Impact of government-sponsored nutrition education and physical activity programs on healthy aging in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahla Wunderlich ◽  
Kelsey A. Gatto
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Activity Programs

An Observational Assessment of Park-based Physical Activity in Older Adults in Nanchang, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 1119-1128
Author(s):  
Justin B. Moore ◽  
Kristyn Schuller ◽  
Angelie Cook ◽  
Yuanan Lu ◽  
Zhaokang Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The United States ◽  
Audit Tool ◽  
Observational Assessment ◽  
Park Use ◽  
Exercise Equipment

Objectives: Parks are more widely used by older adults in East Asia than in the United States. Parks are an important community asset for healthy aging; yet, little is known about park usage and features among older adults in China. Methods: The Community Park Audit Tool and the System for Observing Play and Recreation (SOPARC) were used to assess park features, PA levels and primary activities among 40,469 older adults in Nanchang, China. Results: None of the 8 parks observed had basketball courts or baseball fields and only one had a playground. Results indicated that about half of older adults were active in parks, with women, cooler temperatures, weekdays, and morning hours being related to higher levels of activity. Conclusions: Lessons from the construction of parks in China may be useful in increasing park use in older adults in western countries. Features such as exercise equipment, water features, and small exercise areas were common where western parks are often designed with features for teens and youth including basketball courts, baseball fields, and playgrounds.

scholarly journals Mujeres Fuertes y Corazones Saludables, a Culturally Tailored Physical Activity and Nutrition Program for Rural Latinas: Findings from a Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Seguin ◽  
Cynthia Perry ◽  
Emma Solanki ◽  
Jean McCalmont ◽  
Judy Ward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Waist Circumference ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Nutrition Program ◽  
Culturally Adapted

In the United States, Latino adults, compared with non-Hispanic white adults, are less likely to meet physical activity and dietary recommendations, and have higher rates of obesity. There is an urgent need for culturally adapted health promotion programs that meet the needs of the growing Latino population in the United States. We systematically adapted StrongWomen—Healthy Hearts, an evidence-based physical activity and nutrition program, for rural Latinas. This paper reports results from a pilot study of the adapted program. We used mixed methods to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the adapted program, Mujeres Fuertes y Corazones Saludables, in a nonprofit community organization serving rural Latinos. The intervention consisted of sixty-minute classes held twice weekly for 12 weeks and included 30 minutes of physical activity and 30 minutes of nutrition education. To assess efficacy, we used a one-group, pre–post design with overweight/obese, sedentary, middle-aged or older, Spanish-speaking rural Latinas (n = 15). Outcome measures included weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, dietary behavior, and self-efficacy for diet and physical activity. Process outcomes included attendance, end of class surveys, mid-program evaluation survey, and a post-program focus group. We calculated means and standard deviations, paproired t-tests, and Cohen’s D effect size. Qualitative data were analyzed using qualitative description. Significant changes pre- to post-program included weight (−1.5 kg; p = 0.009), BMI (−0.6; p = 0.005), waist circumference (−3.0 cm; p = 0.008), 6-minute walk test (69.7 m; p < 0.001), frequency of sugar-added drink consumption (−0.7 servings; p = 0.008), fruit and vegetable intake (1.3 servings; p = 0.035), and physical activity self-efficacy (0.9 points; p = 0.022). Participants found the program motivating and enjoyable, and on average participants attended 62% of classes and fidelity was maintained. This pilot study suggests that this culturally adapted physical activity and nutrition program for rural Latinas shows promise in improving physical activity, diet, and obesity.

scholarly journals Worksite Food and Physical Activity Environments and Wellness Supports Reported by Employed Adults in the United States, 2013

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Onufrak ◽  
Kathleen B. Watson ◽  
Joel Kimmons ◽  
Liping Pan ◽  
Laura Kettel Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Wellness Policies

