Search the Physical Activity Updates

Debi Nelson has joined the Statewide Health Promotion Team as a Community Development Specialist. She will provide technical assistance to local Health Promotion Coordinators for implementing policy and environmental changes that support healthy eating, physical activity and tobacco use cessation.
Prior to assuming her position with the PAN Branch she worked for Caldwell County Health Department as the Health Education and Health Promotion Supervisor and Public Information Officer. She was also the Executive Director for Healthy Caldwellians; a local Healthy Carolinians certified task force. Debi is a Registered Health Educator with the NC Board of Registry.

Debi holds a BA degree in Health and Physical Education and a M.A.Ed degree in Health and Physical Education. Her hobbies and interests include her two sons and husband, movies and sports of all kinds. We are very excited to have Debi on our team.

Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant

As in early 2006, President Bush has eliminated the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant from his proposed fiscal year 2008 budget. This means that all 100 North Carolina counties serviced by our 85 local health departments will lose the funding that supports the Statewide Health Promotion program. The Statewide Health Promotion program supports staff in 83 health departments who conduct important work integrating multi-level healthy eating and physical activity interventions in their communities. The SHP community action plans address physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use, the top three causes of chronic disease and premature death in our state.

Partners can write letters to your respective Congressmen and women to educate them on the value of the funding North Carolina receives from CDC through this Block Grant. Contact Sharon Nelson at Sharon.boss.nelson@ncmail.net or call her at 919-707-5220 for more information.

Programs, Projects and Initiatives

National Employee Health & Fitness Day

The National Association for Health & Fitness (NAHF) has announced that it’s 18th Annual Celebration of National Employee Health & Fitness Day will be held Wednesday, May 16th, 2007.

NAHF Board President, Dr. Avron Abraham, of the University of Delaware, commented, “National Employee Health & Fitness Day is dedicated to inspiring employers’ from all sectors (private, public, non-profit) to address improving the health of their workforce. The case for investment is compelling - employee health is an asset to the employee, to achieving employer goals and to America’s competitiveness in the global economy.” NAHF Executive Director, Phil Haberstro, added, “in 1989 when NAHF began celebrating National Employee Health & Fitness Day, the evidence on the cost benefit of investing in the health of America’s workforce (as a strategic component of resource allocation) was just beginning to accumulate.

Today, thanks to researchers like Dr. Ron Goetzel, Dr. Steve Aldana, and Dr. Dee Edington and organizations like the Institute for Health and Productivity Management, we have hard evidence that employee health impacts health costs with exciting new data emerging on employee health and productivity. Successful employers of all sizes and from all sectors now see employee health as a vital asset to their organizations’ success.

To assist employers in planning their May 2007 National Employee Health and Fitness Day activities, NAHF has produced a planning CD and has a variety of health education and quality National Employee Health and Fitness Day incentive items available through the NAHF website. Participating employers and organizations are encouraged to send NAHF photos and brief narratives of their National Employee Health and Fitness Day activities for sharing on the NAHF web site. For more information, go to: www.physicalfitness.org/

(From NCPPA News, 3/9/07).

Success Stories

Robeson County HeadStart Centers Get in the Eat Smart, Move More Groove

Staff, children, and parents representing the four county and Lumbee Regional Development Association (LRDA) Head Start centers are marching to the beat of a different drum these days. Or perhaps you might say they found themselves a brand new rhythm. Either expression you choose, the message is the same. Robeson County HeadStart Centers changed the way they march and move!
What they changed is their attitude about health. Thanks to a $13,400 Eat Smart & Move More grant funded by the Physical Activity and Nutrition Branch of the N.C. Division of Public Health, both the young and the young at heart tuned into better health and turned the beat around through individual lifestyle changes and agency-adopted health policies.

Head Start Centers participating in the Eat Smart & Move More Project included Pembroke, St. Pauls, Sandy Grove, Red Springs, South Robeson, Rennert, Allenton, Maxton and Fairgrove. The Health Department Health Promotion Staff was already working with the staff from the Robeson County HeadStart centers on an employee wellness program when the opportunity to apply for grant funds arose.

They knew their chance for developing a successful project was enhanced because it would target a group that was often overlooked, but ready for policy and environmental changes that would help them eat smart and move more. The decision was made to develop a project that would help both staff and students eat healthier and be more physically active.

At a Partnership for Community Health Steering Committee meeting, health educators Niakeya Jones and Latoya Hartley presented a power point presentation detailing the various components of the Eat Smart Move More Grant project. Their presentation was quite unique. They used a few popular tunes from the platform heels and spandex wearing days gone by to illustrate the various components of their project and show how the HeadStart centers got “in the groove” of eating smart and moving more.

This presentation highlighted the fun and excitement shared by all who participated in the Eat Smart & Move More project that was a key component in the success of the project. To read the story, go to this site.

