May 2007

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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

Enhancing Active Aging
The Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Steering Committee developed a ten-step process for helping communities promote active aging. The document will be posted on the AFL Learning Network shortly (http://www.LNActiveAging.org).

It highlights steps for effective and safe physical activity programs for older adults:

Older Americans Month 2007
Older Americans: Making Choices for a Healthier Future is the theme for Older Americans Month, observed in May. Older Americans Month 2007 materials are now available on the Administration on Aging Web site. They include a copy of the logo, posters, and a sample proclamation, as well as an article that can be localized.

Guidelines for Healthy Meetings
The role of food choices and physical activity in the prevention of many chronic and debilitating diseases is becoming more apparent. Employers, community groups and faith communities can make it easier for people to make healthy food choices by providing healthy food at meetings and other events they sponsor. Be Active New York State, at http://www.nysphysicalactivity.org, offers an online resource that provides practical and creative tips for providing healthy food and physical activity opportunities during meetings. The information can be accessed at http://www.nysphysicalactivity.org/news/docs/150.pdf.

Blueprint for Livable Communities
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), Partners for Livable Communities and Metlife Foundation has released “A Blueprint for Action: Developing a Livable Community for All Ages.” The Blueprint contains action steps for communities to take -- in the areas of housing, planning, transportation, health and supportive services, culture and lifelong learning, public safety, and civic engagement -- to prepare for the pending increase in the aging population. To view the Blueprint, go to: http://www.n4a.org/pdf/07-116-n4a-blueprint4actionwcovers.pdf.

Active Living Research Papers
A special issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion (March/April 2007 Vol. 21, No. 4) highlights papers presented at the 3rd Annual Active Living Research Conference that took place in February 2006. For free access to the 2007 supplement, go to
http://www.activelivingresearch.org/index.php/Open_Access_Journals/384.

Built Environment and Physical Activity Report
A report from the Synthesis Project, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative, The Built Environment and Physical Activity: What is the Relationship? is available online at http://www.rwjf.org/publications/synthesis/reports_and_briefs/issue11.html. The report examines what is known about how the physical or built environment affects activity and outlines the potential policy implications of these findings.

New Census Bureau Data Available
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released the newest national and state characteristics population estimates. Links to Excel and PDF tables can be found in the Census Bureau press release, "Minority Population Tops 100 Million", available at http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048.html.

Two RAND Reports Reprinted
The RAND Corporation recently re-released Exercise Programs for Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis available at http://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/RP1257/; and Falls Prevention Interventions in the Medicare Population available at http://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/RP1230/.

American Foundation for the Blind Launches Web Site for Seniors
It's no secret that current rates of vision loss from diseases like age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy are expected to double as the nation's 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age. To help address this growing public health concern, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has launched the AFB Senior Site (http://www.afb.org/seniorsitehome.asp), designed for seniors losing their vision, their families, and the professionals who serve them. The site is rich with information including photos, videos, articles, and resource links to enhance the independence of older people beginning to experience vision loss.

Knowledge Transfer Guide
From Research to Practice: A Knowledge Transfer Planning Guide, from the Canadian Health Services Foundation’s Insight and Action Series, offers useful information for professionals involved in the translation of research to practice. The authors recommend practitioners ask themselves: 1) What is the message? 2) Who is the audience? 3) Who is the messenger? 4) What is the transfer method? and 5) What is the expected outcome. Five worksheets offer a step-by-step approach to answering those questions. Information is available at http://www.chsrf.ca/other_documents/insight_action/index_e.php.

In the News

National Prevention and Health Promotion Summit
The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, are requesting abstracts of evidence-based community prevention and health promotion programs for presentation at the 2007 National Prevention and Health Promotion Summit: Creating a Culture of Wellness (the Summit), Nov. 27-29 in Washington, DC. The Summit theme Culture of Wellness embodies health promotion and the prevention of chronic disease and disability by relying upon public health science, policy and practice. Abstracts are due June 11. For more information see http://www.cdc.gov:80/cochp/conference/abstracts.htm.

Every Little Bit Can Help
New research indicates that even small amounts of physical activity, approximately 75 minutes a week, can help improve the fitness levels for postmenopausal women who are sedentary and overweight or obese, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/287/19/2593). Low levels of cardio respiratory fitness are associated with high risk of cardiovascular disease and death, and improvements in fitness are associated with a reduction in these risks. Physical activity habits are the primary determinant of fitness in adults and changes in physical activity result in changes in fitness, according to background information in the article.

Vigorous Lifestyle Keeps Weight in Check
People who maintain a vigorously active lifestyle as they age gain less weight than people who exercise at more moderate levels, according to a first-of-its-kind study that tracked a large group of runners who kept the same exercise regimen as they grew older. The study also found that maintaining exercise with age is particularly effective in preventing extreme weight gain, which is associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other diseases. The research is the latest report from the National Runners' Health Study, a 20-year research initiative that includes more than 120,000 runners. It appears in the May 3 issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (http://www.acsm.org). Another paper published in the November 2006 issue of the journal Obesity (http://www.obesityresearch.org) found that runners who increased their running mileage gained less weight than those who remained sedentary, and runners that quit running became fatter.

More Active Men at Greater Risk of Falling
Engaging in high-risk activities such as cleaning gutters, pruning trees, or shoveling snow appear to have more to do with the risk of elderly men suffering from falls than leisure-time activities. Reporting in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that active men are significantly more likely to fall than their more sedentary peers. While there was no association reported between leisure time activity and fall risk, the men who reported spending the most time on household activities were at increased risk of falling compared to those who did the least around the house.

Physical activity fends off depression
Depression affects approximately 121 million people worldwide, and is a leading cause of disability, according to the World Health Organization. A group of 1,169 adults who participated in the Maastricht Aging Study reported their mood, body mass index and levels of smoking, alcohol use and physical exercise. The people who exercised 30 minutes or more per day at the start of the study or engaged in physical activity throughout the six month study were less likely to report depression. The study appeared in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health available at http://www.ajph.org.

Physical activity improves quality of life during menopause
A study that looked at the affect of exercise on relieving menopause symptoms (such as hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, anxiety or emotional instability) found that women who walked or took yoga classes reported a better quality of life and reduced negative effects of menopause compared to the no-exercise group. Whether menopausal symptoms improved or worsened appeared to be determined by increases or decreases in cardio respiratory fitness. Women who experienced decreases in menopausal symptoms also experienced improvements in all positive mental health and quality of life outcomes. The study appeared in the April issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine available at http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.

AoA Strategic Action Plan 2007 - 2012
The Administration on Aging (AoA) has released its Strategic Action Plan for 2007-2012. This Plan continues AoA's focus to bolster the role of the Aging Services Network in long-term care, and gives particular attention to implementing the new provisions in the Older Americans Act that reflect the key principles of Choices for Independence. A full copy of the Plan can be accessed at http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/.

Upcoming Events

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/.

Advancing Public Health Practice and Policy Solutions
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will fund projects that will discover, implement, evaluate, or disseminate practical and replicable solutions related to the following topics: public health laws, regulations or policies; public health advocacy or communications; and engaging hard-to-reach and/or high-risk populations. For information, go to http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=19849&c=EMC-FA141. Deadline for application is June 6.

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.