June 2007

Previous Newsletters

From the Active for Life Program Office
Tips, Tactics and Tools
In the News
Upcoming Events
Funding Opportunities

From the Active for Life® National Program Office

Tips, Tactics and Tools

Motivating People to Be Active
According to an article, 10 Easy Ways to Make Exercise A Habit, on WebMD, http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/10-easy-ways-make-exercise-habit?ecd=wnl_hyp_042207, a study by researcher Diane Klein, PhD, showed that long-term exercisers (who had been working out for an average of 13 years) were not as concerned with powerful muscles as they were with feeling good and being healthy. Study participants ranked the things that motivated them to be active:

HHS Initiative to Improve the Health of Hispanic Elders
Five agencies have teamed up to assist local communities in up to nine metropolitan areas of the U.S. with large Hispanic populations to develop more coordinated strategies for improving the health and well being of Hispanic elders. The HHS initiative Improving Hispanic Elders' Health: Community Partnerships for Evidence-Based Solutions is designed to encourage Hispanic elders and their families to take advantage of new Medicare benefits, including prescription drug coverage, flu shots, diabetes screening and self-management, cardiovascular screening, cancer screening services and smoking cessation programs. For more details visit http://www.academyhealth.org/ahrq/elders.

How Local Governments Are Preparing for a Wave of Retirees
To help local governments meet the needs of an aging population, and to leverage the experience and talent of older Americans, five national organizations have joined forces to assess the "aging readiness" of America’s communities and identify solutions. This survey-based article focuses on the role that local governments have taken to provide programs and services for older Americans in such areas as health, nutrition, exercise, transportation, public safety/emergency services, housing, taxation and finance, workforce development, citizen engagement/volunteer opportunities, and aging/human services. It also discusses the challenges that local governments face in planning for an older population. The publication is available from the International City/County Management Association, http://icma.org, a local government leadership and management organization.

Excellence in Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging
The EPA is accepting applications for an award which recognizes outstanding community planning and strategies that support active aging. Awards for "Excellence in Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging" will be presented to communities that demonstrate the best and most inclusive overall approach to implementing smart growth and active aging at the neighborhood, tribe, municipality, county, and/or regional levels. Application, award guidelines and entry rules on the Excellence Awards for Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging are at http://www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/awards/. Applications are due Oct. 17. Winners will be announced at the New Partners for Smart Growth: Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities Conference in Washington, DC in February 2008.

In the News

Physical Activity Important for People with Diabetes
Adults with either long-standing type 1 or type 2 diabetes had lower skeletal muscle strength than nondiabetic adults, note authors of a study in the June issue of Diabetes Care (http://care.diabetesjournals.org). The study points out that among older adults type 2 diabetes is associated with accelerated loss of leg muscle strength and quality.

Physical Condition Improves Driving Performance
Older people who performed a physical conditioning program developed by researchers at Yale School of Medicine were able to maintain or enhance their driving performance, potentially leading to a safer and more independent quality of life. According to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine (http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0884-8734&site=1), flexibility, coordination and speed of movement have been linked with older drivers’ on road performance.

Multiple Risk Intervention
Physicians trying to help patients change more than one behavioral risk factor may have more success approaching several topics at once rather than addressing them separately over time, according to a report in the June 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine (http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/167/11/1152). Participants of the study were encouraged to stop smoking, reduce their sodium intake, and increase physical activity by at least 10,000 pedometer steps per week. The first group received one in-clinic counseling session on all three behaviors every six months, plus motivational telephone calls for 18 months; the second group followed a similar protocol, but addressed a different behavior every six months; and the third group received usual care, consisting of a one-time referral to existing group classes. “Long-term multiple behavior change is difficult in primary care,” the authors conclude. “This study provides strong evidence that addressing multiple behaviors sequentially is not superior to, and may be inferior to, a simultaneous approach.”

Retirement and Physical Activity
Work demands are often cited as a barrier to physical activity. But researchers found in a Dutch study that the overall level of physical activity declined among retired adults, compared to working adults. Researchers suggest that work-related time pressures might be perceived rather than real, retirement might create new barriers for physical activity, and developing new habits that include leisure time activity might be difficult for some older adults. Researchers suggest that retirees need to carefully plan their retirement and incorporate regular physical activity into their daily routines. The study is in the June 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org).

Upcoming Events

Excellence in Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging
A new awards program recognizes communities for their outstanding comprehensive approaches to implementing principles of smart growth, as well as strategies that support active aging. This award will be presented to communities with the best and most inclusive overall approach to implementing smart growth and active aging at the neighborhood, tribe, city, county, and/or regional level. Eligible candidates are invited to submit applications, which are due October 17. The initiative is a collaborative effort with the President's Council for Fitness and Sports, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Council on Aging's Centers for Healthy Aging, the National Blueprint Initiative, and Active for Life. More information about the award is located at: http://www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/awards/index.htm.

Innovation in Prevention Awards
A component of the HealthierUS initiative, the Innovation in Prevention Awards will identify and celebrate outstanding organizations that have implemented innovative and creative chronic disease prevention and health promotion programs. These awards will provide an opportunity to increase public awareness of creative approaches to develop and expand innovative health programs and duplication of successful strategies. Awardees will be the guest of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the Innovation in Prevention Awardee Luncheon during the 2007 National Prevention and Health Promotion Summit November 27-29 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Deadline for submission is June 29. More information is available at http://www.prevent.org/content/view/57/8/.

Community Participation in Research
The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research/NIH/DHHS is sponsoring support for research on health promotion, disease prevention, and health disparities that is jointly conducted by communities and researchers. For more information, go to http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-026.html or e-mail kbagley@ahrq.gov.

Funding Childhood Obesity Initiatives
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will commit at least $500 million over the next five years to fight childhood obesity in the U.S. The Foundation will focus on improving access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for safe physical activity in schools and communities. It will place special emphasis on reaching children at greatest risk for obesity and related health problems: African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander children living in low-income communities. Information is available at http://www.rwjf.org/portfolios/features/featuredetail.jsp?featureID=2276&type=3&iaid=138.