Featured Resources and Research

New Site for Color Me Healthy Is Now Live

Color Me Healthy is a program that teaches children ages four and five that health eating and physical activity are fun. Now their parents can join in with a new website created just for them.

This great new site, www.ColorMeHealthy.com, is filled with a wealth of resources to help families eat smart and move more. Some of the resources include information to help families prepare and eat more meals at home, tame the tube, rethink their drink, choose to move more, right-size their portions, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Also available on the site to download for free are monthly newsletters, quick and healthy recipes, and Color Me Healthy music that will allow parents to sing and dance with their children.

Legislation

Legislation titled “Funds for Eat Smart Move More Initiative” has been introduced

Legislation titled “Funds for Eat Smart Move More Initiative” has been introduced in both the NC House of Representatives (H.B. 618) and the Senate (S.B.671) that would add $3 million to the Eat Smart Move More Community Grants in fiscal years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. If passed, these grant funds would be “to promote community environments that support physical activity, healthy lifestyles, and personal well-being.” This legislative effort is being promoted by the NC Chapter of the American Planning Association, whose top legislative agenda is Active Community Environments. For more information, or to track either of these bills, go to www.ncleg.net, and enter the bill number.

Grants

Gopher is Celebrating Its 60th Year in Business by Giving Away $60,000 in Equipment

Deadline for Applications: April 15, 2007

Sixteen schools will win a total of $60,000, with the grand prize winner claiming $25,000. Tell us how you’d use $25,000 worth of equipment from Gopher to “makeover” your equipment room and improve the health of your students, and you could win. For more information go to:
www.extremeequipmentroommakeover.com. (From [Enewsletter] NCPPA News, 3/21/07)

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Call for Proposals-Active Living Research, Round 7

Deadline for Applications: May 16, 2007
Active Living Research is a $12.5-million national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that stimulates and supports research to identify environmental factors and policies that influence physical activity.

The purpose of this call for proposals is to increase our understanding of how environments and policies affect children’s physical activity in community and school settings. Grants will be awarded for two research topics: Examination of how children’s and parents’ perceptions of community and recreation environments are related to objective attributes of the environments and how those perceptions affect their desire to use the environments for physical activity, and evaluation of policy interventions to promote physical activity in schools. Preference may be given to applicants that may be either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501© (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Proposals should demonstrate the potential to produce high-quality, scientifically sound research that could be used to inform policy-makers about environmental and policy changes that could increase levels of physical activity and prevent childhood obesity in the United States. For more information go to this site. (From NCPPA News, 3/9/07)

Local Initiative Funding Partners Program

Deadline for Applications: July 10, 2007
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting applications for its Local Initiative Funding Partners Program. The program is a partnership between the foundation and local grantmakers to fund promising, original projects to significantly improve the health of vulnerable people in their communities. Projects must be new, innovative, collaborative, and community-based.

Significant program expansions—such as a major expansion into new regions or to new populations—may also be considered. Projects must be nominated by a local grantmaker interested in participating as one of the funding partners, and willing to work with the grantee to obtain local dollar-for-dollar matching funds throughout the grant period.

Local funders may include independent and private foundations, family and community foundations, corporate giving programs, and other philanthropies.

Up to $5.8 million in matching funds is available for the 2008 grant cycle, with up to 14 matching grants of $200,000 to $500,000 awarded. For information and application guidelines go this site. (From AFHK March 2007 Funding Alert)

Training and Professional Development

National Health and Livability Summit
April 17-19
Atlanta, Georgia

Provided in part by the National Recreation Foundation (NRF).
Join hundreds of national, state, and local leaders from public, private, and non-profit organizations to address our nation’s obesity epidemic. With the support and knowledge of more than 40 organizations and their affiliates from across the nation, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) invite you to attend this ground breaking Summit.

Summit Focus:
The science of obesity and its growing trend in the U.S.

- Physical activity and nutrition
- Public/private partnerships
- Health disparities/at-risk populations
- The built environment
- Safety and preparedness

Highlights:
An inspiring keynote: Toward a Healthier Nation, presented by Dr. Julie Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Break out sessions designed to examine our nation’s current health and livability issues to provide best practice solutions, and call attendees to implement new policies for health and livability.

Networking opportunities with leading experts and high level vendors in the park, recreation, and health community
Powerful presentations from experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, DeKalb County Parks and Recreation, Indiana University, N.C. State University, the American Camp Association, American Cancer Society, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and many more.
Plus, an address from the Honorable Sonny Perdue, Governor of Georgia (Invited), and, the Honorable Shirley Franklin, Mayor, Atlanta, Georgia (Invited).

Visit www.nrpa.org/healthsummit for more information, to view the preliminary schedule, or to register. Or, contact education@nrpa.org, or 800.626.NRPA (6772).

