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Physical Activity and the Built Environment Nefertiti Durant, MD MPH Assistant Professor Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Division of Preventive Medicine University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine Trends in Overweight Figure 2. Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents ages 6-19 years 20 Percent 15 10 16.7 17.4 16.3 18.8 2001-2002 2003-2004 5 0 6-11 12-19 Decline in Physical Activity Why focus on physical activity? Healthy People 2010 HP2010, objective 22.6 – “Increase the proportion of adolescents who engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day on 5 or more days of the previous 7 days Physical Activity Recommendations • Current Recommendations: – Adults: 30 minutes/day of moderately intense physical activity – Youth: 60 minutes/day of moderately intense physical activity (Physical activity and health: A report of the U.S. Surgeon General, 1996) • This does NOT have to be done all at one time • Short five or ten minute spurts of fun physical activities are just as good! • How do our youth measure up? – 28% of adolescent girls and 44% of adolescent boys met the recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity per day – (2005 YRBS Survey) • Built environment factors recently linked to physical activity in youth What is the Built Environment? • • • • • • • • • • • Parks Recreation Centers Walking Trails, Sidewalks, Bike Paths Population Density Traffic and Safety Aesthetics Suburban Sprawl Neighborhood Walkability Proximity to grocery stores, open space, amenities Transportation access Relationship to surrounding streets Built Environment and Physical Activity: The Evidence • Environmental mediators consistently linked with physical activity – Access to facilities (e.g. parks and recreation) and physical activity equipment linked with increased physical activity for children and adolescents – Adolescents in census block groups with seven or more physical activity facilities are 32% less likely to be overweight and 26% more likely to be highly active – Greater proportion of park area is associated with increased physical activity in children ages 4-7 Built Environment: Safety and Physical Activity • Chicago Neighborhood Study: – Unsafe neighborhoods and social disorder linked to lower physical activity in 11-16 year olds • Gomez et. al. • Neighborhood safety correlated with physical activity in girls How do we translate this research into practice? • Health Departments • School Based • National Campaigns – NIEHS – CDC • Web Based Public Health Department Approaches: Washington State Benton Franklin County Health Department www.bfhd.wa.gov/ph/pahep.php Dakota County Minnesota • “Do the parks" is a joint effort of Dakota County Public Health and local and county park and recreation agencies – Purpose of the campaign is to make citizens aware of the many city and county parks, trails, and recreational facilities Dakota County Minnesota Simple Steps • Simple Steps in Dakota County! • Provides tips to help people get started walking and keep them motivated • Indoor walking options • Maps of interesting places to walk in the county maps of interesting places to walk • www.co.dakota.mn.us/.../HealthyLiving/ Fitness/ Boston Steps • Boston Steps – Community mobilization effort to address obesity, diabetes and asthma in eight neighborhoods – Target area: • 58% of Boston’s total population • 70% of the city’s under-18 residents – http://www.bphc.org/programs/program.asp?b =2&d=&p=190 Boston Health Commission: NeighborWalk • NeighborWalk – The Boston Public Health Commission has funded 54 community-based organizations to join NeighborWalk to promote walking as a way to good health • NeighborWalk Walking Groups – Organizes residents to walk in their neighborhoods at least once a week for 30 to 60 minutes – Walks promote physical activity and are an opportunity for residents to meet new people and show community spirit • http://www.bphc.org/programs/program.asp?b=2&d=&p=190 Active Transport: CDC Campaign Active Transport: CDC Campaign KidsWalk-to-School Materials • Step-by-Step Guide Walkable Routes to School Survey • Brochure • Web site www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kid swalk For copies: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/kidswalk [email protected] 1-888-CDC-4NRG National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences NIEHS • Kid and Parent Friendly – Dancing or playing music games, like the Hokey Pokey, Bunny Hop, Ring Around the Rosies, Skip to My Loo, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, or The Walking Song – Team sports, like soccer, basketball, hockey, volleyball, and softball or baseball – Choosing the stairs instead of escalators or elevators – Taking physical education (PE) classes at school, or lessons such as swimming, tennis, or gymnastics • Source: NIEHS Website, Kids Pages, http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/weight.htm School Based Approaches: Fitness for Life Fitness for Life Goals: •Improve fitness and health among teens • Prepare youth to be physically active and healthy throughout their adult lives • First personal fitness textbook for teens •Updated Fifth Edition, and the new textbook for middle school students, available in early March 2007 •Should be integrated with other physical education activities •Material available for students and teachers www.fitnessforlife.org/student/4/4/ School Based: Fitness for Life Program •ACTIVITYGRAM •Uses the physical activity pyramid guidelines for youth as the basis for feedback and instruction •Computer software program •Students to record and monitor their physical activity levels and patterns •Self monitoring s levels of fitness levels • The ACTIVITYGRAM software provides constructive feedback about physical activity based reported levels of physical activity and the current physical activity guidelines www.fitnessforlife.org/student/4/4/ Resources • School Based- Fitness for Life www.fitnessforlife.org/student/4/4 • NIEHS Kid’s Pages • President’s Challenge: – http://www.presidentschallenge.org/the_challenge/active_lifesty le.aspx • California Project Lean – www.caprojectlean.org/.../default.asp – School and Community nutrition and physical activity policies that youth can engage in with the help of a teacher/advisor – Activities and success stories of California teens making nutrition and physical activity policy changes in their communities. Resources • Active Living Research Foundation http://www.activelivingresearch.org/ • http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk /resources.htm#presentation • CDC VERB campaign: – http://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/ Thanks!