Blueprint Partners Progress Newsletter: October 2006

In This Issue
ASA Offers Issue Briefs on Health Promotion and Older Adults
NCOA Provides Fall Audio and Web Briefings on Healthy Aging
Study Finds American Communities are not Prepared for Aging Population
More U.S. Employers Provide Workplace Wellness Initiatives
Air Pollution is Health Hazard for Outdoor Urban Exercisers
ChiWalking: Try Walking a New Way
Study Shows Exercise Helps Offset Cholesterol Damage of High-Fat Meal
Upcoming Events
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ASA Offers Issue Briefs on Health Promotion and Older Adults
The American Society on Aging has developed a series of four issue briefs to examine ways to promote health and wellness so that all elders have access to a variety of options. The issue briefs cover topics including meeting future challenges for health promotion; program evaluation using quantitative and qualitative methods; skill building for effective partnerships; and cultural competency and health literacy.

NCOA Provides Fall Audio and Web Briefings on Healthy Aging
The National Council on the Aging offers interactive audio and web conference briefings on various topics related to developing senior health promotion and community education programs. Upcoming conferences include: Trends in Health & Aging: Data for Grant Proposals, 10/19, 1:30-2:15 p.m. EST
Partners on the P.A.T.H. (Personal Action Toward Health)-A Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, 11/16, 1:30-2:15 p.m. EST
Promising Practices in Civic Engagement, 12/14, 1:30-2:15 p.m. EST

Study Finds American Communities are not Prepared for Aging Population
Only 46 percent of American communities have begun planning to address the future needs of the Baby Boomer population, according to a survey of local governments led by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and funded by MedLife Foundation. Most cities and counties offer various programs for older adults, but few have undertaken a comprehensive community assessment of what it would take to become elder-friendly. Among the findings in the report, The Maturing of America—Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population, more than one-third of communities do not have fitness programs for older adults.

More U.S. Employers Provide Workplace Wellness Initiatives
Large U.S. employers are realizing that health and wellness initiatives reduce medical costs and boost worker productivity. A recent survey showed that 75 percent of large employers offered a health promotion program in 2005 or 2006, which is up from 56 percent in 2003, according to Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health. More research is needed to determine which interventions or combinations of programs and incentives yield the highest return on investment.
Source: Medline Plus

Air Pollution is Health Hazard for Outdoor Urban Exercisers
Exercising outdoors in cities can be dangerous when air pollution levels are elevated, particularly for those who exercise by running, bicycling, or skating. The mixture of fine particulate matter, ozone, and carbon monoxide irritate the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and worsening problems initially caused by asthma, bronchitis, cardiopulmonary illnesses, and emphysema. To minimize lung damage, do not run near roads where there is heavy truck or bus traffic and work out in the early morning or later in the evening.
Source: Medline Plus

ChiWalking: Try Walking a New Way
ChiWalking is based on five steps, according to AARP Magazine: (1) aligning the body and mind; (2) engaging core muscles and willpower; (3) creating balance between the upper and lower and left and right sides of the body; (4) making a choice to stick with a healthy program; and (5) moving forwards toward the goal. The article explains the process of ChiWalking and explains how to use this technique.

Study Shows Exercise Helps Offset Cholesterol Damage of High-Fat Meal
Indiana University researchers used a blood pressure cuff to measure blood flow in the brachial artery in the arm before and after study participants ate a high-fat breakfast, then exercised for 45 min. on a treadmill two hours after the meal. After the high-fat meal alone, the high density lipoprotein in the body was not as effective at protecting the inner lining of the arteries from substances that promote arterial plaque. Researchers found that the exercise session two hours after the fattening meal reversed the process, increasing the arteries’ ability to expand in response to increased blood flow.
Source: Medline Plus

Upcoming Events
Nov. 3, 2006; 8:30-10:30 a.m.: ASA Chicagoland Roundtable “Technology and Aging”
Chicago, IL

Nov. 4-8: American Public Health Association’s 134th Annual Meeting
Boston, MA

Nov. 12-15: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2006
Chicago, IL

Nov. 14-17: Medical Fitness Association’s 12th Annual Conference
Las Vegas, NV

Nov. 15-17: 4th Annual ICAA Conference
Las Vegas, NV

Nov. 16-20: Gerontological Society of America 59th Annual Scientific Meeting
Dallas, TX

Dec. 5-6: AoA National Leadership Summit
Washington, D.C.

Feb. 8-10, 2007: 6th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth, Local Government Commission
Los Angeles, CA

March 13-17, 2007: AAHPERD National Convention and Expo
Baltimore, MD

March 21-24, 2007: ACSM Health & Fitness Summit & Expo
Dallas, TX

March 28-31, 2007: IHRSA 26th Annual International Convention and Trade Show
San Francisco, CA

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