April 8, 2010

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Active Community Transportation Act of 2010 (USA)
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out an active transportation investment program to encourage a mode shift to active transportation within selected communities by providing safe and convenient options to bicycle and walk for routine travel, and for other purposes.

Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach
This report has been developed in response to widespread interest for improving both mobility choices and community character through a commitment to creating and enhancing walkable communities. Many agencies will work towards these goals using the concepts and principles in this report to ensure the users, community and other key factors are considered in the planning and design processes used to develop walkable urban thoroughfares.

Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation
The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation is a statewide, not-for-profit, membership organization that advocates advancement of bicycling access, safety and education in Missouri.

Transport Canada - Improving Travel Options in Small and Rural Communities
This guide is intended to help practitioners—engineers, planners, health professionals, economic development officials and others—to improve travel options for residents of small and rural communities. This includes a range of actions that make personal transportation activities more sustainable— encouraging drivers to operate their cars more efficiently, or to leave their cars at home and walk, cycle, take transit or carpool instead.

Valuing Bicycling’s Economic and Health Impacts in Wisconsin
This study estimates the economic impact of bicycle recreation and tourism in Wisconsin to be $924,211,000, and the total potential value of health benefits from reducing short car trips and increasing bicycle trips to total $409,944,167. The results of this study demonstrate that bicycling has the potential to contribute substantially to the health and economic well being of Wisconsin citizens.

Walk This Way: Recognising Value in Active Health Prevention
In 2009 the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) was commissioned by Natural England to explore the opportunities and barriers to getting more people walking. The resulting report offers practical guidance and support on key components of successful walking initiatives that physical activity and health professionals can use to make the case for investment in walking.

CHILDREN

Active Healthy Kids Canada – Report Card
The Report Card is coming early this year! Look out for the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on April 27, 2010.

Each year, our Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth examines physical activity opportunities for kids all across Canada.

Active School Travel Project Goes Nationwide
Green Communities Canada announced [March 16] the national expansion of a project that makes it safer for students to use active transportation methods like walking and cycling to travel to and from school. Funding of $2.1 million from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Public Health Agency of Canada will enable School Travel Planning (STP) to reach 120 schools, resulting in healthier, happier students and reducing the incidence of chronic disease.

Spark Together for Healthy Kids
Spark Together for Healthy Kids is the Heart and Stroke Foundation's response to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. We're an Ontario-wide initiative helping to inspire individuals, families, communities, businesses, and government to spark collective change to help children become more physically active and eat healthier foods.

Tackling obesity through the healthy child programme: A framework for action
This document was commissioned to inform the development of the Department of Health’s (UK) work on obesity in early years. It draws on some of the existing and emerging evidence on obesity and early years and sets out key actions for practitioners to effectively support mothers and fathers in encouraging healthy nutrition and physical activity.

DISABILITY

London 2012: A legacy for disabled people
Published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), this document lays out the Government’s vision and commitment to delivering a lasting legacy for disabled people from hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY

Healthy Habits, Healthy Weights: A Practical Guide to Weight Management
A resource from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation. Physical activity is mentioned 16 times in this 25 page document. It also includes a link to a physical activity log.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

BHF Exercise Referral Toolkit - now live
The toolkit is not designed as a 'blueprint' for how exercise referral schemes must be designed, implemented and evaluated; it offers some best practice principles for all those involved in the delivery, management and commissioning of exercise referral schemes. It is for individual schemes to consider whether the implementation of these principles will improve the design, delivery and effectiveness of their scheme, given the capacity and resources available.

Economic costs of physical inactivity fact sheet - UK
This fact sheet summarizes some of the key facts and figures on the disease burden of physical inactivity and the associated healthcare and economic costs.

Get Active for Life: Your guide to an active lifestyle
A resource from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Global Advocacy for Physical Activity
GAPA aims to provide interested stakeholders with communications and resources to help the development, dissemination and implementation of national policies, programs and services that promote physical activity and health.

Joint Use of Community Resources
Joint use is a way to increase opportunities for children and adults to be more physically active. It refers to two or more entities — usually a school and a city or private organization — sharing indoor and outdoor spaces like gymnasiums, athletic fields and playgrounds. The concept is simple: share resources to keep costs down and communities healthy.

URBAN DESIGN

Healthy Urban Development Checklist: A guide for health services when commenting on development policies, plans and proposals
The purpose of the Checklist is to help build the capacity of NSW Health to provide valuable feedback to local councils, and other relevant organisations, on health issues in relation to urban development plans and proposals. It is intended that the use of the Guideline will facilitate strengthened partnerships and collaboration between NSW Health and urban planners and developers as part of NSW Health's initiatives to promote healthy communities in NSW.

Shaping Active, Healthy Communities – A Heart and Stroke Foundation Built Environment Toolkit for Change
The tool kit is a national resource, available in both French and English. Currently it can be downloaded at no cost online on the Heart and Stroke Foundation website at http://www.heartandstroke.ca/HealthyCommunities. Pending additional funding, print copies may become available.

April 1, 2010

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Cool Pedestrian Environments: Pedestrian Mobility & Accommodation
At some point during every trip, and on most days, we are all pedestrians. Walking is the universal mode of transport, available to persons of all ages and income levels and in every geographic setting: large, small, urban, suburban, and rural. Though it is the most basic mode, providing for pedestrian safety and mobility is a complex task…. This website is a resource for pedestrian planning, design, and safety documents, and includes web links to other resources.

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Mobility in Europe
Pedestrian and bicyclist deaths accounted for 14 percent of U.S. highway fatalities in 2008. The Federal Highway Administration…. sponsored a scanning study of five European countries to identify and assess effective approaches to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and mobility.

The scan team gathered information on strategies and approaches in the areas of engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation. The team learned that many of the countries studied have established an urban street user hierarchy that gives the highest priority to walking, biking, and public transit.

Walking as a suspicious activity
Long Branch, N.J., police answered a call about a suspicious-looking person walking in a suburban neighborhood in a light rain. The man had stopped on the sidewalk to look at a house for sale. The officer, asked the aging pedestrian, his curly salt-and-pepper hair partly covered by a hood, his purpose in the neighborhood. 'Walking,' the man said. She asked his name. 'Bob Dylan.' She asked for identification. He had none. The officer put Dylan, 68, in the back of the squad car and took him back to a nearby hotel parking lot, where the legendary musician's tour buses were parked, so he could present valid ID..."

CHILDREN
Are children and adolescents less active if parents restrict their physical activity and active transport due to perceived risk?
Social Science & Medicine Article in Press, Corrected Proof
Alison Carver, Anna Timperio, Kylie Hesketh and David Crawford

The findings demonstrate that constrained behaviour exhibited by parents may result in lower levels of active transport and of MVPA outside school hours. In particular, this was true for children and adolescent girls. Social interventions to improve perceived safety and physical interventions involving redesign of the built environment to improve actual safety may help to ease parental restriction of their children’s active transport and physical activity in their neighbourhood.

CDC Youth Physical Activity Guidelines Toolkit
Use this new toolkit to help promote physical activity in young people.

