October 23, 2009

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Centre for Sustainable Transportation
This edition of the newsletter highlights the past spring and summer activities on the Centre, as well as local events in and around Winnipeg.

The Top 10 Facts on Bicycling and Walking in the United States
Although these are US statistics, they are helpful because, in most cases, equivalent Canadian numbers do not exist.

CHILDREN
Active After-school Communities
An Australian initiative that provides primary school-aged children with access to free, sport and other structured physical activity programs in the after-school time slot of 3.00pm to 5.30pm.The program aims to engage traditionally inactive children in sport and other structured physical activities, and through a positive and fun experience, develop a love of sport that inspires them to join a local sporting club

BMI report cards: will they pass or fail in the fight against pediatric obesity?
Research does not suggest that BMI report cards will be effective in reducing rates of pediatric overweight and obesity. Instead, recent findings show that the potential for harm may outweigh possible benefits. States and countries that mandate the use of BMI report cards should make evaluation of these policies a priority."

Built4kids - A good practice guide to creating child-friendly built environments
An Australian resource developed to help create built environments with and for children and young people. It can be used by local councils, government agencies, planners, schools, architects, developers and other professionals.

Environmental correlates of children's active transportation: A systematic literature review
This systematic review investigated the environmental (physical, economic, socio-cultural and political) correlates of active transportation (AT) among young people aged 5-18 years to better inform the promotion of active living.

Keeping children safe: rethinking how we design our surroundings
Injury is the leading cause of death among children in North America, many of them traffic-related injuries that can be traced back to poor community design decisions, like locating a school on the wrong side of a busy street, says Dr. Andrew Howard in a paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

COMMUNITY
How to Engage Inactive Communities in Physical Activity: Top Tips from the BHFNC 8th Annual Conference
This booklet provides practical ‘tips’ for engaging inactive communities in physical activity. It includes generic tips relevant to practitioners working across a broad range of communities and/or groups, and specific tips for engaging the following key target groups: People with disabilities, girls and young women, older adults, people with mental ill-health, black and minority ethnic communities and socially deprived communities.

Sport in the Neighborhood resources
A guide is designed to help implement a grass-roots sport and physical activity program in a local community. There are many resources here including reports, brochures, factsheets, templates and useful links.

DISABILITY
The Key to Getting Services Right for People with Disabilities
This presentation goes step by step through a demographic study undertaken by Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation to reach out to those who are disenfranchised through disability - developmental, intellectual, physical, cognitive, emotional, mental and social.

HEALTHY EATING
BC Food Security Gateway
The Food Security Gateway is designed to be a “one stop” Web resource for food security practitioners and others in British Columbia who want to make “healthy eating the easy choice” and build food-secure communities.

MISCELLANEOUS
A user’s guide to advocacy evaluation planning
Developed for advocates, evaluators, and funders who want guidance on how to evaluate advocacy and policy change efforts. This tool takes users through four basic steps that generate the core elements of an advocacy evaluation plan, including what will be measured and how.

Australian Public Service Social Inclusion Policy Design and Delivery Toolkit
While not specifically related to physical activity – this web resource is a gold mine of information J

Challenges of evidence-based policy-making
In the real world, policy is developed in a fluid environment, is subject to competing vested and political interests, and can be driven by pressure to act quickly to solve headline-grabbing problems. Ideally, we need systems that are informed by evidence at each stage of policy development, from when an issue is first identified, to the development of the most appropriate response, and subsequent evaluation of its effectiveness.

Health and Wellness related maps for British Columbia
A partnership between the University of Victoria and the BCStats agency, with support from the BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport has resulted in a the creation of a website that gives the ability to construct a variety of health and wellness related maps for BC, and compare the relationship between wellness indicators.

The National Collaborating Centres for Public Health: Strengthening public health by learning from each other

OLDER ADULTS
Active Aging Week – Resources from ICAA
Links to numerous fact sheets, handouts and other resources as part of its celebration of Active Aging Week.

Clear Print Accessibility Guidelines
From CNIB - Readability shouldn’t be an afterthought when producing materials.
It should be the first step in making your merchandise, service, location or information accessible to everyone.

Continuing Care in the Edmonton Region: A Research Inventory
The inventory, prepared by the Alberta Centre on Aging at the University of Alberta, includes information on funding sources as well as summaries of the results and conclusions of each research project.

Dynamic exercise programs (aerobic capacity and/or muscle strength training) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 4, 2009
Based on the evidence, aerobic capacity training combined with muscle strength training is recommended as routine practice in patients with RA.

How to select an age-friendly fitness facility
From ICAA this is a comprehensive checklist to assist in comparing and rating local facilities, with sections on facilities operations, equipment, programming and staff.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Canadian Health Measures Survey
The Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) aims to collect important health information through a household interview and direct physical measures at a mobile clinic.

Could this be the fittest generation?
[O]n the eve of their golden years, could this be the most active generation of 50-year-olds Canada has ever seen? Health experts are anticipating the definitive answer early next year, when Statistics Canada releases fitness data from a project called the Canadian Health Measures Survey, the most comprehensive study ever to look at fitness levels among Canadians of all ages.

Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey (ERASS)
Australia - First conducted in 2001, the ERASS collects information on the frequency, duration, nature and type of activities that are participated in by persons aged 15 years and over for exercise, recreation and sport during the 12 months prior to interview. Participation means active ‘playing’ participation, and does not include coaching, refereeing and being a spectator or activities related to work, household chores or gardening duties. (Note: the 2008 report was in the round up earlier this year; this link lets you see each of the yearly reports).

Intensity and timing of physical activity in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer risk: the prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
BMC Cancer 2009, 9:349
A high level of recent, but not historical, physical activity of moderate-to-vigorous intensity is associated with reduced postmenopausal breast cancer risk. More precise recall of recent physical activity than activity in the distant past is one possible explanation for our findings.

Let’s get moving - a new physical activity care pathway for the NHS: commissioning guidance
The commissioning guidance sets out an evidence-based behaviour charter model Let’s Get Moving encouraging local commissioning of physical activity interventions in primary care.

August 19, 2009

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ABORIGINAL
Balancing the Medicine Wheel through Physical Activity
This article highlights the findings of a research project based on the medicine wheel teachings of balance between the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects of oneself. Specifically, this traditional approach to understanding health was used to explore the impacts of physical activity on emotional, spiritual and mental well-being.

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Bicycle Boulevard Planning & Design Guidebook
This new guidebook was designed to serve as a planning and conceptual design guide for planners, engineers, citizens, advocates and decision makers who are considering bicycle boulevards in their community.

