Infographic: The Role of Schools in Promoting Physical Activity
Submitted by Carmen Cutter on
Infographic that highlights a few ways that schools can promote daily physical activity for kids.
SAS Programs to Analyze NHANES Accelerometer Data
Date:
08/16/2007
Description:
These SAS Programs created by National Cancer Institute (NCI) can perform selected data edits and create per-day and per-person summary variables from NHANES 2003-2004 accelerometer data. Users can modify these programs to apply alternate definitions of valid data, monitor wear periods, or activity bouts. A program is also available to convert data downloaded from ActiGraph accelerometers to the data layout used in NHANES so that the data preparation programs can be used on those data as well. Please note that intermediate level SAS programming skills are needed to modify the provided code and that only limited technical support is available from NCI. The SAS programs are available from the NCI website.
Organization:
National Cancer Institute
Study Type:
Location by State:
NCI Standardized Surveys of Walking & Bicycling Database
Date:
08/01/2009
Description:
The NCI Standardized Surveys of Walking & Bicycling Database contains survey questions and a list of validation studies for standardized survey questions concerning walking and biking from multiple national and international physical activity surveys and questionnaires (PAQs). The purpose of this database is to provide easy access to a large number of questions assessing duration and frequency of walking and bicycling in the non-disabled adult population. The results of validation studies identified for some of the PAQs are briefly reviewed.
Contact Person:
David Berrigan, PhD, MPH
Organization:
National Cancer Institute
Email:
berrigad@mail.nih.gov
Study Type:
Location by State:
Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS)
Date:
06/01/2006
Description:
The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS) tool is appropriate for researchers, community advocates, and leaders to assess the food environment in stores and restaurants. Training sessions are available on a regular basis for researchers, community advocates and leaders.
You can learn more about the NEMS measures and options for training on the NEMS website.
Funding Source:
NEMS is funded with support from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Pennsylvania.
Organization:
University of Pennsylvania
Email:
nems@zimbra.upenn.edu
Study Type:
Topic2:
Location by State:
School Physical Activity Policy Assessment (S-PAPA)
Date:
04/01/2011
Description:
The School Physical Activity Policy Assessment (S-PAPA) assesses physical activity policy related to physical education, recess, and other physical activity opportunities at elementary schools. It uses open-ended, dichotomous, multichotomous, and checklist formatting and has 7 background items and three modules: (a) Physical Education (40 items); (b) Recess (27 items), and (c) Other Before, During, and After School Programs (15 items). Test-retest results suggest SPAPA items are reliable and can be useful in assessing PA policies in elementary schools (Lounsbery et al., JPAH, 2013). Total administration time for all three modules is approximately 23 minutes.
Organization:
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Email:
monica.lounsbery@unlv.edu
Study Type:
Population2:
Location by State:
Policy Prescriptions for Healthier Communities
Date:
09/01/2003
Description:
Pollard, T. (2003). Policy Prescriptions for Healthier Communities. American Journal of Health Promotion, 18(1), 109-113.
Abstract:
Evidence of the health impacts of the built environment has increased rapidly. Studies have linked physical inactivity and motor-vehicle pollution to a range of health problems and have shown that activity levels and air quality are influenced by community design, land use, and transportation patterns. There iscomparatively little awareness, however, of the role that laws and policies play in spurring sprawl and driving and of the opportunities to reorient current provisions to promote public health. This article summarizes the findings connecting the built environment to a variety of health problems. It then describes how current policies present barriers to physical activity and increase pollution by encouraging sprawl development and by offering few transportation choices. Finally, the article suggests ways to overcome these barriers by examining policies that can promote public health by making it easier to incorporate greater physical activity into our everyday lives and to reduce driving. Multidisciplinary partnerships are needed to pursue these policy prescriptions for healthier communities.
Study Type:
Population:
Location by State:
Integrating Public Health Objectives in Transportation Decision-Making
Date:
09/01/2003
Description:
Litman, T. (2003). Integrating Public Health Objectives in Transportation Decision-Making. American Journal of Health Promotion, 18(1), 103-108.
Abstract:
This perspective explores how transportation decision-making can better support public health objectives, including reduced crashes and pollution emissions and increased physical activity. Conventional transportation planning tends to overlook negative health impacts resulting from increased motor vehicle travel and potential health benefits from shifts to alternative modes. Raising the priority of health objectives supports planning reforms that result in a more balanced transportation system. Integrating health objectives into transportation planning may be a cost-effective way to improve public health.
Study Type:
Population:
Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Associated With Overweight and Obesity in Perth, Australia
Date:
09/01/2003
Description:
Giles-Corti, B., Macintyre, S., Clarkson, J.P., Pikora, T., & Donovan, R.J. (2003). Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Associated With Overweight and Obesity in Perth, Australia. American Journal of Health Promotion, 18(1), 93-102.