Effect of a Two-Year Obesity Prevention Intervention on Percentile Changes in Body Mass Index and Academic Performance in Low-Income Elementary School Children
American Journal of Public Health April 2010, Vol 100, No. 4

The authors conclude: School-based interventions can improve health and academic performance among low-income schoolchildren.

Online resources for identifying evidence-based, out-of-school time programs: A users guide
Child Trends produced this Guide to assist funders, administrators, and practitioners in identifying and navigating online resources to find evidence-based programs that may be appropriate for their target populations and communities.

Understanding parental physical activity: Meanings, habits, and social role influence
Psychology of Sport and Exercise Article in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Kyra Hamilton, and Katherine M. White

Parents had clear understandings of what constitutes PA and engaged in various activities which were integrated with or independent of the children. Being active with children, however, was not always constructed favorably in which many parents described the difficulties of being active with their children.

MENTAL HEALTH
Best practice guidelines for mental health promotion programs: Older adults 55+
Note this is a “web-resource”.
This web resource is the second in a series of guides to promoting positive mental health across the lifespan. It provides health and social service providers (“practitioners”) with current evidence-based approaches in the application of mental health promotion concepts and principles for older adults and is intended to support practitioners, caregivers and others involved in developing programs in incorporating best practice approaches to mental health promotion initiatives that are directed towards older people (55 years of age and over).

OLDER ADULTS
Physical Activity Resources and Changes in Walking in a Cohort of Older Men
American Journal of Public Health April 2010, Vol 100, No. 4

We evaluated the influence of physical activity resources and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) on walking among community-dwelling older men. Uncovering reasons that proximity to parks and trails is not associated with maintenance of walking activity among men in low-SES neighborhoods could provide new insight into ways to promote physical activity.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
2009 Australia Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, Seventh National Physical Activity Conference, Sixth National Sports Injury Prevention Conference, Be Active '09
Journal of Science and medicine in Sport Volume 12, Supplement 2

This Journal has published abstracts from the October 2009 sports medicine, sports science, sports injury, and physical activity promotion conference.

Application of the Transtheoretical model to physical activity in older adults with Type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease
Psychology of Sport and Exercise Article in Press
Alison Kirk, Freya MacMillan and Nikki Webster

Findings support the theoretical predictions of the TTM and the use of this model in older clinical populations.

Disparities in Data on Healthy People 2010 Physical Activity Objectives Collected by Accelerometry and Self-Report
American Journal of Public Health April 2010, Vol 100, No. S1

We compared findings on physical activity from national accelerometry data and Healthy People 2010 self-report data to identify differences in disparities by sociodemographic characteristics, gender, age, race/ethnicity, education level, and disability status

Dissemination of effective physical activity interventions: are we applying the evidence?
Health Education Research 2010 25(2):185-198

For physical activity researchers and practitioners, we have effective intervention approaches and analytic tools available for use, such as the Community Guide. However, it is now widely recognized that the mere existence of scientific knowledge is not sufficient to ensure effective application.

This study was undertaken to better understand the importance of studying context as a crucial step in the dissemination of physical activity interventions, focusing particularly on the evidence-based reviews in the Community Guide… One-size does not fit all as illustrated by our study. We must learn about context and capacity before attempting to actively disseminate the Guide's recommendations…..

Global Consultation on the "Toronto Charter for Physical Activity"
The consultation will close on 16th April 2010

URBAN DESIGN
The Built Environment and Location-Based Physical Activity
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Vol 38, Iss 4, April 2010, P 429-438

Findings are consistent with studies showing that certain attributes of the built environment around homes are positively related to physical activity, but in this case only when the outcome was location-based.

Fixing the Great Mistake: Autocentric Development
According to a Feb. 25th StreetFilms entry, "'Fixing the Great Mistake' is a new Streetfilms series that examines what went wrong in the early part of the 20th Century, when our cities began catering to the automobile, and how those decisions continue to affect our lives today."

"In this episode, Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White shows how planning for cars drastically altered Park Avenue. Watch and see what Park Avenue used to look like, how we ceded it to the automobile, and what we need to do to reclaim the street as a space where people take precedence over traffic."

Perceived characteristics of the neighborhood and its association with physical activity behavior and self-rated health
Health & Place Article in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Willibald J. Stronegger, Sylvia Titze and Pekka Oja

Results suggest that local infrastructure facilities should be designed so as to ensure accessibility by both walking and cycling.

March 12, 2010

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ABORIGINAL
Indigenous Sport Council Alberta
ACE Communities is working with the Indigenous Sport Council (Alberta) to support the use of recreation, sports, arts, culture and heritage in Aboriginal Communities.

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Active travel strategy
The strategy highlights plans to put walking and cycling at the heart of local transport and public health strategies over the next decade. The guiding principles for the strategy are that walking and cycling should be everyday ways of getting around – not just for their own sake but also because of what they can do to improve public health, tackle congestion, reduce carbon emissions and improve the local environment.

Journal of the Transportation Research Board - Volume 2140 / 2009
There are many, many good articles dealing with pedestrians and cyclists in this issue.

Paths for All
Paths for All is a national charity promoting walking for health and the development of multi-use path networks (Scotland).

Physical activity in the Active People Survey: Developing an indicator that includes walking and cycling for transport
This paper analyses the Sport England Active People Survey data to estimate the percentage of adults participating in moderate intensity physical activity for 30 minutes or more on at least three and five occasions per week that includes walking and cycling for transport.

Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030
Bicycling creates safer streets, reduces the causes of global climate change, promotes a healthy environment, and limits the effects and health care costs related to inactivity. It provides equity and access to viable, affordable transportation options and creates fun, vibrant, and livable neighborhoods. It supports Portland’s economy and is a sound investment. (Portland is very progressive when it comes to Active Transportation!)

CHILDREN
Change4Life one year on
This document reports on the first twelve months of the Change4Life campaign. Change4Life, which launched to the public in January 2009, is the social marketing part of the Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives cross-governmental strategy for England. In its first year, Change4Life focused on those families with children aged 5-11, who were at greatest risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Descriptive epidemiology of youth pedometer-determined physical activity: CANPLAY
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: POST ACCEPTANCE, 4 February 2010
Craig, Cora L; Cameron, Christine; Griffiths, Joseph M; Tudor-Locke, Catrine

This study demonstrates the viability of using relatively inexpensive pedometers and methods for the surveillance of young people's physical activity. The resulting descriptive data provide key information regarding the population distribution of pedometer-determined physical activity that may be useful for identifying target groups for population strategies and other interventions.

The GirlStars Program: Challenges to Recruitment and Retention in a Physical Activity and Health Education Program for Adolescent Girls Living in Public Housing
Preventing Chronic Disease Volume 7: No. 2, March 2010

Although physical inactivity is a concern for all adolescents, physical activity levels are especially low among minority adolescents and minimal among girls from low-income families. After-school programs can reduce high-risk behaviors and strengthen schools, families, and communities.

Preventing childhood obesity through lifestyle change interventions: A briefing paper for commissioners
This briefing paper aims to support commissioners by providing a brief guide to current
best available evidence on effective obesity prevention interventions for children and
young people Physical activity is mentioned 12 times in this 10 page document.

Upstart: Low Cost Recreation Space
Take advantage of this Government of Alberta rental rate subsidy that helps community groups run recreational programming for children and youth during out-of-school hours in Calgary and the Rocky View.