International Scan Summary Report on Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Mobility
Follow up to a project first reported in Info Round Up June 11th. A sample of findings include: (1) Implementing foreign practices in the U.S. will require a careful, evidence based approach. (2) Numerous factors contribute to higher rates of pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements and higher walking and biking mode splits in the host countries (3) “Safety in numbers” (also called “awareness in numbers”) is a clear motivator behind the promotion of walking and bicycling as a safety improvement strategy.

Transit for Livable Communities
A nonprofit organization working to reform Minnesota's transportation system. Through advocacy, organizing, and research, we promote a balanced transportation system that encourages transit, walking, bicycling, and thoughtful development.

Walking and Cycling International Literature Review: Final Report
This report presents the findings from an extensive literature review aiming to help professionals and researchers in the State of Victoria understand barriers to walking and cycling as well as infrastructure and policy supports for non-motorized transportation.
The research team located almost 500 articles, papers, and reports assessing walking and cycling infrastructure, policies, programs, and models. We reviewed over 300 of them…..

CHILDREN
Engaging Parents to Increase Youth Physical Activity: A Systematic Review
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 37: 141-149.
The researchers found that a lack of uniformity in way of reporting outcomes, multiple pilot studies relative to full trials and varied measurements of physical activity outcomes meant that systematic conclusions could not be drawn. However, they suggested that interventions with educational or training programs during family visits or via telephone communication with parents appear to be promising strategies.

Obesity and the Impact of Marketing on Children: Developing an Intersectoral Policy Consensus Conference
A OHPE feature article by Manuel Arango, co-chair of the Consensus Conference on Obesity and the Impact of Marketing to Children, that describes the background issues, process, and outcomes of this March 2008 event.

COMMUNITY
Healthy Spaces and Places Web-Resources (Australia)
A national guide for planning, designing and creating sustainable communities that encourage healthy living.

Healthy Spaces and Places. A National Guide to Designing Places for Healthy Living: An Overview
This overview provides a summary of the information available on the Healthy Spaces and Places website (above), which is the primary resource.

HEALTH (GENERAL)
Health and the Natural Environment (Natural England)
Growing medical evidence shows that access to the natural environment improves health and wellbeing, prevents disease and helps people recover from illness. Experiencing nature in the outdoors can help tackle obesity, coronary heart disease and mental health problems. A great web-site with links to many more resources, feature subject pages.

OLDER ADULTS
ACSM Position Stand Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults
Physical activity – even at a moderate level of intensity – can greatly improve quality and life and longevity for adults over age 65, according to an updated Position Stand from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Growing Smarter, Living Healthier: A Guide to Smart Growth and Active Aging
Issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is a user-friendly handbook intended to inspire older adults to become involved in how their communities grow and develop to ensure they become more 'age-friendly.' Age-friendly communities use Smart Growth principles (development that improves the community, environment, economy, and public health) to become healthier places to grow old in - and better places for people of all ages. In addition to addressing the basic principles of neighborhood and town design, the guide helps readers understand why community design matters, and how becoming involved in decisions about growth can make better places in which to grow older.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
CFLRI Lifestyle Tips: Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Adults
Offers practical suggestions for integrating physical activity into one's daily life….

CFLRI Research File: Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Adults
Provides summaries of research findings on various topics related to physical activity…

URBAN DESIGN
Rethinking the Street Space: Why Street Design Matters
Nicely summarizes the importance of street design as a public space asset rather than just a place for driving. The article discusses why this approach to street design can be difficult, gives examples of the new trend, and identifies the benefits it brings for local economies, the environment, and physical and psychological health.

May 20, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

Active Living

Active living approaches by local government, 2007

Active living in diverse and disadvantaged communities
This is the April Issue of the Journal of Preventive Medicine, it has an active living theme.

Active Transportation

Ciclovia in Bogota, Columbia
Ciclovia is a weekly event in which over 70 miles of city streets are closed to traffic where residents come out to walk, bike, run, skate, recreate, picnic, and talk with family, neighbors & strangers.

Global alliance for EcoMobility
A cross-sectoral partnership for the integrated promotion of walking, cycling, wheeling and use of public transport to improve health and the urban environment, to mitigate global climate change.

Healthy transportation network
Educational tools, success stories, and resources to help you promote safe walking and bicycling in your communities.

Children

Alberta project promoting active living & healthy eating
Also know as the APPLE schools program, it is designed to create a culture of health promotion in local elementary schools, in order to combat the effects of poor nutrition on the learning process.

Healthy eating, Active communities
Healthy Eating, Active Communities aims to fight the growing childhood obesity epidemic in California and to develop state policy changes that will reduce the risk factors for diabetes and obesity.

Let them be kids
A nation-wide program that helps communities build playgrounds in areas of need, while also building community capacity amongst citizens and laying a strong foundation for a brighter tomorrow.

Physical activity and neighbourhood resources in high school girls
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between selected neighbourhood physical activity resources and physical activity levels in high school girls.

Preschool children and physical activity: A review of correlates
A literature search was conducted to identify studies that investigated correlates of preschool children's physical activity. Data were collected and analyzed in 2007.

Walking school bus becomes streets ahead
VicHealth developed the Streets Ahead program in 2008 to build on the successes of the Walking School Bus (WSB) program to allow for the development of more comprehensive and flexible children’s independent mobility demonstration projects….

Conferences

British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health (BHFNC)
The conference (Wednesday November 19th 2008) aims to provide practical examples, solutions and guidance on how to engage inactive communities in physical activity.

Environment

Associations of neighbourhood greenness with physical and mental health: do walking, social coherence and local social interaction explain the relationships?
Perceived neighbourhood greenness was more strongly associated with mental health than it was with physical health. Recreational walking seemed to explain the link between greenness and physical health, whereas the relationship between greenness and mental health was only partly accounted for by recreational walking and social coherence. The restorative effects of natural environments may be involved in the residual association of this latter relationship.

Climate change and sport and recreation
How climate change could affect sport and recreation now and in the future.

Recreational values of the natural environment in relation to neighbourhood satisfaction, physical activity, obesity and wellbeing
Immediate access to natural environments with high recreational values was rare in the study population and was distributed in an inequitable manner. Moreover, such access was associated with a positive assessment of neighbourhood satisfaction and time spent on physical activity, which can be expected to reduce obesity and increase vitality by having a buffering effect on stress.

Nutrition

Webcast symposium on research results from the CCHS cycle 2.2, nutrition focus
This symposium (May 29th 1-5pm EDT) will provide an introduction to the CCHS 2.2 datasets and presentations by leading academic researchers of the latest research results. There will be panel discussion on the dietary recall data as well as on food security issues.

Obesity

Messages about obesity – Making them stick
A recent literature search on obesity messaging.

