Blueprint Partners Progress Newsletter: November 2006
In This Issue
Save the Date: Healthy Aging Research Network Conference in February 2007
NIH Website Adds Information on Falls Prevention
CDC Community Guide Evaluates Effectiveness of Community Interventions
Study Shows Positive Strategies Encourage Behavior Changes
Community Trails are Popular with Users and Nonusers
ASA Provides Mind/Body Connection Program
Smart Growth Statistics for Active Living
________________________________________________
Save the Date: Healthy Aging Research Network Conference in February 2007
The Healthy Aging Research Network (HAN), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is conducting a series of three evidence-based conferences. The first conference in the series, titled “Effective Community-Based Physical Activity Programs for Older Adults: From Research to Practice,” will be held on Feb. 14-15, 2007 in Seattle, WA. The conference is intended for service providers, public health professionals, researchers, and others involved in disseminating community and evidence-based physical activity programs for older adults.
NIH Website Adds Information on Falls Prevention
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a new resource on the risks of falls and how to prevent them as part of the NIHSeniorHealth site, designed especially for older adults.
nihseniorhealth.gov
CDC Community Guide Evaluates Effectiveness of Community Interventions
The CDC “Guide to Community Preventive Services” highlights findings from a team of experts that systematically reviewed published studies regarding physical activity interventions. The experts found strong evidence to recommend the following: (1) community-wide campaigns; (2) individually-adapted health behavior change; (3) school-based physical education; (4) non-family social support; and (5) the creation or enhanced access to places for physical activity. They also found sufficient evidence to recommend “point-of-decision” prompts.
Study Shows Positive Strategies Encourage Behavior Changes
Research published by the Economic and Social Research Council identified 33 strategies for changing health-related behaviors in 129 studies. The most frequently used strategies included providing general information, detailing consequences, and providing opportunities for comparison. However, the research team found that the most effective strategies were to prompt practice, set specific goals, generate self-talk, agree to a behavioral contract, and prompt review of behavioral goals. The least effective strategies employed messages of fear, guilt, or regret.
Community Trails are Popular with Users and Nonusers
Nearly half of people surveyed who didn’t use local trails said they were in favor of more public trails, and were even willing to pay more taxes for this purpose. The study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicinealso showed that people who walked or cycled on trails at least once a week were twice as likely as those who rarely use trails to get the recommended amount of exercise. In the study of 3,717 adults, 24 percent were weekly trail users; 13 percent were monthly trail users; and over 60 percent rarely or never used community trails.
ASA Provides Mind/Body Connection Program
As part of the Live Well, Live Long Program, ASA provides a module on teaching about the mind/body connection. Considerable research documents the link between the mind and body. Stress can weaken the immune system, causing physical health problems. Presenters of this program can lead a discussion, using mental activities to change the impact of physical immune responses.
Smart Growth Statistics for Active Living
Smart growth neighborhoods are easily accessible to local services and amenities, have limited traffic, preserve natural resources, offer places to gather and socialize, and promote physical activity. These statistics from the Active Living Network indicate why community designs for active living are important in promoting health.
- People who live in neighborhoods with a mix of shops and businesses within easy walking distance have a 35 percent lower risk of obesity.
- Forty-three percent of people who have safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home meet the recommended physical activity levels, while only 27 percent of those without safe places to walk are physically active.
- Creating and improving places to be active can result in a 25 percent increase in the percentage of people who exercise at least three times per week.
________________________________________________
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