Using accelerometers and GPS units to identify the proportion of daily physical activity located in parks with playgrounds in New Zealand children.
Preventive Medicine Article in Press, Corrected Proof
Robin Quigg, Andrew Gray, Anthony Reeder, Alec Holt, Debra Waters

These findings, using accelerometers and GPS units to investigate the location of children’s physical activity, demonstrates that only a small percentage of children’s daily physical activity levels is carried out in parks with playgrounds. It is likely that the provision of parks alone may not be enough to increase physical activity levels in children.

CHRONIC DISEASE
A prediction of obesity trends for adults and their associated diseases
the National Heart Forum Modelling Team compare trends including the most recent data from Health Survey for England (2000- 2007) to the analysis conducted for the Foresight report for adults in three age groups. Furthermore, updated predictions for the burdens of diseases that are attributable to obesity are presented, specifically arthritis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, gall bladder disease, hypertension, stroke and the following cancers: breast, colorectal, endometrial, kidney, oesophageal and liver.

MENTAL HEALTH
Do exercise and fitness buffer against stress among Swiss police and emergency response service officers?
Psychology of Sport and Exercise - Article in Press
Markus Gerber PhD, Michael Kellmann PhD, Tim Hartmann MS and Uwe Pühse PhD

The findings indicate that exercise and fitness can help foster a healthy and thriving workforce that takes less sick leaves and feels better prepared to cope with chronic stress.

Minding our bodies: Physical activity for mental health
Minding Our Bodies is a two-year project (2008-2010). Our goal is to increase capacity within the community mental health system in Ontario to promote active living and to create new opportunities for physical activity for people with serious mental illness to support recovery.

OLDER ADULTS
Changes in leisure-time physical activity and sedentary behaviour at retirement: a prospective study in middle-aged French subjects.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2010, 7:14

These findings highlight that retirement provides opportunities to increase physical activity, but increasing leisure-time can also lead to increased sedentary behaviour.

International Federation on Aging
The IFA believes in 'generating positive change for older people throughout the world by stimulating, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on rights, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life of people as they age.'

WHO Age-Friendly Environments Program
The WHO is the focal point for age friendly cities/communities/environments – this website is now operational and we invite you to go online and join The Global Network. At this time the IFA is temporarily closing its AFC website and transferring relevant information to our main site over the next few weeks. Age Friendly environments remains one of IFAs key priorities and we look forward to sharing new information from the IFA 10th Global Conference in the very near future.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Pedometer Use Among Adults at High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Finland, 2007-2008
Preventing Chronic Disease Volume 7: No. 2, March 2010

Sedentary adults can be motivated to use a pedometer if we inform them that regular users find it a useful instrument for increasing their level of exercise. These adults should set realistic goals for walking and receive adequate instructions for using pedometers.

Physical activity and physical health functioning among middle-aged Finnish employees
Preventive Medicine - Article in Press
Jouni Lahti, Mikko Laaksonena, Eero Lahelmaa and Ossi Rahkonena

The objective of the study was: “To examine whether physical activity contributes to physical health functioning five to seven years later among middle-aged employees.”

URBAN DESIGN
The Built Environment and Health: 11 Profiles of Neighborhood Transformation
Highlights neighborhood-level changes to the built environment that can have a positive influence on the health of community residents, especially in low-income communities. The profiles demonstrate how health practitioners, community members and many others can work together to improve community well-being by making changes to the built environment.

Community Health and the Built Environment
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then residents from North Central Edmonton have glowing stories to share about their community.

It takes more than stores to build a winning town center
According to a Feb. 28th Washington Post article, "The nation's two largest groups -- baby boomers shedding their houses as they become empty nesters and millennials reaching their 30s and moving into their own homes -- largely prefer densely populated, walkable communities, experts say." Urban planners project that 86 percent of the growth in new households will be single people or couples without children at home -- and neither group wants to live in remote suburbs or in houses surrounded by big lawns.

Ottawa Neighborhood Study
Evidence is mounting that the neighborhoods and communities in which we live affect both the health and the gap in health between rich and poor. Our aim is to better understand the physical and social pathways through which neighborhoods in Ottawa affect health.

WOMEN
Influence of habitual physical activity on body composition, fat distribution and metabolic variables in early postmenopausal women receiving hormonal therapy
European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology Article in Press
S. Lara, G. Casanova and P.M. Spritzer

Habitual physical activity plays a major role in preserving a favorable cardiovascular profile in postmenopausal patients using HRT.

February 26, 2010

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Canadian Tax Exempt Transit and Cycling Benefits
A Cost Estimate of Proposed Amendments to the Income Tax Act to Exempt Certain Employer-Provided Transportation Benefits from Taxable Income.

Who owns the roads? How motorised traffic discourages walking and bicycling
Injury Prevention 2009; 15: 369-373
This article examines the impact of vehicle traffic on walking and bicycling activity. It indicates that real and perceived danger and discomfort imposed by traffic discourages walking and bicycling, and interventions to reduce traffic speed and volume can improve public health by increasing walking and bicycling activity.

CHILDREN
APPLE Schools: Alberta Project Promoting active Living and healthy Eating
APPLE Schools aim to make the healthy choice the easy choice by changing the school environments. The easy choice for students will be healthy lunches and snacks and an active lifestyle. We aim to create and sustain supportive physical and social environments that foster lifelong health and learning.

Child and Youth Friendly Land Use and Transport Planning: Guidelines and Literature Review.
The project began in November 2007 and is to continue until March 2010. Its main objective is to develop sets of guidelines for municipal transportation and land-use planners, one set for each of Canada’s ten provinces.

The Guidelines are being developed as tools for achieving transportation and land-use arrangements that meet the needs of children and youth — and everyone else.

Neighborhood, Route, and School Environments and Children's Active Commuting
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Vol 38, Issue 3, March 2010, Pages 268-278

Objectively measured neighborhood and route factors are associated with walking and cycling to school. However, distance did not moderate the associations found here. Creating safe environments by improving urban design may influence children's commuting behavior. Intervention studies are needed to confirm the findings from this observational cross-sectional study.

Pan-Canadian Online Survey to Determine a "Communities Perspective" on Children/Youth and their Connection with Nature
This survey will only be available online until the end of day on March 12th, 2010.
An online survey designed to seek input on strategic matters pertaining to children and youth and their perceived lack of engagement/connection with nature (the out-of-doors). The survey should take between 20-30 minutes to fully complete. The survey does not have to be completed in one session.

Programs for Children and Youth in a Community Context
Participants in a recent Child Trends Roundtable explored how evidence-based programs might be integrated into community initiatives to strengthen outcomes for children…. Insights from this Roundtable provide valuable guidance to policymakers and foundations considering investments in similar initiatives and to communities seeking to build or improve a system of services for disadvantaged children and youth.

MISCELLANEOUS
A cross-sectional study of the number and frequency of terms used to refer to knowledge translation in a body of health literature in 2006: a Tower of Babel?
The study of implementing research findings into practice is rapidly growing and has acquired many competing names (e.g., dissemination, uptake, utilization, translation) and contributing disciplines. The use of multiple terms across disciplines pose barriers to communication and progress for applying research findings. The authors of this article sought to establish an inventory of terms describing this field and how often authors use them in a collection of health literature published in 2006.

Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting Guidelines
A reporting guideline gives a set of recommendations regarding the information that should be included in the report of a research study. The authors of this article hope this guidance on how to develop a reporting guideline, including an 18-step checklist, will fill a gap in the literature and be of help to potential and practicing developers.

This strategy assumes the involvement of an executive group to facilitate the guideline development and the expectation of having a face-to-face meeting as part of the reporting guideline development.

MENTAL HEALTH
Mental Health and Physical Activity
A new edition of Mental Health and Physical Activity (MENPA) has been released. MENPA is an academic peer-reviewed journal that promotes high-quality research in understanding the link between mental health and physical activity.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
The potential role of physical exercise in the treatment of epilepsy
Epilepsy & Behavior Article in Press, Corrected Proof
Ricardo Mario Arida, Fulvio Alexandre Scorza, Sérgio Gomes da Silva, Steven C. Schachter and Esper Abrão Cavalheiro

The beneficial effects of exercise for people with epilepsy, including reduction of seizure susceptibility, improvement of quality of life, reduction of anxiety and depression, and better social integration, have increasingly been reported. We present data from human and animal studies supporting the role of exercise as a therapy for epilepsy complementary to standard treatments.

URBAN DESIGN
Where We Want To Be: Home Location Preferences And Their Implications For Smart Growth
Updated 20 January 2010

February 5, 2010

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

There will not be a Physical Activity Information Round-Up next week. The Roundup will resume on February 19, 2010.

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: 2010 Benchmarking Report
Many of the benchmarks featured in this report contribute to making communities more bicycle and pedestrian friendly by changing the built environment, culture, attitudes, and behaviors.

Canada Walks
Our Mission: to change the current social paradigm so that walkable communities are the cultural and social norm in Canada.

On the Move in the Community: Canada’s first active transportation conference
Montreal June 3rd and 4th, 2010.
The conference will bring together forty local and international speakers and specialists. These experts in the field will present winning formulas that have proven successful in public awareness campaigns and cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly urban planning endeavors.

Pedestrian Forum: Safe Pedestrians and a Walkable America
VOL. 49, Winter 2010
The latest edition of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Pedestrian Forum Newsletter. It highlights efforts by the FHWA and its partners to improve the safety of walking and bicycling as a mode of transportation.

CHILDREN
Obesity: Recent Trends in Children Aged 2-11y and 12-19y: Analysis from the Health Survey for England 1993 – 2007
Comparing the HSE (2000-2007) data set shows a significantly healthier picture than the data up until 2004. The overall picture is positive for all age groups and genders. There are some gender differences with 12-19y females faring significantly worse than their 2-11y counterparts and with males where there is little difference between the two age groups.

Parks and open space: For the health and wellbeing of children and young people
See the contribution parks and open space can make to the health & wellbeing of young people, part of the Action for Young Australians program.

Urban Thinkers: Empowering people to walk and cycle
Urbanthinkers is a sustainable transportation think tank based in East Vancouver, BC with over a decade of international experience. We believe that walking and cycling to school can be fun, safe and invigorating – and that student leaders themselves will generate the shift away from a current over-reliance on driving to school.

CHRONIC DISEASE
Prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease: targeting risk factors
A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) focuses on targeting disease risk factors such as physical inactivity.

COMMUNITY
Effects of Park Improvements on Park Use and Physical Activity: Policy and Programming Implications
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Vol 37, Iss 6, Dec 2009, Pages 475-480

Improvements to parks may not automatically result in increased use and physical activity, especially when programming decreases. Multiple factors contribute to park use and need to be accounted for in future community-level interventions. Further, improving perceptions of safety alone is unlikely to result in increased park use.

DISABILITY
Participation in Sport by People with a Disability
This fact sheet presents information on disability and participation in sport by people with a disability. It also compares their participation rates with people with no disability and examines whether participation rates vary with sex, age and the type of disability. December 2009 from Australia

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Adjusting step count recommendations for anthropometric variations in leg length
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport- Article in Press
Michael W. Beets, Stamatis Agiovlasitis, Christopher A. Fahs, Sushant M. Ranadive and Bo Fernhall

“In conclusion, notable differences in the total number of steps to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity were observed when accounting for variations in leg length. These estimates developed herein provide preliminary evidence that adjusting for anthropometric differences can provide the public with a closer approximation of their individualised steps min threshold required to meet recent physical activity recommendations.”

Blueprint for an Active Australia
The Blueprint for an Active Australia provides key actions, based on evidence of effectiveness, that can increase physical activity levels in Australia from 2010 to 2013. This document draws on available evidence that supports the need for implementation of a comprehensive range of actions at national, state and local levels. These actions address the barriers to physical activity and create opportunities for all Australians to be active in their homes, neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces and communities.

Evaluation of the Ramblers Family Walking Programme – Furness Families Walk4Life
Overall, the project was successful at engaging young families, who reported positive experiences of the program. The evaluation report highlights 34 implications for future practice. These recommendations, (which may be useful for other organizations looking to implement a walking intervention) have been broken down into clear and concise categories.

Let's get physical: The economic contribution of fitness centres in Australia
Find out the potential health and economic savings relating to fitness centres.

Physical Activity Resource Centre (PARC) New website
The PARC website has a new look and a new web address. The new and improved PARC website features include:
• Streamlined navigation to make it easier to find the content you need
• Downloadable workshops that are easier to navigate
• Brighter, cleaner design

RESEARCH TOOLS
The Cochrane Library publication frequency
Effective January, 2010, Cochrane has made the much-anticipated change to monthly publications of The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR).

Health-Evidence
This site provides current research evidence relevant to public health in a searchable online registry. If you use Health-Evidence, you don’t need to go to Cochrane because all the research in the Cochrane database that is relevant to public health is listed in Health-Evidence.

NICE Guidelines (narrowed by topic to public health)
Based on high-quality systematic reviews; several new topics are added every year.

Pubmed – using the Clinical Queries tool
Clinical Queries uses some “behind the scenes” search strategies to help you find the best evidence for your question.

Pubmed without Clinical Queries tool
You may end up with a lot of hits, but you can use limits (language, human, dates, methods) to narrow down the number.

TRIP (Turning Research into Practice)
Searches across evidence-based resources (synopses, guidelines and systematic reviews); originally clinically based, but expanding to include community prevention.

URBAN DESIGN
Abu Dhabi Urban Street Design Manual
The manual builds on similar efforts in Germany, the UK, Australia, and the US….. it introduces the concept of the pedestrian realm as an integral part of the overall street composition, and shows how this and the traveled way are combined to provide a balanced street network for all modes of transport. In this regard the manual is perhaps one of the most progressive in the world.

Risking Success Through Flexible Design
"What comes to mind when you picture a livable community? Many people probably imagine scenes of bicyclists riding the streets, children walking to school, perhaps riders hopping on streetcars to go to work or run errands, friends meeting in front of storefronts, or diners sitting at outdoor cafes. Roadway congestion and lengthy distances to destinations probably do not spring to mind."