Older Adults

Prospective association between physical activity and falls in community-dwelling older women
The results suggest that at least daily moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity is required for the primary prevention of falls to the ground and fractured bones in women aged 70–75 years.

Physical Activity General

California Centre for Physical Activity
The California Center for Physical Activity creates opportunities for everyday activity by connecting partners to active living resources and helping develop more walkable and bikeable communities.

SummerActive – May 8th to June 20th
Through our SummerActive initiative, you’ll find the opportunities and information you need to get physically active, eat healthily, live tobacco-free and participate in sport opportunities.

Recreation

The potential of parks and recreation in addressing physical activity and fitness
The article summarizes current research on the relationship between physical activity and parks & recreation.

Urban Planning

A resident's guide for creating safe and walkable communities
This guide provides examples from communities that are working to improve pedestrian safety.

How to create and implement healthy general plans
A toolkit for building healthy, vibrant communities through land use policy change.

Planning for healthy places
They develop toolkits, factsheets, model policies, and trainings for practitioners and advocates in the relationship between the built environment and public health, and provide technical assistance for creating and implementing land use and economic development policies that support healthier communities.

Women

Physical activity in older women: associations with area deprivation and with socioeconomic position over the life course: observations in the British Women’s Heart and Health Study
Adverse socioeconomic position across the life-course is associated with an increased cumulative risk of low physical activity in older women. Reducing socioeconomic inequalities across the life course would thus be expected to improve levels of physical activity and the associated health benefits in later life.

Workplace

Changes in leisure time and occupational physical activity over 8 years: the Cornellè Health Interview Survey Follow-Up Study
While changes in physical activity are evident in this population-based cohort, no clear determinants of such changes were recognized. Further longitudinal studies including other potential individual and contextual determinants are needed to better understand determinants of changes in physical activity at the population level.

Healthy active workplaces (W. Australia)
A web-resource from the Government of Western Australia. Includes information on a Healthy Active Workplace Initiative.

Healthy Minnesota workplace initiative
The toolkit is a one-stop-shop for wellness coordinators charged with improving the health of their workforce.

April 21, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

CHILDREN

An ounce of prevention revisited: A review of health promotion and selected outcomes for children and youth in BC schools.
http://kuuc.chair.ulaval.ca/url.php?i=4770&f=News&l=En
The overall health and well-being of B.C. students is improving thanks to efforts such as Healthy Schools and ActNow BC, but schools still need a more comprehensive approach to promoting health, according this report. An Ounce of Prevention Revisited explores how schools can work effectively to influence the health and well-being of young British Columbians. (Physical activity is mentioned 72 times.)

Developing physical literacy: A guide for parents of children ages 0 to 12 http://www.edmontonsport.com/pdf_folder/
Developing_Physical_Literacy.pdf
“....being physically active later in life depends on feeling confident in an activity setting; and that confidence, as an adult, most often comes from having learned fundamental movement and sport skills as a child. Therefore, to create an active and healthy population ALL Canadian children need a sound foundation of movement and sport skills to build on later in life; and this foundation is called Physical Literacy.......”

This paper covers the first 3 stages of the LTAD (long term athlete development) plan. If you are unfamiliar with it see http://www.ltad.ca/content/home.asp

Factors associated with children being driven to school: Implications for walk to school programs
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/
AusPAnet_Article_Commentary_7
The study’s authors concluded that walk to school programs need to address the link between the parent journey to work and student journey to school, to be effective in increasing rates of active commuting.

Healthy settings for young people in Canada
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/
dca-dea/yjc/pdf/youth-jeunes-eng.pdf
This report examines smoking, alcohol and drug use, physical activity/body image, eating patterns, emotional health and injuries in children and youth aged 11 to 15. Some key findings indicate positive changes in the health behaviours and attitudes of young people since the last report in 2004.

Reach for the top: A report by the advisor on healthy children & youth
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/pubs/child-enfant/
advisor-conseillere/index_e.html
Physical activity is mentioned 95 times.

CONFERENCES

7th International Conference on Urban Health
http://www.icuh2008.com/
The conference theme is Knowledge Integration: Successful Interventions in Urban Health and we encourage delegates to move beyond description and to share with us their actions, which have improved health of urban communities. The theme was chosen to showcase action-oriented projects and best practices.

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Discussion paper: Defining sport and exercise, a conceptual model
http://tinyurl.com/4zsgzc
The discussion paper presents definitions of sport, exercise and physical recreation. It also examines the relationship between these overlapping concepts, and brings them together in a conceptual model. The model outlines what activities may be considered in scope for research on exercise, physical recreation and sport. (Physical activity is mentioned 137 times in 40 pgs of text)

Does getting a dog increase recreational walking?
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/
AusPAnet_Article_Commentary_8
….this study provides evidence to suggest that dog acquisition leads to an increase in walking through behavioral intention via the dog’s positive effect on owner’s cognitive beliefs about walking, and through motivation and social support for walking.... (International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2008, 5:17)


HEALTH DETERMINANTS

Does your address determine your life span?
http://www.barhii.org/press/
download/barhii_report08.pdf
Most experts agree that health care con­tributes only about 10-15% to health outcomes and life span. Where you live is probably a bigger determinant of your health than whether you have health insurance. People who live in West Oakland, for example, can expect to live on average 10 years less than those who live in the Berkeley Hills……


HEALTH PROMOTION

Ontario health promotion – News from the field spring 2008
http://www.ohpe.ca/
Lots of news from the health promotion world, including a farewell to CHN.


WORKPLACE

Health work wellbeing
http://kuuc.chair.ulaval.ca/
url.php?i=4765&f=News&l=En
Health Work Wellbeing is a Government-led initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of working age people in UK. Founded on a growing evidence base that working is good for health, it brings together employers, unions and healthcare professionals in helping more people with health conditions to find and stay in employment.

April 11, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Special issue of preventive medicine
http://tinyurl.com/4x7rbf
The January 2008 special issue of Preventive Medicine (Volume 46, Issue 1: pp. 1-84) focuses on self-transportation, public transportation, and health. Many of these articles are related to physical activity. Access is free.

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE

Choosing health: Making healthy choices easier:
Executive summary
http://tinyurl.com/2mld8w
Physical activity is mentioned many times.

Kings fund - Kicking bad habits: Resources
http://tinyurl.com/3nja27
Many interesting behavior change papers here.

Low-income groups and behavior change interventions:
A review of intervention content and effectiveness
http://tinyurl.com/4jlhob
Many physical activity interventions are included.

Partnerships for better health - Small change, big difference
http://tinyurl.com/2smqws
The Partnerships for Better Health report highlights the government's role in influencing non-statutory, commercial and not-for-profit sectors in securing public health goals. Through the report, case studies and best practice tips we are encouraging the greater use of such partnerships for health at a local level.

