10 Years after a Successful Lifestyle Intervention: The Diabetes Prevention Program
Effect of Weekly Physical Activity Frequency on Weight Loss in Healthy Overweight and Obese Women Attending a Weight Loss Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The Influence of Parental Modeling on Children's Physical Activity and Screen Time: Does it Differ By Gender?
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
Healthy Aging in Action Report
Expanding Economic Recovery to all Americans through Smarter Growth: Recommendations for the Incoming Administration
How to Start a Walking School Bus at Your School
Cities Alive: Towards a Walking World
2016 Recreational Trails Program Annual Report
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
Tactical Urbanism Reimaging Nashville's Broadway Avenue
Sixteen Cities Join Transportation for America’s Smart Cities Collaborative
Native Youth, Families Nationwide Got Active for NB3FIT Day
Minneapolis Leads Bike Friendly Cities
When Kids Can’t Afford to Play Sports
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
January, February, March
USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE:
Update from the USC PRC Core Research Project
Update from the National Physical Activity Plan
Update from the South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network
Update from the South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network II
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Who Won the Election Race for Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding?
During the most recent election, voters approved nearly 200 local and state transportation funding initiatives. These initiatives, many of which focused on active transportation, will direct an estimated $200 billion in funding towards improving local and regional transportation systems. For example, in Los Angeles County, voters approved a new budget for $17 million per year to improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. In Atlanta, voters passed a local tax redirecting $75 million for complete streets, $3 million for a bike share program, and $69 million for sidewalk improvements. These projects and others in large cities demonstrate a shift in development towards more active, balanced, healthy, and sustainable transportation options.
[Source: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy]
Communities Built for Active Living Have Healthier Residents
Residents living in active communities tend to experience higher levels of well-being than those who live in less active cities. A recent survey by Gallup defined and scored well-being based on measures of volunteerism, recovery after hardship, missing less work, and decreased likelihood of looking for a new job within the next year. Active Living Scores for cities were calculated based on walkability, park presence, bikeability, and transit options. Boston and San Francisco received the highest overall Active Living Scores, and individuals living in the most active communities were shown to have higher measures of well-being and decreased rates of obesity, blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and depression. As a result, many cities have begun adopting their own policies to improve their environments and increase the number of active residents.
[Source: Gallup]
Pokémon Go Increases US Activity Levels
Motivating people to participate in physical activity can be a challenge, but it looks increasingly likely that motivation can be packaged and distributed in unexpected ways. Pokémon Go, the game app downloaded on a smartphone with over 25 million active players, requires users to move around the real world, rewarding them for increased daily activity. A team of Microsoft researchers gathered evidence indicating that Pokémon Go has had a large impact on physical activity levels, especially in those who are traditionally difficult to motivate. On average, Pokémon Go players increase their number of steps taken by 1,473 each day. Researchers state that if the same effect is distributed across all active users, Pokémon Go has increased America’s step count by 144 billion.
[Source: Technology Review]
President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award
Nominations remain open until February 1, 2017, for the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) Community Leadership Award. The PCFSN consists of 25 volunteer citizens, athletes, chefs, physicians, fitness and nutrition professionals, and physical educators appointed by the President. The Community Leadership Award has been issued annually since 2007 and recognizes up to 50 individuals or organizations that provide or enhance opportunities to engage in sports, physical activity, fitness, or nutrition-related programs within a community. Selection criteria for nominees include innovation, content, reach, and successes of the individual or organization. Nominations can be completed online. Winners will be notified and announced in May.