WORKPLACE
What Works in Worksite Health Promotion - Systematic Review Findings and Recommendations from the Task Force on Community Preventive Services
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Volume 38, Issue 2, Supplement 1, Pages A1-A8, S223-S302 (February 2010)

“An important milestone has been achieved through the publication of the Task Force review of workplace health promotion programs in this issue. The thoughtful and rigorous analysis of the literature determined that well-designed, evidence-based, and theory-grounded programs can bring about health improvement, risk reduction, lower levels of healthcare use, and improved worker productivity….”

January 28, 2010

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
8 - 80 Cities, (formerly Walk & Bike for Life)
8 - 80 Cities is a Canadian based non-profit organization with an international outlook. (Their) goal is to contribute to the creation of vibrant cities and healthy communities, where residents live happier and enjoy great public places. (They) promote walking and bicycling as activities and urban parks, trails and other public spaces as great places for ALL.

The 8/80 rule:
Step 1: Think of a child that you love and care for who is approximately 8 years of age. This could be a child, grandchild, sister, brother, cousin etc.
Step 2: Think of an adult, approximately 80 years of age who you love and care for. This could be a parent, grandparent, friend etc.
Step 3: Ask yourself: Would you send that 8 year old along with the 80 year old on a walk, or a bike ride on that infrastructure? If you would, then it is safe enough, if you would not, then it is not safe enough.

CHILDREN
CFLRI 2008 Physical Activity Monitor: Getting Kids Active Bulletins are now available
Three new bulletins have been released: Main location for PA, Barriers to PA and Awareness of PA guides for children.

Kids Can Play Bulletin #1: Activity Levels of Children and Youth
The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute's Canadian Physical Activity Levels Among Youth (CANPLAY) study measures physical activity levels of
children and youth by using pedometers to measure daily steps. Most of the analyses in this bulletin are based on combined data collected in Years Three and Four (2007 - 2009) of data collection, unless otherwise stated.

COMMUNITY
Parks and recreation programs declining as obesity, health concerns rise
"Research is now showing there's a close correlation between public health and recreational opportunities, both close to home and in state parks,"….. snip

DISABILITY
Free2BMe Physical Activity for Kids and Teens
Our goal is to provide opportunities for children and youth to participate in physical activity and fitness programs, to develop skills and knowledge towards health and wellness while asserting autonomy and independence in a fun and social environment.

MISCELLANEOUS
CPHA Centenary Web site
The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) marks its centenary in 2010. This voluntary, non-governmental organization was formed 100 years ago by a small group of doctors who were concerned about the state of public health in Canada.

Mythbusters
Mythbusters is a series of two-page articles that summarize the best available evidence to challenge widely held beliefs about issues in Canadian healthcare.

OLDER ADULTS
Older Adults' Perspectives on Home Exercise after Falls Rehabilitation: Understanding the Importance of Promoting Healthy, Active Ageing
Health Education Journal, v68 n3 p207-218 2009

This study helps us to acknowledge that from an older adult's perspective, independence is highly valued, and encourages us to consider how we can then adopt this as a motivator for participation in healthy, active ageing. When working with older people, professionals need to adopt a holistic approach to their health, using a person-centred approach to promote positive, active ageing.

Prevention of Falls in Older Persons
From the American Geriatrics Society and British Geriatrics. A multi-factorial fall risk assessment is recommended for older adults who have had a fall, who have been identified as having gait and balance problems, or who report difficulties with gait or balance. Includes information on recommended evaluations and interventions, and the key role of evidence-based strength and balance training.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
CFLRI 2008 Physical Activity and Sport Monitors Bulletins are now available.
Eight new bulletins have been released, including such topics as PA Levels of Canadians, Beliefs about the benefits of PA and Social norms for walking.

CFLRI Lifestyle Tips: Seasonal Variations in Physical Activity
Cold weather is no excuse to be inactive. In fact, Canadian winters offer a wide range of exciting activities that you can’t do in the warmer seasons. Try some of these … snip

CFLRI Research File: Seasonal Variations in Physical Activity
It’s fun to get outside and be active on a lovely summer day, but just how much more active are we when the weather is good and how much does season affect our activity levels?..... snip

URBAN DESIGN
Healthy Planning Guide
This guide is intended to help public health and planning departments collaborate on strategies to promote healthier communities. Each page links health risks to aspects of the built environment, outlining ways to ensure that neighborhoods are designed to support health equity and community well-being.

Janaury 22, 2010

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
America Walks’ Position Statement: Walking is More Than Local
Investment and policy decisions that encourage or discourage walking are made at the local, regional, state and federal levels. Likewise, the public health, environmental and quality of life impacts of walking or not walking extend beyond local borders……

Go here to see their other position statements.

Calm Traffic before Traffic Calming
A film taken from a streetcar traveling down Market Street in San Francisco in 1906, a few days before the earthquake/fire destroyed the area. “It's worth taking 7 minutes of your life to watch (but one or two minutes is good enough) ... no paved roads, no driving rules, no traffic lights, no pedestrian crosswalks. But it all works because the pace is slower." -- John Cinatl

Congestion Road Tax and Physical Activity
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Volume 38, Issue 2, February 2010, Pages 171-177

The results from this study on the influence of a congestion road tax on levels of physical activity, though inconclusive, suggest that policy changes such as a congestion road tax might promote improvements in physical activity levels in individuals with motorized vehicles.

Mobile phone use while cycling: Incidence and effects on behavior and safety
Ergonomics, Volume 53, Issue 1 January 2010 , pages 30 – 42

Although perhaps mainly restricted to flat countries with a large proportion of cyclists, mobile phone use while cycling has increased and may be a threat to traffic safety, similar to phone use while driving a car. In this study, the extent of the problem was assessed by observing the proportion of cyclists using mobile phones, sending questionnaires to accident-involved cyclists and an experimental study was conducted on the effects of mobile phone use while cycling.

CHILDREN
A One of a Kind Walking, Biking School Opens in Canada
With the dawn of the new year, a newly opened elementary school in Ontario is heralded as the nation's first school that requires nearly all of its students to get to and from school using their own two feet.

Healthy Eating/ Physical Activity/Healthy Weights DRAFT Guidance Document
From the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion. The purpose of these documents is to summarize current evidence to assist boards of health in the implementation of the Ontario Public Health Standards. An online consultation is currently underway with Public Health Units and will conclude January 31, 2010. We anticipate the release of the final Guidance Documents on March 31, 2010.

Mapping the Walk to School Using Accelerometry Combined with a Global Positioning System
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Volume 38, Issue 2, February 2010, Pages 178-183

(Their) results provide evidence that the journey to school is purposeful and contributes to higher total physical activity and MVPA in children. Combining accelerometer and GPS data may aid our understanding of the environmental context of physical activity.

Physical Literacy for Preschoolers – It’s All About Me Me Me! ... A Multi- Movement Approach to Teaching Preschool Recreational Activities
This presentation from the 2009 Recreation Nova Scotia Annual Conference, focuses on the importance of multi-movement learning opportunities for preschool-aged children to promote Physical Literacy and examines the different teaching styles that can accommodate learning styles and developmental stages of preschool-aged children in a ‘child-centered’ recreational learning environment.