CHILDREN

Active education: Physical education, physical activity and academic performance
http://tinyurl.com/3wpvy4
It “summarizes peer-reviewed research on the relationship between physical activity and academic performance among children and adolescents”.

Childhood obesity
http://tinyurl.com/4kv5em
Facts and statistics (USA)

Childhood obesity toolkit
http://tinyurl.com/4pknny
“This Tool Kit provides (USA) policymakers with resources, data, trends and examples of solutions being implemented or considered by states and legislators across the country that aim to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic.”

Designing for active living among children
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/builtdesign.pdf

Increasing preschoolers' physical activity intensities:
An activity-friendly preschool playground intervention
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/AusPAnet
_Article_Commentary_3
Find out how to effectively increase physical activity in preschoolers.

Promoting good nutrition and physical activity in child-care settings
http://tinyurl.com/4rgg9o

Push play parents (New Zealand)
http://www.sparc.org.nz/getting-active
/push-play-parents
"....ideas to help you get your kids moving. Choose the age group that applies to your child and you'll be well on your way to becoming a Push Play Parent."

Unplug and play - Parent campaign (Australia)
http://tinyurl.com/ytvysd
The Unplug + Play Parent Campaign targets parents in Western Australia, to increase their awareness of the urgent need for children to spend more time in active play and less time using TV, electronic games and the Internet for entertainment.

CHRONIC DISEASE

Talking points on preventing disease through physical activity
http://tinyurl.com/2gxlb5
“Describes the effects of being inactive, benefits of PA, associated disparities, and action items for state legislators.”

Trends alert: Cost of chronic disease
http://tinyurl.com/469too
From the USA – published in 2006

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Balance: a report on state action to promote nutrition,
increase physical activity and prevent obesity
http://www.healthyeatingresearch.org/
uploads/Balance122006.pdf

CDC community health resources
http://www.cdc.gov/communityhealthresources
The site features direct links to hundreds of resources, including program guidelines and recommendations, campaign materials, handbooks, fact sheets, evaluation frameworks, and behavioral and risk factor data, among other topics. For physical activity information, click on "Physical Activity" under "Browse by health topic."

Getting to know the competition: A content analysis
of publicly and corporate funded physical activity advertisements
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/AusPAnet
_Article_Commentary_4
Learn more about what was discovered when a content analysis of physical activity advertisements was carried out.

HEALTH PROMOTION

Ontario prevention clearinghouse now the Health Nexus
http://www.healthnexus.ca
Effective April 1, 2008 the Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse became Health Nexus. This is a bilingual web-site.

OLDER ADULTS

Keeping the aging population healthy
http://tinyurl.com/53a4fr
“This (USA)Legislator Policy Brief provides policymakers with key information to develop strategies to enhance health and preserve independence in the growing aging population.”

Silversneakers fitness program
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2008/
jan/07_0148.htm
A CDC-funded study conducted by Group Health and the University of Washington reports that older adults who participated in the SilverSneakers Fitness Program visited their primary and specialty physicians more often, were admitted to the hospital less, and had lower overall healthcare costs compared to a control group of over 9,000 people who were the same age and gender.

WOMEN

Physical activity, pregnancy & postpartum inventory of resources
http://tinyurl.com/3vak8o

April 4, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

City of Toronto walking strategy
http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/
walking/walking_strategy.htm

London vote on cycling May 1st
http://www.newstatesman.com/200803310004
“….they need to be behind cycling, because without a 400% increase in cycling from 2000 to 2025, the anticipated increase in population of one million will mean that London’s transport system will grind to a halt. Under Ken Livingstone cycling has soared by more than 83% in the capital…”

Walkable towns curb obesity, pollution, expert says
http://www.reuters.com/article/
healthNews/idUSCOL15888220080401
Jim Sallis is interviewed

Walking Englishman: Walk time calculator
http://www.walkingenglishman.com/walktime.aspx
Allows you to calculate how much time it will take you to walk to your destination.

CHILDREN

Government investment in childhood obesity strategy applauded
http://tinyurl.com/2ovphs
The Ontario Collaborative Group on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (OCGHEPA) commends the government's significant investment in a strategy to reduce Ontario's childhood obesity rates.

CHRONIC DISEASE

The prevention of lifestyle-related chronic diseases: An economic framework
http://tinyurl.com/3468bv
This OECD paper provides an economic perspective on the prevention of chronic diseases, focusing in particular on diseases linked to lifestyle choices. (Physical Activity is mentioned a number of times)

CONFERENCES

2008 International congress on physical activity and public health
http://www.icpaph08.org/
Find out more about plans to form a new professional society - the International Society for Physical Activity and Health.

Recreation summit 2008
http://tinyurl.com/387kaf
May 16th & 17th – Australia. The Summit will bring together local, national and international enthusiasts on active recreation

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Adapted physical activity quarterly
http://www.humankinetics.com/
APAQ/currentIssue.cfm
The official journal of the international federation of adapted physical activity.

Adulthood lifetime physical activity and breast cancer
http://tinyurl.com/2k9maw
Conclusions: Leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous activities reduce breast cancer risk irrespective of underlying host characteristics.

Correlates of the stages of change for physical activity in a population survey
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/
AJPH.2007.123075v1?papetoc

National association of counties: Active living survey (December 2007)
http://tinyurl.com/yvhln2

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

How to create and implement healthy general plans: A toolkit for building healthy, vibrant communities through land use policy change
http://www.healthyplanning.org/healthygp_toolkit
/HealthyGP_Toolkit.pdf
“In recent years, the dramatic rise in chronic disease rates in cities and towns has begun to bring public health and planning back together…. planning and public health professionals have begun to promote design and development patterns that facilitate physical activity and neighborly interactions as antidotes….”

Increasing active living -a guide for policy-makers: Policy-making for healthy and active communities
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/
activelivinglhc2007.pdf

Rural obesity: Strategies to support rural counties in building capacity
http://tinyurl.com/294b6v
Physical activity is mentioned prominently.

POPULATION HEALTH

Senate sub-committee on population health reports
http://tinyurl.com/2zqg9oThe 3rd and 4th reports were just published

March 28, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Be aware of cyclists
http://www.dothetest.co.uk/
Great cycling ad from the UK

Halifax Regional Municipality active transportation plan
http://www.halifax.ca/TDM/
activetransportation/index.html

CHILDREN

A comparative case study on active transport to and from school http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/
2008/apr/07_0064.htm
This study investigates active-transport-to-school initiatives through the Active Living by Design Community Action Model framework. The framework outlines five strategies that influence physical activity: preparation, promotion, programs, policies, and physical projects.