[Source: President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition]
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES:
JANUARY
NONE
FEBRUARY
American Heart Month
February 1-28, 2017
National Cancer Prevention Month
February 1-28, 2017
National Wise Health Consumer Month
February 1-28, 2017
National Girls and Women in Sports Day
February 3, 2017
National Wear Red Day
February 3, 2017
National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
February 12-18, 2017
2017 Hike the Hill
February 12-15, 2017
MARCH
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
March 1-31, 2017
National Kidney Month
March 1-31, 2017
National Nutrition Month
March 1-31, 2017
National School Breakfast Week
March 6-10, 2017
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week
March 12 – 18, 2017
Kick Butts Day
March 15, 2017
American Diabetes Alert Day
March 22, 2017
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:
2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting 2
The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee held its second of five planned public meetings on October 27-28. At the gathering, committee members reviewed the current Guidelines and identified several areas of focus for the 2018 Guideline revision including the increase in recommended physical activity time during the transition from childhood/adolescence to adulthood. Members of the committee also heard public opinion and listened to presentations by representatives from the NIH, the National Cancer Institute, and academic research institutions. During the meeting, committee members established several key areas of focus for ongoing systematic reviews to support the 2018 Guidelines. These areas included physical activity during pregnancy, measuring fitness as a moderator of health outcomes, and adverse events associated with activity. Webcasts of day 1 and day 2 of the October meeting are archived for public viewing. Subsequent meetings are planned for March, July, and October of 2017, and public comments can be submitted for the duration of the project.
[Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion]
RESEARCH NOTES:
The First National Study of Neighborhood Parks: Implications for Physical Activity
Despite evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity, many individuals do not meet current guidelines. Previous research findings have identified a relationship between quality of and access to neighborhood parks and increased leisure-time physical activity. In this study, researchers assessed 174 neighborhood parks throughout 25 major U.S. cities. Data collection included observations of the use and condition of parks, physical activity participation, and interviews with park administrators about policies and programs. Park use was low in high-poverty neighborhoods and in adults, seniors, and women. Authors suggest methods of increasing park use in these populations including supervised programming, increased marketing activities, and installation of walking trails.
[Source: Cohen D.A. et al. 2016. The first national study of neighborhood parks: Implications for physical activity. Preventive Medicine]
Activity and Sedentary Time 10 Years after a Successful Lifestyle Intervention: The Diabetes Prevention Program
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) remains one of the most successful behavioral lifestyle interventions at increasing physical activity, reducing weight gain, and preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. However, little is known about the long term effects of the program on physical activity habits among participants. This longitudinal study presents objective accelerometer data and self-report data about physical activity from 1,574 previous DPP participants. Researchers compared average minutes per day of light and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time to comparable subgroups from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003-2006) using regression analyses. After controlling for age, sex, and diabetes status, researchers found that daily minutes of MVPA were higher for DPP participants than for their matched NHANES counterparts. These findings indicate that a lifestyle intervention program can show success in improving long-term physical activity habits.
[Source: Rockette-Wagner B. et al. 2016. Activity and sedentary time 10 years after a successful lifestyle intervention: The Diabetes Prevention Program. American Journal of Preventive Medicine]
Effect of Weekly Physical Activity Frequency on Weight Loss in Healthy Overweight and Obese Women Attending a Weight Loss Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The positive association between weight loss, exercise intensity, and time spent exercising is well documented. However, the effect of exercise frequency on weight loss is still unknown. This study compared outcomes between a high frequency exercise group (i.e., 50 mins/day, 6 days/week) and a low frequency exercise group (100 mins/day, 3 days/week) during a 24-week weight loss program. Total time spent exercising was equal between groups and both groups were advised to follow the same dietary weight loss program. Seventy-five overweight and obese women who had a normally sedentary lifestyle were randomly allocated to one of the two intervention groups. Results indicated the low frequency group had a significantly greater decrease in weight, BMI, and waist circumference than the high frequency group. The low frequency group also had significantly higher step counts over the 24-week intervention. Exercising for a longer duration over fewer sessions during the week appears to be more effective for weight loss than more frequent shorter sessions in overweight and obese women participating in a weight loss program.
[Source: Madjd A. et al. 2016. Effect of weekly physical activity frequency on weight loss in healthy overweight and obese women attending a weight loss program: a randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition]
The Influence of Parental Modeling on Children's Physical Activity and Screen Time: Does it Differ By Gender?
Parents and caregivers play a large role in modeling healthy and unhealthy behaviors for their children. This study explores differences in health behavior modeling, specifically physical activity and screen time, by parent gender. Using a large sample of parents and children, researchers assessed physical activity and screen time as outcomes. Results from this study indicate that higher levels of parental participation in sports and exercise were predictive of higher child participation. There were some variations in findings according to parent gender, child gender, and type of activity/screen time. The results of this study support that parental behavioral modeling of healthy and unhealthy behaviors impacts children, and the authors conclude by suggesting intervention strategies that would harness these impacts.