Play Matters: A study of the Best Practices to Inform Local Policy and Process in Support of Children’s Play
In municipalities across America, engaged citizens and civic leaders are actively seeking innovative ways to improve the accessibility, quality, and quantity of play and play spaces for children. To help cities build awareness & political capital and develop a policy on play, KaBOOM! identified 12 relevant and innovative best practices in play.

CHRONIC DISEASE
Launch of Updated Canadian Best Practices Portal for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention
On January 20, 2010, a new and improved version of the Canadian Best Practices Portal, went live. The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Portal is a virtual front door to community and population health interventions related to chronic disease prevention and health promotion that have been evaluated, shown to be successful, and have the potential to be adapted and replicated by other health practitioners working in similar fields.

COMMUNITY
Development of the Community Healthy Living Index: A tool to foster healthy environments for the prevention of obesity and chronic disease
Preventive Medicine Volume 50, Supplement 1, January 2010, Pages S80-S85

This paper presents a new, comprehensive tool for communities to assess opportunities for active living and healthy eating. The Community Healthy Living Index (CHLI) covers five major sectors where people live, work, learn, and play: schools, after schools, work sites, neighborhoods, and the community-at-large. CHLI and the accompanying procedures enable community teams to assess programs, the physical environment, and policies related to healthy living, and to plan improvement strategies.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Physical Activity Research Updates from the USC Prevention Centre
A listing of past and current research published in the area of Physical Activity. This is a GREAT resource.

Special Issue of Preventive Medicine: Active Communities for Youth and Families: Using Research to Create Momentum for Change
Preventive Medicine Volume 50, Supplement 1, Pages S1-S126 (January 2010)

The 15 papers presented at the Active Living Research conference and published in this issue are divided into the following subsections covering various aspects of promoting physical activity in communities:
• Translating Research to Policy Award
• Parks and Recreation
• Youth and Schools
• Transportation and Land Use
• Measurement Advances

URBAN DESIGN
National Geographic New Suburban Design
Explore this interactive learning tool that compares the differences between urban sprawl type design and new urbanism.

Neighborhood determinants of self-efficacy, physical activity, and body weights among Canadian Children
Health & Place, Article in Press
Z. Davidson A, Simen-Kapeu and P.J. Veugelers (U of A Researchers)

Both infrastructural investments such as in recreational facilities, sidewalks and parks, as well as health education to promote self-efficacy may increase PA and prevent overweight among children.

New Urban News
They have created a one-stop location for news, resources, and case studies on designing walkable, complete streets

Urban sprawl and health: Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean healthier
A Healthy Public Policy Information Sheet from Alberta Health Services.

December 18, 2009

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

Welcome to the final Physical Activity Information Round-Up for 2009. We’ll be taking a couple weeks off for the holidays. From all of us here at the Centre, we'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
The Links between Public Health and Sustainable and Active Transportation
This issue paper summarizes the most relevant research on the links between Canadians’ health and their access to and use of sustainable and active transportation infrastructure.

Portland Bike Count Information
Information on the 2009 Bike count, how to do a bike count, forms and much, much, more. Portland, Oregon is a well recognized city for its work on active transportation. They are a great example to model after.

CHILDREN
Children’s Fitness Tax Credit
This is not a new program, just a reminder where to find the information.

Healthy Active Living for Children and Youth – Cdn Pediatric Society
To help combat the growing problem of physical inactivity among Canadian children and youth the CPS has developed tools and resources to help paediatricians and other health care professionals educate parents and patients about the benefits of physical activity, good nutrition and an active lifestyle. Here you’ll find information, resources and web links that you can use in your practice, with your patients and their families, and in your communities.

Parental influences on physical activity behavior in preschool children
Preventive Medicine Article in Press, Uncorrected Proof
Paul D. Loprinzia and Stewart G. Trost

The authors conclude: Family-based interventions targeting preschoolers should include strategies to increase parental support for PA. Parents who perceive their child to have low physical competence should be encouraged to provide adequate support for PA.

Social participation of children with disabilities
A new paper out from Stats Canada. Organized sports and physical activity/sports: Takes part in organized sports with coach or instructor; takes part in other physical activities with coach or instructor, e.g. dance or gymnastics.

CHRONIC DISEASE
Physical Activity, Body Mass Index, and Diabetes Risk in Men: A Prospective Study
The American Journal of Medicine Vol 122, Issue 12, December 2009, Pages 1115-1121

The authors conclude: Active men with normal and overweight BMIs had lower diabetes hazards than their inactive counterparts, but no difference by weekly activity was seen in obese men. Elevated BMI is a key driver of diabetes risk, with relatively modest attenuation by activity.

COMMUNITY
Creating Healthy Communities: Tools and Actions to Foster Environments for Healthy Living
This guide was prepared by Smart Growth BC, in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of experts from the health and land use planning fields. It recommends 116 land use policies and programs that local governments can adopt to promote healthy living in our communities. It also includes specific examples of these programs and policies in action, as well as quick links to specific policy documents and language that can be used as templates.

OLDER ADULTS
Exercise and Physical Activity: Getting Fit For Life
From the National Institute on Aging.

Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging
This guide shows you many types of exercise and physical activity. It also has lots of tips to help you be active in ways that suit your lifestyle, interests, health, and budget, whether you’re just starting out, getting back to exercising after a break, or fit enough to run a 3-mile race. It’s for everyone — people who are healthy and those who live with an ongoing health problem or disability.

OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY
Validity of Self-Reported Height, Weight, and Body Mass Index: Findings From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2006
Preventing Chronic Disease 2009;6 (4)
The authors conclude: Men and women significantly over report their height, increasingly so at older ages. Men tend to overestimate their weight, but women underreport their weight, more so in younger ages. Corresponding BMI is underestimated, more so for women than for men at each age and increasingly so with older age for both sexes.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Exercise and cancer rehabilitation: A systematic review
Cancer Treatment Reviews - Article in Press, Corrected Proof
Rosalind R. Spence, Kristiann C. Heescha, and Wendy J. Brown

The authors conclude: Although the methodological limitations of studies in this new field must be acknowledged, initial evidence indicates that exercise is feasible and may provide physiological and psychological benefits for cancer survivors during the rehabilitation period. Future studies with rigorous study designs are now required to advance the field.

Minnesota Department of Health – Physical Activity Resources
There is a lot of great information here.

National Society of Physical Activity Practitioners in Public Health
A professional organization dedicated to growing the capacity of physical activity practitioners in public health.

Physical Activity: An Investment That Pays Multiple Health Dividends
Arch Intern Med. 2009; 169 (22):2124-2127.

Comment on "Combined Effects of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Not Smoking, and Normal Waist Girth on Morbidity and Mortality in Men," "Physical Activity and Survival in Male Colorectal Cancer Survival," "Effects of a Television Viewing Reduction on Energy Intake and Expenditure in Overweight and Obese Adults," and "Physical Activity and Rapid Decline in Kidney Function Among Older Adults"

Physical Inactivity Cost Calculator
Developed by East Carolina University they have developed a very easy-to-use tool that can provide an estimate of the financial cost of physically inactive people to a particular community, city, state or business. They also provide companion resources and information you need to re-allocate resources and plan for healthier workplaces and communities that are more supportive of physical activity

WHO global strategy on diet, physical activity and health: a framework to monitor and evaluate implementation.
This document sets out an approach to measure the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAS) at country level and proposes a framework and indicators for this purpose.