Not gonna kill you
http://www.notgonnakillyou.ca/
A new web-site managed by the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion. The target audience is youth.

Rural-urban differences in physical activity, physical fitness, and overweight prevalence of children
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/
AusPAnet_Article_Commentary_7
This research looked at the differences in physical activity prevalence, physical fitness, and overweight levels of children living in urban, semi-urban and rural areas in Iowa in the United States.

Transition game
http://www.lin.ca/Files/10200/
Spelling.htm
“One of the greatest times of risk working with children and youth is a lull in classroom and recreation activities when your guard is down. A transition game can be a bridge between different classroom and recreation activities...”

WANTED: Schools to participate in the SMART tool Project
Ever Active Schools has teamed up with the Centre for Health Promotion – Children, Youth, and Women’s Health Service South Australia to pilot their SMART tool in 100 schools in Alberta. Ever Active Schools is currently seeking schools to participate in the SMART Tool Pilot Project. For more information or to participate in the project survey please contact Jardath Nelson at jnelson@brsd.ab.ca

CHRONIC DISEASE

The Sydney Resolution - February 2008
Healthy people in healthy places on a healthy planet
http://www.oxha.org/meetings/
08-summit/sydney-resolution
An advocacy call to take action to halt the impact of chronic disease.

CONFERENCES

Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention: Taking Action Together
http://www.cdpac.ca/conference/
content.php?sec=5
CDPAC 2008 Conference Ottawa November 26th – 28th.

GENERAL HEALTH

Health literacy and health promotion: A compilation
http://tinyurl.com/2pwrds
“Research shows a strong link between low health literacy and poor health, and that low health literacy may contribute to higher health service costs.”

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to build a healthier America
http://www.commissiononhealth.org/
AboutUs.aspx
“The Commission will look beyond the medical care system to investigate how factors such as education, environment, income, housing and personal health choices impact the health of all Americans.”

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Step conversion chart
http://www.corp.delta.bc.ca/stepsout/
steps_equivalencies.pdf
Comprehensive 12 page listing of conversions - with references to academic research. From the Delta, BC web-site.

Walking the way to health Wales
http://www.ww2h.org.uk/
Designed for health professionals.

MENTAL HEALTH

Physical activity and likelihood of depression in adults: A review.
http://tinyurl.com/2wvvpm
This review presents up to date evidence on the links between physical activity and the risks of developing depression.

MULTILINGUAL & MULTICULTURAL RESOURCES

Canadian Cancer Society
http://tinyurl.com/ypqvm6

Canadian Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.ca/
section_main/translations.asp

Cultural adaptations of Canada's food guide to healthy eating
http://www.nutritionrc.ca/guide.html

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
http://tinyurl.com/2y289p

Ontario Public Health Association: Physical activity guides
http://www.opha.on.ca/resources/
multilingual/physical.html

OLDER ADULTS

Community-wide campaign to promote activity among midlife & older adults: Lessons learned from AARP's Active for Life campaign and a synopsis of evidence-based interventions
http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/
articles/health/pagefive.pdf
Find out what makes an effective physical activity campaign for adults over 50 years of age.

March 14, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

CHILDREN

After school programs in the 21st century
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool
/resources/issuebrief10/
Do afterschool programs make a difference and if they do what is it about the program that makes it work?

CONFERENCES

CDPAC 3rd national conference – Call for abstracts
http://www.cdpac.ca/media.php?mid=393
Ottawa November 24th – 26th 2008

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

A review of public exercise stations and trails in the ACT
http://catalogue.ausport.gov.au/fulltext/2000/nhf/
publicexercisestations.pdf
A user survey of a select range of facilities clearly indicated that the use of the stations is low and that the cost of a regular maintenance regime would be high relative to the low usage. The majority of trails on the other hand (with or without stations) are used frequently for walking/cycling/jogging. This finding is consistent with evidence that the majority of people prefer to walk as a regular form of activity.

A field survey undertaken to evaluate condition, safety and effectiveness of each of the stations and trails revealed that the majority of exercise stations have not been maintained and are in poor working order. There are safety risks associated with poorly maintained and/or inappropriately designed/located exercise equipment.

HEALTH

Unnatural causes
http://www.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/
A new PBS series about “why some of us get sicker more often and die sooner and what causes us to fall ill in the first place….. Compelling personal stories illustrate obstacles and inequities in society but they also point the way to new possibilities, as individuals and communities organize to gain control over their destinies and their health.

Airing nationally four consecutive Thursdays (March 27, April 3, 10, 17 at 10 PM) on most PBS stations.

HEALTH LITERACY

A vision for a health literate Canada
http://www.cpha.ca/en/portals/h-l.aspx
Links to the executive summary and full report from the Canadian Public Health Association.

HEALTHY WEIGHT

Measured BMI data now available
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/surveill/atlas/index_e.html
Choose “view maps for each indicator” from the right hand navigation column to go to the statistics.

State of the evidence review on urban health and healthy weights
http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=GR_1929_E
“The resulting analyses provide a high-level overview of the strengths of and gaps in the research on associations between urban environments and healthy weights.”


URBAN PLANNING

Complete streets bill introduced in US senate
http://blog.smartgrowthamerica.org/?p=137
“The Complete Streets Act of 2008 would encourage towns, cities, and metropolitan planning organizations to consider the needs of all users when building new roads or improving existing roads.”

MISCELLANEOUS

The Interviewing Cheat Sheet: 100 Resources for interviewers and candidates http://www.hrworld.com/features/interviewing-cheat-sheet-092507/
Resources for interviewers, answers for candidates, types of interviews, interviewing techniques and advice, interviewing strategies for candidates and more.

March 7, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Economic assessment of transport infrastructure and policies: Methodological guidance on the economic appraisal of health effects related to walking and cycling
http://tinyurl.com/2nll3h
This new document from the WHO provides guidance on approaches to the inclusion of health effects through transport-related physical activity in economic analyses of transport infrastructures and policies.

CHILDREN

Assessment of an after-school physical activity program to prevent obesity among 9- to 10-year-old children: a cluster randomized trial.
http://tinyurl.com/3e3zf2

Gym class can boost other grades
http://tinyurl.com/2oy6ac
The Vancouver Sun (Fri 29 Feb 2008 Source: Reuters) reports on a new U.S. study that suggests spending time in gym class can actually help to boost elementary school children's grades.

Outcomes of Switch-Play: A trial to prevent excess weight gain, reduce screen behaviors and promote physical activity in 10-year olds
http://tinyurl.com/yuja9s
Learn about the effectiveness of the Switch-Play intervention that is based in Melbourne, Victoria.