Become a Certified Instructor for the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program

April 28, 2007
Fayetteville, NC

May 19, 2007

Roanoke Rapids, NC

Help people with arthritis manage symptoms, maintain independence, and enjoy life! Lead an Arthritis Foundation (AF) Aquatic Program in your community. The AF Aquatic Program is considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be an evidence-based physical activity program for people with arthritis.

To become a certified AF Aquatic Program Instructor, attend one of the two workshops coming up in North Carolina:

Fayetteville, NC: Saturday, April 28, 8am – 5pm

Roanoke Rapids, NC: Saturday, May 19, 8am – 5pm

The registration fee of $85 covers the cost of your Instructor Manual. Registration is required at least two weeks prior to the workshop, and CPR certification is a pre-requisite for workshop attendance.

Contact Jenni Albright with the NC Arthritis Program for more information: Email: jenni.albright@ncmail.net
Phone: (919) 707-5240.

We Can! Regional Training-Join the We Can! Movement!

South Bend/ Gary, Indiana
April 30 - May 1, 2007

This two-day training offers participants the opportunity to learn more about We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition), a flexible, turn-key obesity prevention program developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
If you work with youth and families in park and recreation departments, schools, afterschool programs, public health departments, youth-serving organizations, hospitals and health systems, faith-based organizations, worksites, and other organizations this event will provide you with exciting resources for your obesity prevention programming. Registration is free and you may choose from two locations and dates, South Bend/Gary, Indiana: April 30 — May 1, 2007.

For more information download this pdf (From [Enewsletter] NCPPA News, 3/21/07)

Shared Vision: The North Carolina Integrated Chronic Disease Conference

May 8, 2007
The Friday Center

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Registration is now available for the Integrated Chronic Disease Conference. This one-day program, sponsored by Wake AHEC (Area Health Education Center) and North Carolina Public Health will provide practical information demonstrating the value and importance of working together in the prevention and control of chronic disease. In addition to primary and secondary prevention strategies to reduce risk factors related to chronic disease will be discussed. The latest evidence-based and practice-based information on, and tools for, program integration/chronic diseases will also be disseminated.

Keynote Speaker
Larry Cohen, MSW

Executive Director, Prevention Institute
Oakland, California

Who should attend?

Healthcare providers
Public health professionals
Non-profit organization professionals
Other community group professionals working in the area of chronic disease prevention

Registration: 7:30 am, Program: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Please visit www.wakeahec.org and click on public health to register.

Training Institute for the Stanford Pediatric Weight Control Program
June 19 – 22nd, 2007
Stanford University

Pala Alto, Calif.
The Training Institute is a four-day program at Stanford University to train and certify you to deliver the Stanford Pediatric Weight Control Program at your own organization. The Institute will provide you with the principles, skills, practice, and materials needed to help you run our successful weight control program in your own setting(s), and an exciting new interactive world wide web resource to help providers manage the program from recruitment to completion, set appropriate behavior change goals, monitor progress, provide feedback, and provide reports for both providers and patients. Successful completion of the Institute will certify your organization to use the Stanford Pediatric Weight Control Program and materials.

To request an application form or for additional questions about the Training Institute please email, SPWCP@stanford.edu, or call 650-724-7742. Space can only be reserved once we receive your completed application and payment or purchase order number. For More information go to this site.

(From CDC’s and NSPAPPH Physical Activity One-Way Listserv, March 22nd, 2007)

International Conference on Physical Activity and Obesity in Children

June 24-27, 2007
Toronto, Canada

The conference aims to inform the development of a scientifically-based community strategy to reduce the incidence of childhood and youth obesity through increased sport and physical activity participation.

For more information go to this site
(From NCPPA News, 3/9/07)

Physical Activity and Public Health Course

September 11- 19, 2007
Hilton Head, South Carolina

The Physical Activity and Public Health Course (PAPH), sponsored by the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is entering its 13th year of successful training for researchers and public health practitioners.

The PAPH course offerings feature an 8-day Postgraduate Course on Research Directions and Strategies and a 6-day Practitioner’s Course on Community Interventions. The faculties for the courses are composed of nationally recognized experts in public health research and practice.

The Research Course serves post-doctoral personnel and is designed to develop research competencies related to physical activity and public health. The Practitioner’s Course is for those professionally involved or interested in community-based initiatives to promote physical activity.

Approximately 25 fellows are accepted for each course. Criteria for acceptance include educational background, experience, professional position, and potential to enhance public health research and practice.

The 2007 Physical Activity and Public Health Courses will be held September 11-19, 2007 at The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina. For more information and application instructions, please visit our website at this site or contact Janna Borden at (803) 576-6050 or jsborden@gwm.sc.edu.

« Previous Page