[Source: Schoeppe S. et al. 2016. The influence of parental modeling on children’s physical activity and screen time: Does it differ by gender? European Journal of Public Health]
REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:
Healthy Aging in Action Report
The US Surgeon General and the National Prevention Council recently released a report, Healthy Aging in Action (HAIA), highlighting health promotion efforts among older adults. This report supports and informs prevention efforts enabling older adults to remain active in their community and highlights evidence-based programs that address challenges related to aging. HAIA also identifies recommendations to promote and improve healthy aging and well-being in later life by emphasizing policies and programs that reflect the National Prevention Council’s approach in targeting prevention efforts for an aging society. The National Prevention Council, comprised of 20 Federal agencies chaired by the Surgeon General, developed the HAIA with input from the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health.
[Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion]
Expanding Economic Recovery to all Americans through Smarter Growth: Recommendations for the Incoming Administration
Smart Growth America (SGA) has released a new guide containing policy recommendations for the incoming presidential administration. These recommendations from SGA and their partners include policy analysis from the previous presidential administration and economic and infrastructure suggestions for the coming years. The recommendations include connecting Americans to opportunities by providing more transportation choices such as walking or biking, and empowering and investing in local communities. The report’s authors emphasize that increasing active transportation opportunities and complete streets has beneficial effects on economic growth in rural and urban communities. Strategies outlined include encouraging all levels of administration to evaluate current and potential policies that could improve community walkability and bikeability. The authors also point out the economic, social, and public health impact of providing citizens with infrastructure supporting active healthy living.
[Source: Smart Growth America]
How to Start a Walking School Bus at Your School
A walking school bus provides children and adults with a fun opportunity to safely travel to and from school, socialize, and increase their physical activity. A new toolkit outlines five simple steps with tips and resources for establishing a walking school bus. The first step, “Step In,” encourages communities to establish teams who will help make decisions and plan for the walking school bus. The second and third steps, “Step Up” and “Step Out,” provide suggestions for planning a route, promoting the walking school bus, and recruiting students and families to participate. The fourth step, “Step Off,” focuses on putting the finished product into practice. Finally, the fifth step, “Step Back,” recommends leaders evaluate and adjust the walking school bus, making changes as needed. A walking school bus is a great step to making changes for healthier, safer, and active communities.
[Source: Safe Routes to School]
Cities Alive: Toward a Walking World
Previously, cities planned for growth and expansion by prioritizing driving as the primary method of transportation. A new report released by a group of transportation experts provides an alternative method for growth and expansion by prioritizing walkability. The report’s authors suggest that focusing on walkable city development may lead to more sustainable, healthy, and attractive environments. Cities Alive: Toward a Walking World contains potential drivers of change and benefits of walkable cities at social, technological, economic, environmental, and political levels. The report also contains actions for communities and city planners to take in order to develop walkable cities. Lastly, the report includes case studies from cities around the world that have increased their walkability. Planners, coalitions, and policy makers can use the Cities Alive report to aid in planning growth and development projects that will support active, healthy communities.
[Source: Arup]
2016 Recreational Trails Program Annual Report
The Recreational Trails Program Annual Report provides information about programs and projects funded by the Federal Highway Administration in Federal fiscal year 2015. This report highlights benefits of the Federal Trails Program, national achievement awards, and use of recreational trail program funds. It also provides illustrations of program plans and examples of award-winning projects. The Recreational Trails Program has played a role in creating and improving over 21,350 trail-related projects nationwide. These projects include urban greenways, nature centers, multi-use trails, and snow and water routes.