Unplug + Play parent campaign
http://tinyurl.com/ytvysd
The Heart Foundation's Unplug + Play Parent Campaign targets parents' awareness of the need for children to spend more time in active play and less time using TV, electronic games and the Internet.

CONFERENCES

International conference on childhood obesity: Evidence and practice from Exercise Science
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/spe/obesity
2008/announce_eng.html
Target Attendants: Exercise scientists, health professionals, PE teachers, policy makers, researchers, students in related areas, and those who have an interest in the prevention and intervention of childhood obesity.

COMMUNITIES

Age-friendly rural and remote communities: A guide
http://tinyurl.com/3dlwxz
The federal/provincial/territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors and the Public Health Agency of Canada, in partnership with nine provinces, the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors and Guysborough County, have developed the Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Communities: A Guide. Complementing this guide is a research report detailing the focus group findings specifically from Guysborough County.

Measuring up
http://www.2010legaciesnow.
com/measuring_up/
Measuring Up helps B.C. communities assess and improve how accessible and inclusive they are for people with disabilities and for the whole community.

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Motivators and constraints to participation in sports and physical recreation
http://tinyurl.com/2895kb
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has produced a new report on the associations between participation in sport and activity and motivations and constraints across different demographic groups.

Promoting or creating built or natural environments that encourage and support physical activity
http://tinyurl.com/3dm629
From the U.K. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence – 2008

With moderate exercise, you can lower your stroke risk
http://tinyurl.com/2uhff8
By engaging in moderate exercise, new research finds both men and women can lower the risk of stroke.

HEALTHY EATING

Using healthy eating and active living initiatives to reduce health disparities
http://tinyurl.com/3atplv
“Healthier eating and being physically active can significantly improve health. In low income communities and communities of color, it can reduce health disparities. This report identifies key lessons from eight (USA) national programs for making healthy eating and active living initiatives successful in reducing health disparities.”

HEALTHY WEIGHT

Motivators and constraints to participation in sports and physical recreation
http://tinyurl.com/2895kb
The Australian Bureau of Statistics have produced a new report on the associations between participation in sport and activity and motivations and constraints across different demographic groups.

MISCELLANEOUS

Mythbusters teaching resource
http://www.fcrss.ca/mythbusters/
teaching-resource.php
The CHSRFoundation's new online Mythbusters Teaching Resource is a resource to facilitate instructors of graduate-level classes to teach students how to write plain-language research summaries for policy makers, managers and others.

February 22, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE LIVING

Healthy living comes to town: Developing a statewide campaign for active living
http://www.bikewalk.net/presentations/
LeighAnnVonHagen.pdf
(PDF Format - 6MB)

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Climate emissions by travel type
http://tinyurl.com/2plf3p
"Charts CO2 emissions by transportation mode, from an SUV to a plane to a bus. The best strategy for reducing your impact: walk, bike, or fill up a seat that's already going your way!"

Ontario drops PST on most bikes
http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/
notices/rst/61.html
Starting on December 1, 2007, Ontario dropped the PST on bicycles under $1,000.00, bike helmets and other cycling safety equipment. It’s part of the province’s plan to encourage more people to get active.

CHILDREN

Smart Moves Queensland
http://www.pando.com.au/san/
articles/story/38234.html
The State Government have launched a new school physical activity program, called Smart Moves, as part of the "Year of Physical Activity" in Queensland.

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The association between physical activity in leisure time and leukocyte telomere length
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/
AusPAnet_Article_Commentary_2

Scottish Physical Activity and Health Alliance (PAHA) briefing papers http://www.healthscotland.com/
physical-activity-publications.aspx
The Scottish Physical Activity and Health Alliance (PAHA) produces briefing papers on key topics, including two new papers on physical activity, inequalities and the importance of sedentary behaviour. (There is lots of other good info here.)

Sport participation in Canada 2005
http://www.statcan.ca/english/
research/81-595-MIE/81-595-MIE2008060.htm
Click on the link in the left-hand navigation column to download the 101-page report.

HEALTHY WEIGHT

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A cross government strategy for England http://tinyurl.com/36rp5h
This new strategy, produced by the Department of Health in England, aims to support people to maintain a healthy weight. It includes a large section on "building physical activity into our lives."

MISCELLANEOUS

How does copyright infringement apply to the Internet?
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/
tips/ST05-004.html

February 15, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

CHILDREN

Exercise balls replace chairs at Simcoe elementary school
http://tinyurl.com/2jn3ft
The Simcoe Reformer reports that students are bouncing off the wall over their new seating arrangement at Elgin Avenue Public School …

Nova Scotia pumps up phys-ed. requirements
http://tinyurl.com/2tn6yu
The Cape Breton Post reports that starting next fall, new Nova Scotia high school students will be expected to enrol in at least one full credit of physical education in order to graduate …

CONFERENCES/ LEARNING

National Physical Activity Institute
http://www.canadainmotion.ca/
registration.php
June 23-25, 2008: In Motion Manulife National Physical Activity Institute, hosted at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Clinic-based support to help overweight patients with type 2 diabetes increase physical activity and lose weight
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed/18227359?dopt=Abstract

ParticipACTION newsletter needs a name
http://www.lin.ca/resource-details/9919

Statistics Canada Report on Sport Participation
http://www.lin.ca/resource-details/9917
Barely three out of every 10 Canadians aged 15 and over participated regularly in one or more sports in 2005, a dramatic decline from the early 1990s when the proportion was closer to one-half ….

HEALTHY WEIGHT

The Heart and Stroke Foundation's new national healthy waists initiative is live!
http://tinyurl.com/3y34xg
What is Healthy Waists all about? The purpose of the Healthy Waists website is to help Canadians understand that they may be at increased risk for heart disease and stroke if their waistlines exceed a certain size. The website displays a video as well as written instruction to explain how to measure waists properly.

URBAN DESIGN

Safety benefits of smart growth design
http://www.planetizen.com/
node/28523
Includes references to Larry Frank’s work.

Speeding on arterial roads
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wPHqVN6_pjik8iPScRF
1eiUB3tIWWjy7jtlO7yhdVXJ1YeI2keMbD-f
DNj5NtV3qZynIPMQqo-i_kzg3u3MK9ZFdi_
SmmLfSTybwIKBQ2SIjyh9UC7q0GA==
Forty-five per cent of speeding deaths occur on arterial roads. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety last year looked at arterial roads with posted limits of 40 or 45 mph in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Omaha, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. Arterial roads aren't built to the same safety standards as interstates and have much higher crash rates.

