Physical Activity Update | Eat Smart, Move More…NC

Bithiah Lafontant, the PAN Branch’s Healthy Weight Communications Specialist, has resigned her position effective July 24th, and is relocating to Washington, D.C., where she will be serving as the Communications Specialist for the American Public Health Association. Please join us in wishing Bithiah a fond farewell as she and her husband embark on a new phase in their lives.

Marie Shelton has accepted the position as Healthy Weight Communications Specialist for the PAN Branch starting August 13th.

Marie comes to us from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she has been serving as a Health Communications Fellow. As part of her fellowship, Marie has been the lead developer of social marketing and strategic planning for CDC’s fruits and vegetables program, re-branding the fruits and vegetables Web site, and developing the nutrition coordinator’s guidance for the roll-out of Fruits & Veggies—More Matters, among other projects. Prior to joining CDC, Marie worked at UNC-CH as a study coordinator, taught human nutrition at Cabarrus College, and worked as a community income manager for the American Cancer Society. Marie is a certified Master Fitness Specialist and a Registered Dietitian. Marie stays fit by running and practicing yoga, and dabbles in painting with acrylics on canvas.

For assistance with Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina communications issues, please contact Sheree Vodicka at sheree.vodicka@ncmail.net or 919-707-5217.

Programs, Projects and Initiatives

American Society on Aging’s: Physical Activity for Older Adults-Exercise for Life!

Much loss of function that was thought to be “normal” aging is actually the result of not being physically active. Despite these important benefits, older adults are too inactive. Given the projected increase in the number of older adults in the coming years, and that 88% of older adults over 65 have at least one chronic condition, physical inactivity is a public-health issue. This module provides you with information and tools to meet the challenge of promoting physical activity for older adults.

For more information go to the Live Well, Live Long website
(From CDC’s and NSPAPPH Physical Activity One-Way Listserv, July 24th, 2007)

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund recently awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to eight North Carolina municipalities and nonprofit organizations working to promote physical activity and healthy eating habits, the Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area reports. Recipients will use the grants to plan and construct walking trails, support employee wellness programs and promote physical activity in schools, among other projects.

One grant recipient, the Downtown Greenway Partnership in Greensboro, N.C., plans to use its award to build a 4.2 mile walking path in the city’s downtown area and launch construction of the project’s first phase next May. To read the article go to this link. (From RWJF News Digest: Childhood Obesity)

Active Living Research – Redesigned Web site

What’s new?

Expanded information about the Active Living Research program and our mission to fight childhood obesity.
All grants and resources are now searchable by topic area and population.
Grants are also searchable by study type, grant cycle and principal investigator.
Presentations from all previous ALR annual conferences — four in total — are now available.
New sections designed specifically for policy-makers and media.
Free open access to full text articles from five specific active living-related journals.
An all-new, user-friendly graphical design.

Please note:

All of the Web addresses for specific pages and resources on the site have been changed. Individuals who previously linked to the old ALR site will need to update their links. If you need help in this process, you can contact Chad Spoon at cspoon@projects.sdsu.edu for assistance. The Active Living Research Web site can be assessed at: www.activelivingresearch.org.

Registration Open for 2007 Walk to School Day

This October 3, 2007, communities around the country will join nearly 40 countries to celebrate walking and bicycling to school. Registration is free is now open and available to all Walk to School event organizers in the USA. By registering, Walk to School organizers have a chance to win prizes for students and gain access to a variety of downloadable items, including certificates, printable sticker templates, media materials and more. Registrants can also subscribe to a Walk to School e-newsletter with tips and resources for walk to school events.

Registered events will be displayed on an interactive map on the Walk to School Web site, so that neighboring communities, media and other organizations will be able to view participating events.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center serves as the national coordinating agency for International Walk to School events in the USA. For more information on planning and resources for Walk to School activities, register for an event, or to be a resource person, visit www.walktoschool.org or contact Jennifer Bonchak at bonchak@hsrc.unc.edu 919-843-4859 or Nancy Pullen-Seufert at pullen@hsrc.unc.edu, 919-962-7419.
(From [Enewsletter] NCPPA News 7/19/07)

Success Stories

There are no updates at this time.

Featured Resources and Research

2006 SMART BRFSS Data and Prevalence Tables and Maps

The CDC’s Behavioral Surveillance Branch in the Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, is pleased to announce the joint release of the 2006 SMART BRFSS data and prevalence tables and the BRFSS maps. This marks the first-ever joint launch of SMART and Maps data, as well as the earliest launch ever for either SMART or Maps.

SMART BRFSS (Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trends from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) began with the analysis of data from the 2002 BRFSS. It now includes data from 2002 through 2006, with prevalence estimates for over 170 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MMSAs), as well as many counties within those areas.

There are 6 additional MMSAs with data available for 2006, including Great Falls, Montana; Kalispell, Montana; Missoula, Montana; Hilton Head Island-Beaufort, South Carolina; Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Lubbock, Texas. As with the past data, the Web site includes the data sets and prevalence tables for MMSAs and counties, as well as pre-set Quick View charts which compare county, MMSA, and state data for seven select risk factors in an easy-to-print PDF format. BRFSS Maps is a system that allows users to visualize the prevalence estimates, making them more accessible to a variety of audiences. Users can choose to map the entire country, or to zoom in on a region or state, including the MMSAs within that area. Users can also download GIS data files. The SMART BRFSS data and prevalence tables are located on the SMART BRFSS Home Page. The BRFSS Maps are located on this page.