URBAN DESIGN
2009 BC Sprawl Report: Walkability and Health
This report is the third in Smart Growth BC’s Sprawl Report series and focuses on how the physical design of neighbourhoods affects walking and biking in BC’s communities, and whether this has any impact on individual health.

Sprawl and Smart Growth in Greater Vancouver
Produced by the Sightline Institute in collaboration with Smart Growth BC, this report maps population density trends throughout the Greater Vancouver area, using data from the last four Canadian censuses. The researchers found that in the 1990s a combination of factors helped Greater Vancouver limit the type of low-density sprawl that marred many comparably-sized US cities during that decade. But in recent years, the pace of compact growth slowed.

WORKPLACE
Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity
This WHO report summarizes the current evidence available in addressing the different dimensions of the workplace as a key setting for interventions designed to prevent NCDs through diet and physical activity.

Walking Works
The Walking Works campaign is one in a series of Living Streets' campaigns that aim to get us all walking more in our daily lives. Walking Works aims to encourage more people to walk to and from work, and to walk more during their working day

Workplace Physical Activity Toolkits
A CDC compilation. The toolkits in this section are designed specifically for work sites to encourage physical activity and may contain checklists, step-by-step guides, budgets, and other tools that aid in program planning, design, and management.

December 11, 2009

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Access to Destinations: Application of Accessibility Measures for Non-Auto Travel Modes
Conventional transportation planning is often focused on improving movement (or mobility)--most often by the automobile…. When it comes to bicycling, walking, and transit measures of accessibility are an endeavor long on rhetoric but short on execution….. This report discusses such hurdles, presents alternatives for overcoming them, and demonstrates how accessibility for walking, cycling, and transit--and for different types of destinations--can be reliably measured.

Great news for Active Transportation in Edmonton
At the Transportation & Public Works Committee meeting on Nov. 17th, 2009, the Committee approved both an Active Transportation Policy and an accelerated funding strategy for the Sidewalk Strategy and Bicycle Transportation Plan update. Both still need to be approved by full City Council. This is great news as it will provide enhanced capital funding to complete the work of both plans over a ten year time frame.

CHILDREN
Childhood obesity is a serious concern in New York City: Higher levels of fitness associated with better academic performance
To better understand the prevalence of childhood obesity and how physical fitness may be associated with academic performance in New York City….reviewed academic and fitness records of public school students in grades K-8 who participated in the NYC FITNESSGRAM program during the 2007–08 schoolyear.

Eat Right Be Active - A guide for parents and caregivers of toddlers ages 12 - 36 months
We all want the best for our children. We want them to grow up healthy and feeling good about themselves. This booklet can help. It has lots of everyday ideas for you, as the busy parent or caregiver of a toddler.

Eat Right Be Active - A guide for parents and caregivers of toddlers ages 12 - 36 months
FRENCH version

Fuel up for fun – Winter 2010
Each four-page edition aims to contribute to the development of knowledge, positive attitudes and healthy behaviours of children 6-8 years of age so they will eat right and be active with their families throughout the year. A “Parents Walk the Talk” section is included on the back page of each edition.

Fuel up for fun – FRENCH version

NYC Department of Education: Fitness and health
Student success depends on a blend of academic skills, good health, and physical and mental fitness. New York City schools offer a wide range of fitness and health instruction……

NYC FITNESSGRAM Assessment
Originally developed by the Cooper Institute of Aerobic Research, FITNESSGRAM supports students in learning about and measuring components of health-related fitness: aerobic endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition.

CHRONIC DISEASE
Diabetes Fact Sheets in 13 languages
The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long term Care along with the Canadian Diabetes Association has put together a Diabetes resource fact sheet series that includes physical activity in 13 languages. Each language set contains the following sets of fact sheets

Diabetes - An Introduction
Staying Healthy - Managing Type 2 Diabetes
Healthy Eating - The Basics
Physical Activity
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Alcohol and Diabetes
Managing Your Cholesterol
Foot Care
Managing Blood Glucose Levels
Using Insulin
Health Coverage

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
The Crawford Report (Aus)
This report, combined with compelling new data from the WHO showing physical inactivity to be our fourth largest killer should provide additional evidence to convince decision makers of the importance of physical activity, and the relative under investment we have made in solutions to the inactivity epidemic.

Physical Activity Line
The Physical Activity Line is a free phone line and online resource to active, healthy living. The PAL is staffed by national, CSEP Certified Exercise Physiologists® (CSEP-CEP's), who have undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in exercise science and advanced training in clinical exercise prescription.

Physical activity statistics by province – Institute of health economics
If you type “physical activity” into their search engine many, many hits come up. Lot’s of good information here.

URBAN DESIGN
High Point Walking for Health: Creating Built and Social Environments That Support Walking in a Public Housing Community
November 2009, Vol 99, No. S3 American Journal of Public Health S593-S599
Conclusions. A multicomponent intervention developed through participatory research methods that emphasized walking groups and included additional strategies to change the built and social environments increased walking activity at a public housing site in Seattle.

Planning complete streets for an aging America
This study encourages transportation planners and decision makers to build upon the principles of Complete Streets to address the specific needs of older drivers and pedestrians. Adoption of these principles ultimately improves the safety for all road users.

December 4, 2009

By Rosanne Prinsen MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ABORIGINAL
Recreational Tool Kit for Rural, Northern & Remote Aboriginal Communities
This toolkit contains information and resources to help guide you through creating, planning, implementing and evaluating your Recreational Programs. It is designed in a way to educate and remind individuals of the four aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Within each section you will find information pertaining to personal, emotional, spiritual and physical growth.

CHILDREN
Couch Kids: The nation's future
A new report from the BHF which serves to outline the current picture of children’s physical activity levels in the UK. This comprehensive report includes the latest statistics and evidence relating to: Activity levels among children and young people in the UK and why physical activity is so important; Differences in participation by gender, age, socio-economic status and ethnic origin; Screen based sedentary behaviour; and Prevalence of overweight and obesity and trends over time.


Healthy Hearts
An initiative of the Black Gold Regional School District, designed to help parents and teachers connect with resources that will help create and maintain a healthy learning environment.

Shaping the Future
The first Ever Active Schools Health Promoting Schools Conference is taking place Jan. 14-16, 2010

COMMUNITY
An Innovative Approach to Great Neighbourhoods
After researching leading practices across North America, the City of Edmonton is embarking on a new, comprehensive approach to creating and sustaining great neighbourhoods. All city departments will work together, and with its partners and citizens, to deliver services more effectively and efficiently, synchronize planning efforts and facilitate improved two-way communication with residents

Attitudes Toward Physical Activity
New Data discussion from the 2008 CFLRI Physical Activity Monitor

Bridging the Terminology Gap in Support of Active Communities: Land-use Planners and Public Health Professionals
This report will be of interest to those working in the area of: land-use planning; built environment; active transportation and chronic disease prevention through community design. Includes an overview of the development of a joint glossary of terms for land-use planners and public health professionals based on provincial terms. This joint glossary of terms consists of an alphabetical listing of 130 terms and their corresponding sources.