WALKING

A meta-analysis of pedometer-based walking interventions and weight loss
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed/18195317?dopt=Abstract

Interventions to promote walking: systematic review
http://health-evidence.ca/
articles/show/17214

Pedestrians 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2l87wl
The Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2002 "includes 16 papers that explore a healthier way to travel, level of service of the urban walking environment and pedestrian route choice behavior, estimating nonmotorized travel demand, pedestrian counting methods at intersections, deficiencies in Florida pedestrian crash data, and methods to prioritize pedestrian high-crash locations.” Cost: $55.

WELLNESS

BC atlas of wellness (updated Jan. 10, 2008)
http://www.geog.uvic.ca/wellness/
This Atlas presents data on the geography of wellness in British Columbia. The Atlas covers topics such as:

• Assets and determinants.
• The geography of smoking behaviours and policies in B.C.
• The geography of nutrition and food security in B.C.
• The geography of physical activity in B.C. (this part is 37Mb)
• The geography of healthy weight in B.C.
• The geography of healthy pregnancy in B.C.
• The geography of wellness outcomes in B.C.

WORKPLACE

Workplaces in Motion launches in Manitoba
http://tinyurl.com/2rrsgn
Workplaces in Motion is a new component of the Manitoba in motion program that will encourage employees and employers to build physical activity into their daily lives at work …

January 25, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Dependence on cars in urban neighbourhoods: Life in metropolitan areas
http://tinyurl.com/2kscd8
As cities grow, sometimes neighbourhood design and public transportation schemes do not keep pace, resulting on more reliance on cars.

CHILDREN

Energy expenditure in adolescents playing new generation computer games
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/AusPAnet_Article_Commentary_3
This study compared the energy expenditure of teenage boys and girls when playing sedentary (XBOX 360) and new generation active computer games (Wii Sports).

CHRONIC DISEASE

Chronic disease prevention: Looking back on 2007 and ahead to 2008
http://tinyurl.com/3c48ae

COURSES

Manulife national physical activity institute
http://tinyurl.com/36fvza
The Manulife National Physical Activity Institute is being hosted at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.

The institute will take place from June 23-25, 2008. The focus of the institute, will be on providing resources and tools that can be utilized to mobilize populations to be more physically active for health benefits.

GENERAL HEALTH

Combined impact of health behaviours and mortality in men and women: The EPIC-Norfolk prospective population study
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/AusPAnet_Article_Commentary_9

Indicators of well-being in Canada
http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/home.jsp?lang=en
Indicators of Well-being in Canada gathers data from different sources and presents a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of the well-being of Canadians and Canadian society.

You will find a wide range of indicators, or statistical measures, that show how things are going for Canadians.

GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

2008 American Council on Exercise (ACE) fitness trends predictions
http://www.acefitness.org/media/
media_display.aspx?CMP=HET_0108&NewsID=277

Active living network website – no longer operating
http://www.activeliving.org/
Message from the Network January 10:

“I'm writing to thank you for your support and commitment to advancing active living and to let know you that this month's Active Living Update will be our last. While the Network will no longer operate after Jan. 10, 2008, you may continue to access archived resources, tools, profiles and storybank projects,”


Case studies from "Go for your life" physical activity grants program
http://tinyurl.com/2lunta
Read about success stories from the "Go for your life" physical activity grants program in Victoria, Aus.

This is the first large study to show the combined effects of four key health behaviours: non-smoking, physically active, moderate alcohol intake and recommended fruit & vegetable consumption.

Get out there magazine: Launches online editions
http://www.getouttheremag.com/about.php
With editions in Ontario and western Canada, Get Out There serves as a local resource for amateur sports, outdoor recreation and adventure pursuits.

Links to even more research
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/AusPAnet_Article_Commentary_4

MENTAL HEALTH

Diet and exercise prescribed to aid psychotic patients
http://tinyurl.com/2l9h9p
Quebec research which claims that excess weight gain provoked by antipsychotic drugs can be avoided with a nutrition and exercise program. Instead of packing on the pounds, patients actually lost weight, a study by the Université Laval faculty of medicine shows.

NUTRITION

Obesity and the eating habits of the Aboriginal population, 2005
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080123/d080123a.htm

WALKING

Does walking in the neighbourhood enhance local sociability?http://usj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/44/9/1677

WORKPLACE

Get moving at work – A resource kit for workplace health and wellbeing programs
http://www.getmoving.tas.
gov.au/article.php?article_id=138
The Get Moving at Work resource kit is a simple-to-use guide for organizations, particularly employers, wishing to develop a health and wellbeing program for their organisation. (Part of Get Moving Tasmania - lots of other good resources here too!)

January 18, 2008

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc, Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Edmonton 2005/2006 bicycle user survey report
http://tinyurl.com/3b8ds4

The Household Travel Survey conducted by the City of Edmonton in 2005 showed a 150% increase in the number of cycling trips taken per day (from 10,000 trips per day to 25,000 trips per day) between 1994 and 2005.

With such a marked increase in cycling in the City of Edmonton, the 2005/2006 Bicycle User Survey provides some insight into the habits and preferences of these cyclists.

CHILDREN

Characteristics of school campuses and physical activity among youth
http://tinyurl.com/yrp7k3

Previous research suggests that school characteristics may influence physical activity.

However, few studies have examined associations between school building and campus characteristics and objective measures of physical activity among middle school students.

The childcare environment and children’s physical activity
http://tinyurl.com/29zkzg

Previous research indicates that the childcare center that children attend significantly affects physical activity behaviour.

The current findings extend this evidence by identifying aspects of the childcare environment that relate to the physical activity behaviour of children.

These factors should be considered when identifying determinants of physical activity and designing interventions.

Ever Active Schools: Updated website
http://www.everactive.org/

“The staff at Ever Active Schools are excited to launch our new and improved website. Our intent was to make our site more user friendly and ensure it supplies our visitors with valuable resources and helpful information.”

Ever Active Schools: Winter newsletter:
http://www.everactive.org/assets/
pdfs/Bulletins/BulletinWinter2007.pdf

COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION INITIATIVES/PROGRAMS

Effects of “10,000 Steps Ghent” A whole-community intervention
http://tinyurl.com/2zam2t

“A multi-strategy community-based intervention was implemented in 2005 with follow-up measurements in 2006 to promote physical activity to adults.

“A local media campaign, environmental approaches, the sale and loan of pedometers and several local physical activity projects were concurrently implemented …”

DISABILITY

Physical activity and the deaf
http://tinyurl.com/2syxvf

“The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) has produced a report on physical activity and the Deaf community.

“This report focuses on the relationship of hearing loss, communication skills and the development of motor skills in deaf or hearing-impaired children and adults and makes recommendations for physical educators on the challenges of integrating and involving the deaf and hearing- impaired in community sport and recreation activities.