For more information, please contact Lina Balluz, Sc.D., M.P.H. at 770-488-2466 or lib7@cdc.gov.

Center for Collaborative Solution’s Developing Exemplary Practice Guide for Afterschool Programs

This guide, funded by the Network for a Healthy California (USDA Food Stamp Nutrition Education) and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, is designed to help afterschool program leaders and their partners join in the fight against the obesity epidemic facing our children and youth today in a systematic and effective way.

Afterschool programs represent an environment that can make a difference to children across the state—because state afterschool funding in California focuses on low income schools where at least 50 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced lunches, and because afterschool programs have more flexibility than found in the regular school day, they provide excellent opportunities for addressing the most at-risk children.

This guide explains six exemplary practices and contains indicator rubrics that can be used by programs to assess how they are doing in each of the six practice areas and to help them focus their attention on the areas they want to improve.

The indicators will also help programs measure their improvement over time. The practices include:

Establishing the vision; integrating nutrition and physical activity with youth development principles.
Providing exciting and meaningful learning experiences that integrate nutrition and physical activity into core activities.
Working closely with the community, families and the school as full Partners.
Improving food security; and developing diversified funding to sustain a quality program over time.

The guide is available as a downloadable PDF.
Also visit: www.ccscenter.org (From CDC’s and NSPAPPH Physical Activity One-Way Listserv, July 24th, 2007).

Council of State Government A Blueprint for Action: Developing a Livable Community for All Ages

Created to provide local leaders with tools to build the collaborations needed to create livable communities for people of all ages. This guide is a quick-reference kit for practitioners looking for tools, resources, and best practices.

It includes information based on community experiences in building local leadership and offers tools to prepare for the needs of a maturing America, drawing on the most innovative and effective practices of communities throughout the country.

For more information, download the Blueprint for Action PDF. (CDC’s and NSPAPPH Physical Activity One-Way Listserv, July 16th, 2007)

Stretching @ Your Desk and Yoga

New Stretching @ Your Desk videos have just been released by the Alberta Centre for Active Living. The Stretching @ Your Desk and Yoga (launched in June) videos are part of the Alberta Centre for Active Living’s Physical Activity.

Available both in English and French, each stretching video takes about as long as a coffee break. Certified fitness consultant Lindsay Wright (Be Fit for Life Coordinator at Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit) takes you through a series of stretches that give you a refreshing active break in the middle of your day.

The exercises in these videos are designed to counter the effects of sitting at your desk by focusing on stretches for your back, neck and shoulders. The exercises come in stages so that you can work on different parts of your body. Most of the exercises can be done right in front of your computer monitor. No need for special clothes or equipment.

The Stretching @ Your Desk and Yoga @ Your Desk videos are now streamed for faster downloading. To make them easier to access, you can play them using QuickTime, Real Player, VideoLan or Windows Media Player. (Windows Media Player is best if you have firewall issues with QuickTime or Real Player.)

The Alberta Centre for Active Living is affiliated with the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta and supported by the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks & Wildlife Foundation and the Alberta Government. For more information go to: www.centre4activeliving.ca/workplace/.

National Center for Safe Routes to School Develops Promotional Video and SRTS PowerPoint

The National Center for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) has developed two new promotional tools. The first is a promotional video that highlights the reasons “Why Safe Routes to School Matter.” There is also an introductory SRTS PowerPoint presentation intended for use by anyone trying to build support for a SRTS program. Both resources highlight why the United States has seen a decrease in walking and bicycling to school, the consequences of this decrease and the ways Safe Routes to School are a part of the solution. These resources can be used to promote safe walking and bicycling to school within your community and to give an overview of the basics of Safe Routes to School. See www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/ ([From Enewsletter] NCPPA News 7/6/07).

Preventing Diseases Through Physical Activity

This legislator policy brief, published by the Council of State Governments Healthy States Initiative provides state policymakers as well as physical activity advocates with key background information about physical activity among youth and adults and identifies proven, cost-effective policy and legislative strategies to promote active lifestyles. ([From Enewsletter] NCPPA News 7/6/07).

Global Alliance for Physical Activity (GAPA)

Established in 2006 to help communicate, coordinate and advocate for population-based approaches to the promotion of physical activity. Download presentations from the International Union of Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), and other publications and guidance documents at www.globalpa.org.uk (From CDC’s and NSPAPPH Physical Activity One-Way Listserv, July 24th, 2007)

Few Children Walk or Bike Even Short Distances to School

Nationwide, more than a third of children live within a mile of their schools, yet only half of those students regularly bike or walk to class, a new study concludes.