Understanding Your Community: The Key to Building an Impactful, Sustainable Coalition
Through research, extensive experience and practical application, LiveWell Colorado has gained tremendous insight into coalition building, serving as a champion of the importance of community partners, as well as utilizing the broad reach of community members.

HEALTH GENERAL
What Does it Take to Make a Healthy Province?
A benchmark study of jurisdictions in Canada and around the world with the highest levels of health and the best health behaviors.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Fit vs. Fat – Acting on Your New Year’s Resolutions – CFLRI Lifestyle Tips
The new December issue,

The Gift of an Active Lifestyle – CFLRI Research File
The new December issue.

Making the Link from Transportation to Physical Activity and Obesity
This research brief presents an overview of findings demonstrating the potential impact of infrastructure investments and other transportation programs on walking and bicycling for transportation, and on related health outcomes. It focuses on public transit, greenways and trails, school-related infrastructure and programs, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and efforts to manage car traffic.

Rating Canada’s Regional Health
Latest statistics from CFLRI

Social Determinants of Health and Physical Activity – Online workshops
This workshop will present information and considerations on ways to address the social determinants of health when developing physical activity programs and services.
January 14th and February 3rd, 2010.
By the end of the workshop you should:
1. Have a good understanding of what the social determinants and health inequities are and the connection to physical activity.
2. Be aware of some existing physical activity programs that address the social determinants of health.
3. Understand how to create physical activity programs that address the social determinants of health.
4. Have increased knowledge of current research in the area of physical activity and the social determinants of health.

URBAN DESIGN
Future Health: Sustainable Places for Health and Well-being
Future health tells us how good design makes healthy places. It brings what CABE has learned about sustainable, health-promoting environments together with the latest thinking about health and well-being.

November 12, 2009

By Rosanne Prinsen, MSc

Alberta Centre for Active Living

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
The impact of transportation infrastructure on bicycling injuries and crashes: a review of the literature
Environmental Health 2009, 8:47
Evidence is beginning to accumulate that purpose-built bicycle-specific facilities reduce crashes and injuries among cyclists, providing the basis for initial transportation engineering guidelines for cyclist safety. Street lighting, paved surfaces, and low-angled grades are additional factors that appear to improve cyclist safety.

CHILDREN
DPA Action Tracker (ActNow BC)
An interactive tool for students in Grades 10 – 12….. the Action Tracker helps you keep track of your Daily Physical Activities and create a printed report for your teacher or school administrator.

Daily Physical Activity for Families Booklets
Four different booklets for specific age groups. The Daily Physical Activity For Families booklets are designed to help you maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. Each booklet includes basic information about Daily Physical Activity (DPA), safety tips, and age appropriate suggestions for getting more physically active

Physical Activity within the Health Promoting School: A Partnership Approach

OLDER ADULTS
Efficacy of Two Tailored Interventions Promoting Physical Activity in Older Adults
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Volume 37, Issue 5, Nov 2009, Pg 405-417
The results indicate that tailoring can be an effective tool in attaining and enhancing awareness, initiation, and maintenance of physical activity among older adults. Targeting environmental determinants in addition to psychosocial determinants, however, did not result in an additional increase in physical activity behavior

Physical activity and memory functions: Are neurotrophins and cerebral gray matter volume the missing link?
NeuroImage Article in Press, Corrected Proof
While mediating factors will need to be further elucidated, these findings indicate that even low-level physical activity exerts beneficial effects on memory functions in older individuals.

Seniors Policy Handbook: A Guide for Developing and Evaluating Policies and Programs for Seniors
Prepared by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Committee of Officials for the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors (Canada) and published in June 2009, the purpose of this handbook is to help policy analysts and program planners consider the perspective of seniors, the diversity of the seniors’ population, and the needs and issues facing seniors today and in the future.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Beneficial effects of exercise: shifting the focus from body weight to other markers of health
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2009;43:924-927
These data demonstrate that significant and meaningful health benefits can be achieved even in the presence of lower-than-expected exercise-induced weight loss. A less successful reduction in body weight does not undermine the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise. From a public health perspective, exercise should be encouraged and the emphasis on weight loss reduced.

Cost Analysis of Internet vs. Print Interventions for Physical Activity Promotion
Psychology of Sport and Exercise – article in press
The authors conclude: Relative to print-based interventions, Internet-based interventions may be a more cost efficient way to reach a large number of sedentary individuals.

Exercise is Medicine
Their vision: For physical activity to be considered by all health care providers as a vital sign in every patient visit, and that patients are effectively counseled and referred as to their physical activity and health needs, thus leading to overall improvement in the public's health and long-term reduction in health care cost.

Leisure-Time Physical Activity is Associated with a Reduced Risk for Metabolic Syndrome
Annals of Epidemiology Volume 19, Issue 11, Nov 2009, Pg 784-792
These results suggest that increasing levels of leisure-time physical activity, in terms of duration or intensity, are linearly associated with a reduced risk for metabolic syndrome.

Let’s Get Moving - introducing a new physical activity care pathway
The new Let's Get Moving (LGM) physical activity care pathway is based on the principles of the NICE public health guidance 2006: Four Commonly Used Methods to Promote Physical Activity, which endorses the delivery of brief interventions for physical activity in primary care as both clinically and cost effective in the long term.

The physical therapist’s role in physical activity promotion
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2009;43:99-101
Because of their training and experience, physical therapists are ideally placed to promote the health and well being of individuals and the general public through physical activity and exercise prescription. Therefore, physical therapists, general practitioners and other caregivers alike should become aware of the physical therapist’s potential in promoting safe and healthy physical activity……..

Potential strategies to improve uptake of exercise interventions in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Journal of Hepatology Article in Press, Corrected Proof –
The management of non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) concerns lifestyle modification and exercise; however, adherence is poor. Factors such as lack of confidence to exercise, poor understanding of the benefits of exercise, and a fear of falling all influence engagement in physical activity. To increase exercise in NAFLD it is important to understand the barriers to performing it.

When will we treat physical activity as a legitimate medical therapy...even though it does not come in a pill?
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2009;43:80-81
There is no action (except abstaining from smoking) that could improve health more than being physically active, yet it remains an afterthought in clinical medicine and federal funding priorities. We continue excitably to search for health in a pill, yet we already have the readily available behavior of regular exercise that would provide enormous benefits.….

URBAN DESIGN
Key stakeholder perspectives on the development of walkable neighbourhoods
Health & Place Volume 16, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 43-50
Evidence supports the link between the built environment and physical activity. This study investigated factors that influence the decisions made by key stakeholders as they relate to neighbourhood development. Seventeen stakeholders including public health and municipal employees, city councillors , and the private sector (e.g., land developers, food retailers) , participated in interviews.

WOMEN
The effectiveness of exercise in the management of post-natal depression: systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of exercise in the management of post-natal depression. Conclusion: It was uncertain whether exercise reduced symptoms of post-natal depression.

WORKPLACE
Exercise for the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of low back pain in the workplace: a systematic review
The authors' conclusions about the evidence of benefits of exercise interventions were based on the results of small RCTs and some non-randomised trials. Although the results of the trials showed benefits of exercise in the workplace, the conduct of the majority of the trials makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the effectiveness of these interventions.