Abstract:
Purpose: To examine associations between environmental and lifestyle factors and overweight or obesity.
Design: A cross-sectional survey and an environmental scan of recreational facilities.
Setting: Metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.
Subjects: Healthy sedentary workers and homemakers aged 18 to 59 years (n=51803) living in areas within the top and bottom quintiles of social disadvantage.
Measures: Four lifestyle factors, one social environmental factor, and five physical environment factors (three objectively measured).
Results: After adjustment for demographic factors and other variables in the model, overweight was associated with living on a highway (odds ratio [OR], 4.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62–11.09) or streets with no sidewalks or sidewalks on one side only (OR=1.35; 95% CI=1.03–1.78) and perceiving no paths within walking distance (OR=1.42; 95% CI, 1.08–1.86). Poor access to four or more recreational facilities (OR=1.68; 95% CI=1.11–2.55) and sidewalks (OR=1.62; 95% CI=.98–2.68) and perceiving no shop within walking distance (OR=1.84; 95% CI=1.01–3.36) were associated with obesity. Conversely, access to a motor vehicle all the time was negatively associated with obesity (OR=.56; 95% CI=.32–.99). Watching 3 or more hours of television daily (ORs= 1.92 and 1.85, respectively) and rating oneself as less active than others (ORs=1.66 and 4.05, respectively) were associated with both overweight and obesity. After adjustment for individual demographic factors and all other variables in the model, socioeconomic status of area of residence and leisure-time physical activity were not associated with overweight or obesity.
Conclusion: Factors that influence overweight and obesity appear to differ, but aspects of the physical environment may be important. Objectively measured neighborhood environment factors warrant further investigation.
Study Type:
Population:
Location by State:
Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity in a Sample of Belgian Adults
Date:
09/01/2003
Description:
De Bourdeaudhuji, I., Sallis, J.F., & Saelens, B.E. (2003). Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity in Sample of Belgian Adults. American Journal of Health Promotion, 18(1), 83-92.
Abstract:
Purpose: This study investigated the variance in sitting, walking, and moderate and vigorous physical activity explained by neighborhood design and recreational environmental variables above and beyond the variance accounted for by individual demographic variables.
Design: Cross-sectional analyses of self-reported survey data.
Setting: A random sample of inhabitants of Ghent, Belgium, aged 18–65 years, was drawn.
Subjects: Five hundred twenty-one adults completed questionnaires (52.1% response rate). The average age of the sample was 41 years, and 48.2% were female.
Measures: A questionnaire developed to assess neighborhood design and recreational environmental variables with a total of 81 items was administered. The environmental questionnaire showed acceptable to good reliability and acceptable validity. The previously validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to quantify physical activity in the past 7 days. Additional demographic information was also obtained.
Results: Regression analyses showed that environmental variables were related to all types of physical activity in both sexes. However, the range of variance explained by the models including demographic and environmental variables was low, only 5% to 13%. Minutes of walking and of moderate-intensity activity were related to quality of sidewalks and accessibility of shopping and public transportation. Vigorous physical activity was related to presence of activity supplies in the home and number of convenient activity facilities outside the home.
Conclusions: Both neighborhood design and recreational environment variables had small but significant associations with multiple types of physical activity in a sample of Belgian adults.
Study Type:
Topic:
Population:
Location by State:
The Relationship Between Convenience of Destinations and Walking Levels in Older Women
Date:
09/01/2003
Description:
King, W.C., Brach, J.S., Belle, S., Killingsworth, R., Fenton, M., & Kriska, A.M. (2003). The Relationship Between Convenience of Destinations and Walking Levels in Older Women. American Journal of Health Promotion, 18(1), 74-82.
Funding Source:
Funding by the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Abstract:
Purpose: To examine the relationship between physical activity and (1) convenience of destinations, measured by whether destinations (such as a park, trail, businesses, and services) are within walking distance of the home, and (2) participants’ perception of the quality of their neighborhood surroundings for walking, captured with a global neighborhood ‘‘walkability’’ rating.
Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data obtained in 1999.
Setting: Community in southwest Pennsylvania.
Subjects: Older Caucasian women (n = 149, mean age = 74.2 years). Response rate 5 79%.
Measures: Walking levels, leisure-time physical activity, and features of the neighborhood environment were measured with interviewer-administered questionnaires. Physical activity was also measured objectively with a pedometer.
Results: Living within walking distance (defined as within a 20-minute walk of home) of a park; biking or walking trail; or department, discount, or hardware store was related to higher pedometer readings (p< .01). In addition, there was a positive trend between the sum of destinations within walking distance of home and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire (p < .01). There was also a positive trend between participants’ neighborhood ‘‘walkability’’ rating and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire (p< .01).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the ability to make utilitarian walking trips from home and the perception of having favorable neighborhood surroundings for walking are associated with increased physical activity levels in older women.
Study Type:
Location by State:
Pages