By taking a bus or car to school, “the majority of young people are missing an opportunity to increase daily physical activity by being active travelers,” said Sarah Martin, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study appears online and in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Among those least likely to bike or walk to school are students living in the South and in rural areas. Parents with a college education are also more likely to put the kids in the car or on the bus for short trips than those who have a high school diploma, Martin and fellow researchers found. For more information go to this link for more information. (From [Enewsletter] NCPPA News 7/19/07)

Legislation

No updates at this time

Grants

Bikes Belong Offers Funding for Bicycle Advocacy and Facilities

Deadline for Applications: August 27, 2007 & November 26, 2007

Bikes Belong is a national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers working together to put more people on bicycles more often. Bikes Belong welcomes grant applications from organizations and agencies within the United States that are committed to “putting more people on bicycles more often.” The Bikes Belong Grants Program funds projects in two categories: 1) facilities; and 2) advocacy. For the facility category, Bikes Belong will accept applications from nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and departments at the national, state, regional, and local levels. For the advocacy category, Bikes Belong will only fund organizations whose mission is expressly related to bicycle advocacy. New organizations that are not yet legally nonprofit organizations may submit an application with the assistance of another nonprofit that has agreed to serve as fiscal agent. Bikes Belong will not fund individuals. Because of the program’s limited funds, it rarely awards grants to organizations and communities that have received Bikes Belong funding within the last three years.

Applicants can request up to $10,000. In very limited cases, Bikes Belong will consider amounts over $10,000. The organization awards an average of fifteen grants per year.

Bikes Belong reviews applications on a quarterly cycle. Applications must be postmarked by the due date to receive consideration for the ensuing decision date. For more information go to this site. ([From Enewsletter] NCPPA News 7/6/07)

School-Based Interventions to Prevent Obesity

Deadline for Applications: October 16 (recurring program with 3 grant cycles)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement encourages the formation of partnerships between academic institutions and school systems in order to develop and implement controlled, school-based intervention strategies designed to reduce the prevalence of obesity in childhood. This initiative also encourages evaluative comparisons of different intervention strategies, as well as the use of methods to detect synergistic interactions between different types of interventions. For more information go to this site (From [Enewsletter] NCPPA News 7/6/07).

NIKE Bowerman Track Renovation Program

Deadline for Applications-Ongoing through May 31, 2009

The Bowerman Track Renovation Program provides matching cash grants to community-based, youth-oriented organizations that seek to refurbish or construct running tracks. The program distributes approximately $200,000 in matching grants each year. This 10 year, $2 million program, administered by Nike’s Community Affairs department, provides matching funds of up to $50,000 to youth-oriented nonprofit organizations anywhere in the world. Organizations applying for the grant must demonstrate a need for running track refurbishment or construction.

Grant recipients will provide track access to neighboring communities. Bowerman Track Renovation Program funds must be matched in some amount by other contributors by an agreed upon deadline.

Recipients of a Bowerman Track Renovation grant are encouraged, but not required, to use Nike Grind technology to resurface their track. Nike Grind material is made of recycled athletic shoes sliced and ground into rubber granules, providing a superior, environmentally conscious all-weather track surface. To date, nine Bowerman track projects have used Nike Grind in state-of-the-art track surfaces each consisting of approximately 75,000 recycled athletic shoes. For more information, apply online at the Nike site.
(From [Enewsletter] NCPPA News 7/6/07).

Training and Professional Development

School Wellness Conference Program

October 1-2, 2007
Ahaheim, California

More than 80 presentations are now slated for the first-ever School Wellness Conference at the Anaheim Marriott Oct. 1-2. Dynamic keynote speakers at the general sessions and in-depth breakout sessions showcasing critical issues, model programs and informal Table Talks are all designed to meet the needs and interests of governance teams and those involved with implementing wellness policies, such as teachers, school nurses and others. A preliminary schedule is now posted under the Programs tab at www.csba.org/events/swc. Registration and housing reservation information are also available on the Web site.

Design for Children IN Nature

August 9-11, 2007
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the National Conservation Training Center
Shepherdstown, West Virginia

The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) cordially invites you to participate in our 5th Annual Design Institute titled Design for Children IN Nature. This is a follow-on to the successful NLI 2006 Design Institute on the same topic as well as the high profile national conference Dialog on Children and Nature hosted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the National Conservation Training Center (this year’s NLI Institute venue).

The Natural Learning Initiative promotes the importance of the natural environment in the daily experience of all children and families through environmental design, action research, education, and dissemination of information. The aim of the Design Institute is to assist you and your organization in designing environments that will bring children in closer contact with nature.

Unfortunately at the moment we do not accept credit cards so please follow the link below to the registration form. You will be instructed to print the form, fill it out and mail the registration form with a check made to “NC State University”. The second page of the registration form will ask for your flight information. It is vital that you fill out this form if you are planning on taking the shuttle both ways between the airport and NCTC. Shirley Varela will be arranging shuttles based on the flight information from registered participants.

Keep in mind that NC State University is only charging for the conference. Meals, lodging and shuttle will be paid to NCTC. Arrangements for meals and lodging should be made by calling NCTC at 304-876-7900.

Click on this link for more information on the Design Institute and the registration form. Please feel free to contact Shirley_Vareila @ncsu.edu, if you have any questions or concerns.