Providing physical education programs to help individuals develop healthy and active lifestyles is a critical issue for the deaf community.”


GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The effect of question order on reporting physical activity and walking behaviour
http://tinyurl.com/2wtpah

“Estimating PA and walking across sociodemographic strata with differing patterns of PA requires asking moderate-PA and vigorous-PA questions before walking questions.

“Asking walking questions first might lead to bias, especially for moderate PA. Walking, added to a survey with BRFSS moderate and vigorous PA items, should be placed after moderate and vigorous PA.

“Walking questions first may cause bias, especially for moderate PA.”

Efficacy of a theory-based behavioural intervention to increase physical activity in an at-risk group in primary care (ProActive UK): a randomised trial.
http://tinyurl.com/2lmucc

“Interpretation: A facilitated theory-based behavioural intervention was no more effective than an advice leaflet for promotion of physical activity in an at-risk group; therefore health-care providers should remain cautious about commissioning behavioural programmes into individual preventive health-care services.”

Exercise is medicine
www.exerciseismedicine.org

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have launched a new program designed to encourage patients to incorporate physical activity and exercise into their daily routine.

It calls on doctors to prescribe exercise to their patients.

Leisure-time activities shift over 12 years
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_
poll/index.asp?PID=835

“For 1,052 adults ages 18 and over, each week contains 45 hours of work and 20 hours of leisure time.

"In 2007, the 2 or 3 most favorite leisure-time activities were reading (29%), watching television (18%) and spending time with the family/kids (18%).

“Compared to 1995, the largest increases in popularity were computer activities (up 7 points from 2% to 9%), watching sporting events (up 4 points), exercise (up 3 points) and crafts (up 3 points).”

Promoting physical activity through hand-held computer technology
http://tinyurl.com/yt8463

Results from this first-generation study indicate that hand-held computers may be effective tools for increasing initial physical activity levels among underactive adults.

Step up to better health
Register at http://aarp.stepuptobetterhealth.
com/default.asp

“Step Up to Better Health” incorporates a step counter to help users build up to walking 10,000 steps per day by virtually travelling along one of four famous trails: Lewis & Clark, Alaska Highway, Highway 50 or the Appalachian Trail.

Two on-line activity trackers
Register to participate at http://aarp.getfitonroute66.com/

“Get Fit on Route 66” Virtually trace the legendary highway that runs from the shores of Lake Michigan to the California coast by recording exercise minutes online; minutes convert to highway miles.”

Understanding dog owners’ increased levels of physical activity: Results from RESIDE
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/
abstract/98/1/66?etoc

“We examined the influence of dog ownership on physical activity, independent of demographic, intrapersonal, and perceived environmental factors, in a cross-sectional survey of 1813 adults.

“Although only 23% of the dog owners walked their dogs 5 or more times per week, the adjusted odds of achieving sufficient physical activity and walking were 57% to 77% higher among dog owners compared with those not owning dogs (P< .05).

“Dog ownership was independently associated with physical activity and walking. Actively encouraging more dog walking may increase community physical activity levels.”

MENTAL HEALTH

The relationship between organized physical recreation and mental health http://healthpromotion.org.au/
journal/articles/article9.php

“This review supports the development and maintenance of organized sport and recreational activities that are socially and culturally appropriate.

“An increase in valid and reliable evaluations of sport and physical recreation programs would contribute to the international body of evidence of the mental health benefits of organized physical recreation.”

NUTRITION

Ready-to-use presentation for educators on Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide - First Nations, Inuit and Métis
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-
aliment/educ-comm/_fnim_pnim/ppt_e.html

“... a new ready-to-use PowerPoint presentation to help nutrition educators introduce and share the information about healthy eating and physical activity found in Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide - First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

OLDER ADULTS

The Friendly Corner
http://tinyurl.com/39ztqu

The Friendly Corner (TFC) is a successful partnership between the St. Laurent Centre Mall in Ottawa, the Canadian Public Health agency, and 24 volunteers.

TFC is a bilingual, health information and activity centre, open in this mall since 1994.

It provides opportunities for older adults to take charge of their health and improve their quality of life through physical activity, healthy eating, social connectivity and positive mental health.

URBAN PLANNING/RECREATION

Active neighborhood checklist
http://prc.slu.edu/iafc.htm

“This practical checklist helps residents, community groups, government officials and others determine whether their neighborhoods are activity friendly.

The checklist rates communities on land use, presence of public recreational facilities, availability of public transportation and quality of the environment.”

(Scroll to the Tools section – the titles underneath are all hyper-linked.)

Healthy landuse plans
http://tinyurl.com/2pv75d

“A new toolkit details various strategies for creating healthy communities, from building relationships and assessing existing conditions, to creating policy language for implementation of these strategies.

“It is designed for training advocates in the relationship between the built environment and public health, such as improving community health by ensuring that farmers' markets and neighborhood grocery stores are supported, or by promoting sidewalks, parks and other environmental components that encourage physical activity.”

Land use impacts on transport
http://www.vtpi.org/
landtravel.pdf

“This paper examines how various land use factors such as density, regional accessibility, mix and roadway connectivity affect travel behavior, including per capita vehicle travel, mode split and nonmotorized travel.” (Published 10 January 08)

Measuring the performance of transit-oriented developments in Western Australia
http://www.vtpi.org/renne_
tod_performance.pdf

“This new report summarizes factors to consider when evaluating TOD transport, economic social and environmental impacts.

"It recommends longitudinal measurement of performance indicators in six categories, including travel behaviour, the local economy, the natural environment, the built environment, the social environment and the policy context.”

Planning for healthy places fact sheets
http://www.healthyplanning.org/
factsheets.html

Smart growth e-learning portal
http://www.moodleserv.com/
smartgrowthca
“An educational program describing various smart growth concepts and implementation strategies, developed by the Smart Growth Canada Network, sponsored by Natural Resources Canada.”

WOMEN/GIRLS

Long-term effects of a physical activity intervention in high school girls
http://tinyurl.com/2e8w4n

“Physical activity (PA) decreases during childhood and adolescence, and PA levels are significantly lower in females than males, particularly during adolescence.

“Schools are attractive settings in which to implement interventions designed to promote PA in girls and young women, but few studies have tested the sustained effects of such interventions.”

Updating the evidence on physical activity and health in women
http://tinyurl.com/yurejo

“There is strong evidence of a role for PA in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers in women.

“There was no evidence of additional health benefits from vigorous-intensity PA, over and above those achieved from walking or moderate-intensity PA.

“This may be because, in most studies, there was limited reporting of vigorous PA by women.

“For some health outcomes, the amount of PA required for health benefits in middle-aged and older women might be lower than current national recommendations.”