[Source: Federal Highway Administration]
PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:
Tactical Urbanism Reimaging Nashville's Broadway Avenue
A coalition led by Nashville’s Metropolitan Planning and Public Works departments and the Nashville Civic Design Center is working to enhance mobility options along Nashville’s busiest streets by introducing walkable urbanism. Before committing to a long-term infrastructure solution, the coalition is testing various concepts using inexpensive materials. For example, using hay bales, potted plants, or temporary fences can be used as low cost traffic-calming devices or to establish temporary walking areas and bike lanes. Concepts being tested also include road diets (reducing 8 lanes to 6) to allow for more sidewalk space. Diagonal crosswalks are being added to help minimize points of conflict between vehicles and pedestrians crossing the street. A final strategy has been planting “pedestrian plazas” next to sidewalks to encourage pedestrian friendly areas for walking and sitting. These approaches to walkable urbanism have created immediate success in reducing vehicular/pedestrian conflicts and jaywalking around the city.
[Source: Modern Cities]
Sixteen Cities Join Transportation for America’s Smart Cities Collaborative
Sidewalk Labs, a technology company that works with cities to solve urban issues, and Transportation for America (T4A) have announced the 16 members of a new collaboration. The purpose of the collaboration is to help cities understand how technology can assist them in meeting their transportation challenges. The partnership creates a new opportunity for cities that did not win the USDOT’s Smart City Challenge. Over the coming year, T4A will bring these cities together to tackle challenges related to implementing smart city policies and projects, sharing best practices and technical assistance, and piloting new programs. The 16 cities participating in this collaboration can be found here.
[Source: Transportation for America]
Native Youth, Families Nationwide Got Active for NB3FIT Day
In an effort to combat childhood obesity and rising rates of type 2 diabetes, 115 Native American organizations recently participated in a national challenge to increase physical activity. NB3FIT Day was sponsored by the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation as part of a campaign to promote physical activity in Native communities. Tribes or Native organizations were free to choose creative ways to engage youth and families in activity. More than 150 members of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in Akwesasne, NY participated in a walk or run while learning about and discussing their clanship. In Black River Falls, WI, members of the Ho-Chunk Nation participated in double ball, lacrosse, and traditional dances. Some organizations held field events such as log pounding, wood splitting, and drum circles, while others hosted Zumba classes, 5K races, dodgeball, and flag football. The inaugural NB3FIT Day is part of a larger effort among tribal communities to increase physical activity and healthy eating among all members.
[Source: Indian Country Today]
Minneapolis Leads Bike-Friendly Cities
Minneapolis provides its residents more than 100 miles of protected bike paths and leads the United States in bike lanes per square mile. From 2000-2015, Minneapolis decreased the bicycle crash rate per 100,000 trips by 75% and also decreased the bicycle injury and fatality rate by 79%. The secret to their success came from the introduction of protected bicycle lanes, which offer physical separation between bicyclists and fast-moving, high-volume car traffic in the streets. Minneapolis continues to improve infrastructure for cyclists by installing flexible plastic posts and redesigning streets with raised curbs, concrete dividers, and medians lined with green space.
[Source: Star Tribune]
When Kids Can’t Afford to Play Sports
Participation in youth sports leagues has been shown to improve physical and mental health, increase college enrollment, and decrease crime and teen pregnancy rates. However, high cost and lack of transportation may present barriers that decrease the number of low-income youth able to participate. While these economic and social barriers exist, one city has shown that simple changes can increase low-income child enrollment and participation in youth sports. To decrease these barriers and increase participation, officials in Gaithersburg, TN eliminated lengthy scholarship application processes and replaced them with an application check box requesting a fee waiver. The simple change led to an 80% increase in participation among high poverty youth. Now public health and city officials are considering making the simple waiver process permanent in order to increase access to youth sports leagues for children in need. City officials and program planners are hopeful that participation rates among low-income youth with continue to rise, but emphasize the need for additional social and financial programing to eliminate barriers to participation in youth sports across the country.
