Blueprint Partners Progress Newsletter: December 2005

In This Issue

AGS: Aging in the Know Online Resource
Nutrition and Physical Activity Program Materials Available
AOA Livable Communities Announced
Recreation and Park Summits Scheduled
CDC Reports U.S. Physical Activity Levels
2005 Health Club Trends
Recent Research on Physical Activity and Aging

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AGS: Aging in the Know
The American Geriatrics Society website features a resource for consumers on up-to-date health and aging information. The Aging in the Know site offers facts on common diseases and disorders of aging and a “What to Ask” section with practical questions for patients to ask their health care providers. Recommendations on physical activity and trends in the elderly population are also on this site.

Nutrition and Physical Activity Program Materials Available
The Administration on Aging has added information to its You Can! Campaign website about Eat Better & Move More, a 12-week nutrition and exercise program for older adults. The site contains details about the program and the 10 mini-grant awardees who piloted the project. The National Resource Center on Nutrition, Physical Activity & Aging at Florida International University developed the program in cooperation with AOA.

AOA Livable Communities Announced
Seven communities were recognized as winners of the national “Livable Communities for All Ages” by the Administration on Aging. Livable communities are locations where people of all ages can live comfortably. For this competition, they were defined as cities and counties that have made significant, measurable improvements in six key areas. The purpose of the competition was to highlight promising practices that can be used by local governments in preparing for the aging of the baby boom population.

Recreation and Park Summits Scheduled
The National Recreation and Park Association is sponsoring “Step Up to Health…It Starts in Parks” summits in various cities nationwide through the end of April 2006. The summits are a call to action for park and recreation professionals and citizen advocates interested in contributing to advance parks and recreation departments as leaders in improving health and livability in local communities.

CDC Reports U.S. Physical Activity Levels
A recently released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that only 45.9 percent of adults over age 18 in 2003 met the U.S. government’s recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week.
(Medline Plus)

2005 Health Club Trends
The SGMA International Health Club Trend Report notes that in 2004, 25 percent of the 41.3 million health club members were age 55+. Half of the health club members were women (51%), and 60 percent of members had earned four-year college degrees.
www.sgma.com

Recent Research on Physical Activity and Aging
American Journal of Public Health: November 2005
Group classes offered at community centers help older adults improve their balance and mobility, which may translate to fewer falls.
www.ajph.org

The Gerontologist
A study of supply and demand for physical activity programs found that among the facilities surveyed, 73 percent offered aerobics; 47 percent offered flexibility programs; and only 26 percent offered strength training. Facilities included YMCAs or commercial gyms, senior centers, park or recreation centers, and senior-housing facilities. The number of physical activity programs would have to increase by 78 percent to meet the needs of older adults, based on census data.
gerontologist.gerontologyjournals

Geriatrics
Older adults who are unable to walk one-quarter of a mile are at increased risk for mortality and disability, according to a study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh.
www.geri.com

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The Blueprint Partners Project is an initiative of the Active Aging Partnership. For more information, contact the Blueprint Partnership Office at the University of Illinois Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.
Website: www.agingblueprint.org