QUARTER 2: April – June 2024 | USC-PRC Notes

“Promoting Health through Physical Activity”

Topics in this issue

A LETTER FROM OUR DIRECTOR

USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATES:

  • Update from the USC PRC Core Research Project

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

  • Call for Papers | Students Have Their Say: Novel Approaches and Solutions to Current and Emerging Public Health Problems
  • The Real Reasons Many Americans Aren’t Exercising
  • Digital Devices can Help Clinicians Prescribe Physical Activity

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES

  • July, August, September

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:

  • OAK Celebrates Passage of House Outdoor Recreation Package

RESEARCH NOTES:

  • Timing of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity, Mortality, Cardiovascular Disease, and Microvascular Disease in Adults With Obesity
  • Global Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents
  • Association of Physical Activity Pattern and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease
  • Effect of Gamification, Financial Incentives, or Both to Increase Physical Activity Among Patients at High Risk of Cardiovascular Events: The BE ACTIVE Randomized Controlled Trial

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:

  • Implementation of Obesity Science Into Clinical Practice: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:

  • Portland, Oregon: Creating an Accessible Built Environment That Helps Residents Stay Active as They Age
  • Nationwide, 32 Local Schools Win NFL PLAY 60 Grants for Physical Activity

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:

  • July, August, September, and October

A LETTER FROM OUR DIRECTOR:

Greetings!

Happy summer! I hope that you are enjoying the longer days that summer brings us. Isn’t it great to be able to go for a walk or do some other type of activity after work? Speaking of long days…I just returned from an incredible family vacation to Scandinavia. It was disorienting to have the sun set after 10 pm and rise around 4 am, and to have only twilight instead of darkness in between. But what was most striking to me was the difference in the ways that Scandinavians versus Americans value and invest in active opportunities. Access to quality parks, beaches, trails, and paths is considered a right to which all citizens are entitled. For example, Norway has invested in building roads and tunnels in their mountains, and maintaining them, so that Norwegians can get to and spend time outdoors in the mountains year-round (and I’m pretty sure, based on how their summer felt, that winter practically never ends). Being active and being in nature are highly valued and woven into their cultural identity. This identity starts at a young age in schools and in families. There are disincentives to car ownership (parking, taxes, laws, etc.) and supports for cycling and other outdoor activities. There were dedicated cycling paths and parking everywhere! Green space was common and popular. Sidewalks with wide and often had buffers like beautiful and large flowerpots. Our tour guide said that a ski pass is about a third of the price as compared to the US. There were little huts in the mountains where you could stay for a small fee.

I loved Copenhagen, Denmark in particular – walking and cycling are a way of life. I saw people of all ages and all walks of life pedaling along. My family signed up for a cycling tour, and our tour guide showed up in stylish flared pants (won’t they get caught in her chain?), a lovely shirt (won’t she get sweaty?), and shoes that were not athletic shoes (how can she pedal properly?). I was surprised until I spent more time in Copenhagen and Scandinavia in general, and I realized that your bike simply takes you where you wish to go. People cycle all year long. And the vast majority of people did not wear helmets unless they were on road bikes and cycling at a fast pace (to be clear, I’m not advocating for ditching helmets in the US!). The whole point is that you don’t have to wear special clothes or shoes just to get around town, get to work, or get to a café to see friends. It’s just what you do!

Studies continue to show the health benefits of being in nature and being active in nature. What I want to ponder is how to create a culture shift. Is it possible? Certainly, some parts of the US have this culture more than others. How do we make being active outdoors safe, accessible, and enjoyable for all people? I’d love to hear what you think!