[Source: The Washington Post]
UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
JANUARY
SHAPE America Southern District Conference
January 9-12, 2017
Baton Rouge, LA
FEBRUARY
Fifteenth Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference: Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities
February 2-4, 2017
St. Louis, MO
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: 14th Annual International Comprehensive Symposium
February 16-19, 2017
Miami, FL
Active Living Research Conference
February 26-March 1, 2017
Clearwater Beach, FL
MARCH
Chronic Disease Prevention and Management in Primary Care
March 2-5, 2017
Las Vegas, NV
National Bike Summit
March 6-9, 2017
Washington, DC
17th Annual American Academy of Health Behavior Scientific Meeting
March 19-22, 2017
Tucson, AZ
Aging in America. The Annual Conference of the American Society on Aging
March 20-24, 2017
Chicago, IL
38th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine
March 29-April 1, 2017
San Diego, CA
USC PRC UPDATES:
Update from the USC PRC Core Research Project
Project staff trained the final 18 churches as part phase 1 of the USC PRC Applied Public Health Research Project, the Dissemination and Implementation of the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) Program. A total of 204 people from 55 churches across Fairfield County, SC attended FAN trainings in either the Fall of 2015 or Fall of 2016. USC PRC staff members also completed visits to participating churches, collecting member surveys, conducting church environment checklists, and completing neighborhood audits. In preparation for phase 2, where FAN will be disseminated through the SC Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC), USC PRC staff have begun identifying Community Health Advisors from the Conference and are enrolling UMC churches from across the state.
Update from the National Physical Activity Plan
In November, the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance announced the release of the 2016 US Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. The Report Card, which can be downloaded here, assesses data from multiple nationally representative surveys to evaluate levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior in American children and youth, facilitators and barriers for physical activity and health outcomes related to physical activity, among 10 key indicators. The report shows only 21.6 percent of children ages 6-19 meet U.S. physical activity guidelines.
Tracking children's physical activity behaviors across the multiple levels of influence (policy, behavior settings, perceived environment, and intrapersonal factors) reveals how components within each level can influence active living. Key recommendations of the Report Card include:
- Schools should work to increase physical activity opportunities among youth and should be a key part of a national strategy to increase physical activity.
- Preschool and childcare centers should enhance physical activity.
- To advance efforts to increase physical activity among youth, key research gaps should be addressed.
- Changes involving the built environment (such as safe outdoor and indoor recreation spaces) and similar sectors are promising, but need additional work.
Update from the South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network
The South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network (SC-HBRN) is excited to announce that Shreya Mehta, an undergraduate honors college student and Carolina Scholar doing work on aging and with the SC-HBRN, was awarded a SURF/Exploration grant through the USC honors college. This grant will allow her to continue working with fellow HBRN Scholar Kristie Kannaley on a project entitled “Blogging about dementia: A way for caregivers and patients to be heard.”
In November, SC-HBRN primary investigator, Daniela Friedman, and scholars Weizhou Tang and Kate Olscamp attended the national HBRN Partners and Grantees Meeting in New Orleans. Investigators and scholars from HBRN member centers nationwide and representatives from CDC, Alzheimer’s Association, and AARP gathered to discuss research priorities, ongoing projects, and opportunities for collaboration. The meeting took place just prior to the Gerontological Society of America conference which Weizhou and Kate were able to attend. In addition to attending, Weizhou also presented a poster at the conference, a complete citation is below.
Tang, W., Gibson, A., Friedman, D. B., Torres, W., Irizarry, J., Rodriguez, J., & Kannaley, K. An Evaluation of the Puerto Rico Un Café por el Alzheimer Program. The Gerontological Society of America 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting, November 16‐20, 2016. New Orleans, LA.
Update from the South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network II
Dr. Daniela Friedman is currently serving as the co-lead for the national Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Workgroup. Recently, this workgroup administered a survey to various FQHCs across the country to determine what current evidence-based approaches are being used within the clinics to increase colorectal cancer screening rates.
The SC-CPCRN II also welcomed Jessica Seel, MPH as its new project coordinator!
Publications and Presentations:
Wigfall LT, Friedman DB. Cancer Information Seeking and Cancer-Related Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review of the Health Information National Trends Survey Literature. Journal of Health Communication. 2016;21(9):989-1005. (DOI: 10.1080/10810730)
Rohweder,C., Friedman,D.B., Askelson,N., Flocke,S., Glanz,K., Ko,L., Leeman, J. et al., (December, 2016) What are the Best Intervention and Implementation Strategies for CRC Screening at FQHCs: A Review of Reviews. Paper presented at the 9th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation, Washington, DC.
Writers: Nathan Peters, Caroline Dunn, and John Bernhart
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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.
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