Purpose: To examine the workplace food and physical activity (PA) environments and wellness culture reported by employed United States adults, overall and by employer size. Design: Cross-sectional study using web-based survey on wellness policies and environmental supports for healthy eating and PA. Setting: Worksites in the United States. Participants: A total of 2101 adults employed outside the home. Measures: Survey items were based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worksite Health ScoreCard and Checklist of Health Promotion Environments and included the availability and promotion of healthy food items, nutrition education, promotion of breast-feeding, availability of PA amenities and programs, facility discounts, time for PA, stairwell signage, health promotion programs, and health risk assessments. Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence of worksite environmental and facility supports by employer size (<100 or ≥100 employees). Chi-square tests were used to examine the differences by employer size. Results: Among employed respondents with workplace food or drink vending machines, approximately 35% indicated the availability of healthy items. Regarding PA, 30.9% of respondents reported that their employer provided opportunities to be physically active and 17.6% reported worksite exercise facilities. Wellness programs were reported by 53.2% working for large employers, compared to 18.1% for smaller employers. Conclusion: Employee reports suggested that workplace supports for healthy eating, PA, and wellness were limited and were less common among smaller employers.

scholarly journals Effects of trees, gardens, and nature trails on heat index and child health: design and methods of the Green Schoolyards Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Lanza ◽  
Melody Alcazar ◽  
Deanna M. Hoelscher ◽  
Harold W. Kohl
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
The United States ◽  
Heat Index ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Natural Setting ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Nature Trails

Abstract Background Latinx children in the United States are at high risk for nature-deficit disorder, heat-related illness, and physical inactivity. We developed the Green Schoolyards Project to investigate how green features—trees, gardens, and nature trails—in school parks impact heat index (i.e., air temperature and relative humidity) within parks, and physical activity levels and socioemotional well-being of these children. Herein, we present novel methods for a) observing children’s interaction with green features and b) measuring heat index and children’s behaviors in a natural setting, and a selection of baseline results. Methods During two September weeks (high temperature) and one November week (moderate temperature) in 2019, we examined three joint-use elementary school parks in Central Texas, United States, serving predominantly low-income Latinx families. To develop thermal profiles for each park, we installed 10 air temperature/relative humidity sensors per park, selecting sites based on land cover, land use, and even spatial coverage. We measured green features within a geographic information system. In a cross-sectional study, we used an adapted version of System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) to assess children’s physical activity levels and interactions with green features. In a cohort study, we equipped 30 3rd and 30 4th grade students per school during recess with accelerometers and Global Positioning System devices, and surveyed these students regarding their connection to nature. Baseline analyses included inverse distance weighting for thermal profiles and summing observed counts of children interacting with trees. Results In September 2019, average daily heat index ranged 2.0 °F among park sites, and maximum daily heat index ranged from 103.4 °F (air temperature = 33.8 °C; relative humidity = 55.2%) under tree canopy to 114.1 °F (air temperature = 37.9 °C; relative humidity = 45.2%) on an unshaded playground. 10.8% more girls and 25.4% more boys interacted with trees in September than in November. Conclusions We found extreme heat conditions at select sites within parks, and children positioning themselves under trees during periods of high heat index. These methods can be used by public health researchers and practitioners to inform the redesign of greenspaces in the face of climate change and health inequities.

scholarly journals Physical Activity Among Somali Men in Minnesota

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed A. Mohamed ◽  
Abdullahi M. Hassan ◽  
Jennifer A. Weis ◽  
Irene G. Sia ◽  
Mark L. Wieland
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
African Refugee ◽  
Competing Priorities ◽  
Exercise Equipment

Immigrants and refugees arrive to the United States healthier than the general population, but this advantage declines with increasing duration of residence. One factor contributing to this decline is suboptimal physical activity, but reasons for this are poorly understood. Persons from Somalia represent the largest African refugee population to the United States, yet little is known about perceptions of physical activity among Somali men. Somali members of a community-based participatory research partnership implemented three age-stratified focus groups and three semistructured interviews among 20 Somali men in Rochester, Minnesota. Team-based inductive analysis generated themes for barriers and facilitators to physical activity. Barriers to physical activity included less walking opportunities in the United States, embarrassment about exercise clothing and lack of familiarity with exercise equipment/modalities, fear of harassment, competing priorities, facility costs, transportation, and winter weather. Facilitators to physical activity included high knowledge about how to be active, success stories from others in their community as inspiration, and community cohesion. Findings may be used to derive interventions aimed to promote physical activity among Somali men in the United States.

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