-Sara Wilcox

USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATES:

Update from the USC PRC Core Research Project

During this final year of the 2019-2024 funding cycle, the PRC is working closely with organizations to further disseminate the availability of the FAN Online training program, and its recently revised materials. With the support of a regional partner, the updated FAN Assessment and Planning Guide and many of the monthly materials are now available in both English and Spanish. Churches and other interested organizations may download the training guide and materials directly from the USC PRC website free of charge. Please visit https://prevention.sph.sc.edu/resources/faith-activity-and-nutrition-fan-program-materials/ to access materials.  Churches interested in enrolling in the online training program can email Ms. Denise Viker, RN, BSN with Health Ministries Association (FAN4HMA@gmail.com) to learn more about taking part in the FAN Online Training. We look forward to sharing more program highlights in the very near future including a blog feature with national public health partners. Stay tuned!

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Call for Papers | Students Have Their Say: Novel Approaches and Solutions to Current and Emerging Public Health Problems

In ongoing efforts to support and develop scientific writing skills, Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is sending out a call for student papers as a part of their 2025 Student Paper Contest. This contest is an opportunity for public health students from high school through postgraduate and professional degree fields to submit their scientific essays addressing and making a case for emerging public health issues and potential solutions. All submitted essays and manuscripts must be written in essay format and will be published on a rolling basis within the special collection for the 2025 Student Paper Contest. Interested students are encouraged to submit an inquiry for further details. The deadline for this Student Paper Contest is November 2025. Additional information can be found on PCD’s announcements page.
[CDC]

The Real Reasons Many Americans Aren’t Exercising

Only around 25% of the American population meets the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity), plus at least 2 days of muscle strengthening exercises. The disparities between Americans who do and do not regularly exercise can be attributed to the availability, accessibility, and affordability of gyms, parks, recreation centers, and trails, and limited time to engage in leisure-time physical activity. However, meeting the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines shouldn’t be complicated or expensive. One idea for increasing physical activity is to move more throughout the day, like taking the stairs instead of an elevator or dancing to music at home. Walking is also a great, low-cost exercise, which can be done inside a variety of places like recreation centers or shopping malls if it is not possible to walk outside. Walking at least 4,000 to 4,500 steps per day (about 2 miles) shows significant benefits over getting little to no steps. To increase strength training, having a gym membership or lifting heavy weights is not necessary. During at-home workouts, dumbbells can be replaced with other objects like gallon milk/water jugs and canned goods while doing exercises like squats, lunges, dips, and push-ups. Joining an exercise community or group can also motivate members to increase their physical activity, especially in underserved populations.
[HealthCentral]

Digital Devices can Help Clinicians Prescribe Physical Activity

Today, more than one-third of U.S. adults use wearable devices, like smartphones, smartwatches, and smart rings to track activity. These devices collect data on physical activity levels, which can change the way clinicians discuss health with their patients.
Physical activity counseling is a beneficial method for decreasing the risk of developing chronic diseases, due to physical activity’s role in weight loss and building strong bones. Digital tracking also empowers patients to collaborate with their doctors on physical activity regimens and allows doctors to track whether their patients are following recommendations. Tracking can also help doctors adapt patient physical activity regimens based on the patient’s needs and capabilities. Evidence has found a relationship between those who use wearable devices for physical activity with decreased incidence of chronic diseases and all-cause mortality. Some doctors are even prescribing wearable physical activity tracking devices to help promote increasing physical activity in their patients.
[STAT]

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES:

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:

OAK Celebrates Passage of House Outdoor Recreation Package

Congress passed the Expanding Public Lands Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act this April. This Act would provide support and improved accessibility to outdoor recreation and outdoor activities. Programs from the EXPLORE Act include the Every Kid Outdoors program, which provides access to federally funded public greenspaces to fourth graders and their families. Another highlighted program is the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act, which provides updates that would allow easier access for communities and organizations to host and create outdoor recreational experiences in nature for their communities. The EXPLORE Act now moves on to the Senate for voting. The Outdoor Alliance for Kids (OAK) celebrates the passage of EXPLORE. OAK works to promote more legislation that limits barriers to nature and outdoor recreation and creates safer and more accessible opportunities for recreation for all kids. More information about OAK and their work can be found on their site.
[Outdoors Alliance for Kids]

RESEARCH NOTES:

Timing of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity, Mortality, Cardiovascular Disease, and Microvascular Disease in Adults with Obesity

