Active Living Research News
ALR Conference
ALR2016 Call for Abstracts deadline extended
The Call for Abstracts for the ALR2016 conference has been extended! The new submission deadline is September 4th. The ALR2016 conference will be held in Clearwater Beach, Florida on January 31 – February 3, 2016. The 2016 conference theme, “Equity in Active Living”, explores opportunities to ensure that all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, economic background, level of education, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and/or cognitive ability, have access to safe and enjoyable places to be physically active.
ALR Resources
Perceptions Affect Physical Activity
The design and maintenance of neighborhoods, streets, and parks, and people's perceptions of those places based on qualities such as aesthetic appeal and perceived safety, can affect physical activity in youth and adults. A new ALR research review highlights evidence on the relationship of rates of physical activity to the perceived aesthetics, safety and comfort of public places, such as streets and parks. It also provides research that improving appearances can make a place more appealing - both in general, and specifically as a place for physical activity for adults and youth.
Announcements and Other Resources
Active Places Factsheets for Rural Communities
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has developed three new factsheets to help overcome obstacles and get rural dwellers the health benefits of walking and bicycling. The first provides an introduction to Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and highlights why SRTS is good for rural communities. The second explores the challenges of SRTS in rural areas, and highlights successful rural programs and the innovative approaches they’ve used to overcome hurdles. The third takes on rural active transportation generally, setting out an approach for how rural communities can support walking and bicycling more broadly.
Built Environment Assessment Tool
The CDC’s new Built Environment Assessment Tool measures the core features of the built environment that affect health, especially walking, biking, and other types of physical activity. The direct systematic observation data collection tool, which is an adaptation of the Microscale Audit for Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) tool, assesses five core areas: (1) built environment infrastructure (e.g., road type, curb cuts/ramps, intersections/crosswalks, traffic control, transportation); (2) walkability (e.g. sidewalk/path features, walking safety, aesthetics & amenities); (3) bikeability (e.g., bicycle lane/path features); (4) recreational sites and structures, and (5) the food environment (e.g., access to grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets, etc.).
RWJF Culture of Health Prize
The RWJF Culture of Health Prize celebrates communities that have placed a priority on health and are creating powerful partnerships and deep commitments to make change. Presented annually by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Call for Applications for the 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize is currently underway. In this fourth round of the competition, up to 10 winning communities will each receive a $25,000 cash prize and the chance to share their accomplishments with the nation. Communities—urban and rural, tribal, large, small, and in between—are invited to apply. The application deadline is November 12, 2015. An informational webinar will be held on September 10, 2015 from 3-4pm ET for those seeking additional information.
NCCOR Connect & Explore Webinar
Clinical interventions alone are not enough to prevent and treat obesity. Members of the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Obesity Solutions will present a new model to link the clinic and community in the September 8 issue of Health Affairs. The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research’s (NCCOR) Connect & Explore Webinar on September 8th will provide the first opportunity to hear from the lead author on the paper and discuss how the model aims to build the clinical and community linkages paramount to addressing obesity in children and families.
Lessons Learned from Global Efforts to Reduce Childhood Obesity
High rates of childhood obesity around the world are prompting governments, organizations, and communities to take action in unprecedented ways. NCCOR convened a one-day meeting, Lessons Learned from Global Efforts, to bring together leading researchers and practitioners from around the world to share lessons learned from global efforts to reduce childhood obesity. Videos of all presentations from the meeting are available so you can hear from speakers directly, including from ALR program director Dr. James F. Sallis discussing leading examples of physical activity programs around the world.
Special Supplement Dedicated to Walking and Walkability
The Journal of Physical Activity and Health has released an open access special supplement themed “Walking and Walkability: Approaches to Increase Physical Activity and Improve Health” highlighting approaches to increase population levels of physical activity through walking and improved walkability. The articles focus on 1) improving the physical environment to support walking, and 2) the role of personal motivation for walking which may include walking the dog or walking to nearby destinations, such as public transit, stores, or schools.
Conferences
Sedentary Behavior and Health Conference
The University of Illinois and SHAPE America are hosting the Sedentary Behavior and Health Conference on October 15-17, 2015 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. The theme for the event is “Be the Voice of Movement”. The conference will focus on critical measurement and research issues, as well as practical concerns in sedentary behavior and health research and practice.
National Walking Summit
America Walks and the Every Body Walk! Collaborative are hosting the 2nd National Walking Summit on October 28-30, 2015 in Washington, DC. Confirmed keynote speakers include Dr. Robert D. Bullard, known as the father of the environmental justice movement, Mr. Ron Sims, who has served in top appointed and elected posts at the national, state and local levels to advance transportation and housing equality, and Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General.
International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health
The 6th ISPAH International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health is accepting abstracts for conference presentations. Submission deadline is February 29, 2016. The conference will be held November 15-19, 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme for the event is “Active People, Active Place, Active Policy”.