A new study looking at the association between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), microvascular disease (MVD), and all-cause mortality was conducted, retrospectively, using the UK Biobank. Adult participants (N=29,836), with a subsample of N=2,995 with diabetes, were included in this study if they met the criteria of having obesity (=30 kg/m2), type 2 Diabetes, and had complete accelerometry and follow-up data from a previous associated study. Participants were then grouped into one of four groups by timing when they accumulated the majority of their MVPA: morning MVPA, afternoon MVPA, evening MVPA, and a comparison group  who did not accrue a bout of =3 minutes of MVPA. Participants were observed through November 2022, where incidence of mortality, CVD, or MVD were categorized. Covariates, including, smoking status, alcohol intake, fruit and vegetable intake, medication usage, waist circumference, prevalent CVD, sleep, sedentary time, and age and sex, were included in the analyses. Researchers found that relative to the comparison group, all groups engaged in MVPA had lower incidence of mortality, CVD, and MVD. However, those who engaged in evening MVPA were associated with the lowest risk of all-cause mortality and CVD. This finding was also seen in the subsample of participants with type 2 Diabetes.
[Sabag, A., Ahmadi, M. N., Francois, M. E., Postnova, S., Cistulli, P. A., Fontana, L., & Stamatakis, E. (2024). Timing of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity, Mortality, Cardiovascular Disease, and Microvascular Disease in Adults With Obesity. Diabetes Care, 47(5), 890–897. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-2448]

Global Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents

A systematic review and meta-analysis from 2000 to 2023 on overweight and obese children globally revealed significant findings: pediatric obesity prevalence is 8.5%, overweight is 14.8%, and excess weight is 22.2%. Polynesia had the highest rates, while Western Europe, one of the most developed regions globally, and Middle Africa, Western Africa, and Melanesia, a few of the most impoverished regions globally, had the lowest rates of childhood and adolescent obesity. Factors contributing to this issue include age, school type, maternal obesity during pregnancy, eating breakfast or not, number of daily meals, daily time spent on a computer, birth weight, exercise frequency, sleep duration, and maternal smoking. This review and analysis found that a nation’s income and development largely impacted pediatric obesity. However, environmental and behavioral factors such as diet, physical activity, and technology use also increase the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents. Lower rates of physical activity, along with more time spent sedentary, is an important contributor to obesity; children who regularly exercised had a reduced risk of being overweight and obese. Children and adolescents who were obese also had a higher risk of having mental and physical comorbidities. Global and national coordinated action is needed to understand obesity and prevent a further increase in the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents.
[Zhang, X., Liu, J., Ni, Y., Yi, C., Fang, Y., Ning, Q., Shen, B., Zhang, K., Liu, Y., Yang, L., Li, K., Liu, Y., Huang, R., & Li, Z. (2024). Global Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.1576]

Association of Physical Activity Patterns and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease

A large prospective cohort study analyzed data from 89,400 UK Biobank participants who were not diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Participants wore an Axivity AX3 wrist triaxial accelerometer for 7 days to measure their time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Participants were then separated into three groups: inactive, active regular (activity was evenly distributed throughout the week), and active Weekend Warrior (majority of activity was done in 1-2 days). At a follow-up visit with an average of 12.32 years later, researchers found that participants in both active regular and WW groups had a decreased risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease compared to the inactive group. Subgroup analyses of participants were done to explore any potential differences between the two exercise groups on the development of Parkinson’s Disease in different populations. Five covariates were analyzed: sex, family history of Parkinson’s Disease, drinking status, blood pressure status, and diabetes mellitus. No significant differences were found between the two active groups. It is possible that the association between activity duration and Parkinson’s Disease is consistent across populations who have different health backgrounds. The results from this prospective cohort study suggest that the duration of exercise has a bigger effect on reducing the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease compared to how often a person exercises.
[Lin, F., Lin, Y., Chen, L., Huang, T., Lin, T., He, J., Lu, X., Chen, X., Wang, Y., Ye, Q., & Cai, G. (2024). Association of Physical Activity Pattern and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease. Npj Digital Medicine, 7(1), 137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-024-01135-3]

Effect of Gamification, Financial Incentives, or Both to Increase Physical Activity Among Patients at High Risk of Cardiovascular Events: The BE ACTIVE Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized controlled trial enrolling 1062 patients was conducted to assess the effect of gamification and loss-framed financial incentives on physical activity for 12 months. Participants included those with clinical CVD or =75% risk of incidence of stroke, heart attack, or CVD-related death. Enrolled participants were assigned to a control group (N=151), a behaviorally designed gamification group (N=304), a loss-framed financial incentives group (N=302), and a gamification + financial incentives group (N=305). All participants were provided a wearable device to track daily steps, established a baseline, and selected a step goal. Participants were then followed from baseline to 12 months, with a 6-month follow-up post-intervention. The team found that compared to the control group, all intervention group participants had significantly greater increase in daily steps, with the most being the combined gamification + financial incentive group. Significant increased physical activity was also still apparent in the gamification + financial incentive group in the 6-month follow-up but was not in the gamification or financial incentive groups. Ultimately, researchers found that both gamification, financial incentives, and a combination of the two were effective and useful methods for increasing physical activity and potentially reducing CVD risk.
[Fanaroff, A. C., Patel, M. S., Chokshi, N., Coratti, S., Farraday, D., Norton, L., Rareshide, C., Zhu, J., Klaiman, T., Szymczak, J. E., Russell, L. B., Small, D. S., & Volpp, K. G. M. (2024). Effect of Gamification, Financial Incentives, or Both to Increase Physical Activity Among Patients at High Risk of Cardiovascular Events: The BE ACTIVE Randomized Controlled Trial. Circulation, 149(21), 1639–1649. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069531]

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES:

Implementation of Obesity Science Into Clinical Practice: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association (AHA) has released a new statement addressing Obesity Science and its place in clinical practice. The statement highlights advancements in the treatments for obesity, but also the gaps and disparities still present. The AHA also shares strategies for improving translation of obesity science into clinical settings, gaps that hinder translation into clinical practice, and guidance and resources to help clinicians and researchers best broaden their impact and reach of interventions and methods to address obesity on multiple levels. The statement can be found on the AHA site.
[AHA]

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES:

Portland, Oregon: Creating an Accessible Built Environment That Helps Residents Stay Active as
They Age

Portland, Oregon is currently prioritizing creating a safer and more accessible built environment for its residents, especially for older adults. An improved built environment includes wide, smooth sidewalks for walking and for those who use a wheelchair, visible bike lanes, along with buildings, open spaces, and other infrastructure. To make sure that a neighborhood’s built environment is created to be safe and accessible for everyone, the City of Portland developers and their partner organizations are co-designing these features with older adults, people with disabilities, and minorities. Some included features are zero-step entrances, accessible bathrooms, and building parks in disadvantaged areas. Ensuring that cities are walkable, bikeable, and rollable can help all residents regardless of age and ability to be more physically active. More information about Portland’s initiative can be found on their city’s website.
[Health.gov]

Nationwide, 32 Local Schools Win NFL PLAY 60 Grants for Physical Activity

The National Football League (NFL) and the American Heart Association (AHA) teamed up to give 32 grants to support kids’ physical activity as a part of their NFL PLAY 60 Fitness Tracking Competition. Through the competition, schools were encouraged to get their students moving for at least 60 minutes every day and log their activity in the competition app. Winning schools were then awarded $1,000 to apply toward physical activity at the schools. The overall winner with the most logged activity minutes (Rosholt High School, Rosholt Wisconsin) was awarded an additional $1,000. NFL PLAY 60 is a joint effort to inspire kids and their families to become healthier through physical activity and movement. More information about the 32 winners, NFL PLAY 60, and its initiatives can be found here.
[AHA]

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:

JULY

AUGUST

 

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

Writers: Jasmin Parker-Brown and Jenna Dzwierzynski

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This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U48DP006401 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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