Changes in Policy Maker Attitudes Toward Active Living Communities Issues in Hawaii, 2007–2013

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1056-1062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan McGurk ◽  
Jay Maddock
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Policy Maker ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Active Living ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Active Lifestyles

Background:Obesity and lack of physical activity are major public health problems in the United States. Well-designed, active living communities (ALCs) can help support physically active lifestyles. This study assessed attitudes of Hawaii decision makers in 2007 and 2013 to determine if priorities toward ALCs changed. Methods:Elected and appointed state and county officials were mailed surveys both years. Respondents rated the importance of 23 specified problems, which included 1 obesity variable and 5 ALC variables.Results:The survey was completed by 126 (70.4%) respondents in 2007 and 117 (60.9%) in 2013. Among the specific problems, only obesity increased in rank from 14th to ninth place. Three variables fell more than 2 places: increasing traffic (fifth to seventh place), poorly planned development and sprawl (seventh to 11th place) and pedestrian safety (12th to 17th place). The other 2 stayed relatively the same: lack of pedestrian walkways, sidewalks, and crosswalks (16th to 15th place) and lack of recreational activities (22nd to 23rd place).Conclusions:Across years, obesity concerns have increased but do not appear to be tied to increases in concern for ALC variables. More education for policymakers on the link between obesity, physical activity, and the built environment is necessary.

PUBLIC HEALTH

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1960 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1018-1021
Author(s):  
Myron E. Wegman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Natural Increase ◽  
The Other ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
First Time

For the first time in 3 years it is gratifying to note that the infant mortality in the United States has not increased. The estimated rate for 1959, 26.4, was about 2% lower than the 1958 rate of 26.9 and is at the same level as the 1957 rate. Low point thus far for the United States was in 1956, when the rate was 26.0. There was relatively little change in the other important rates—births, deaths and marriages. The natural increase in the population, that is births (including an estimate for those unregistered) minus deaths, was 2,632,000, giving a rate of increase of 14.9 per 1,000 population, essentially the same as the 1958 rate of 15.0.

Public Service Announcements and Promoting Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Steven Greene ◽  
Marc Hetherington ◽  
Rahsaan Maxwell ◽  
Timothy J. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Public Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Public Service Announcements ◽  
The Other ◽  
Randomized Experiment ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
The Media

ABSTRACT Wearing face masks to combat the spread of COVID-19 became a politicized and contested practice in the United States, largely due to misinformation and partisan cues from masking opponents. This article examines whether Public Service Announcements (PSAs) can encourage the use of face masks. We designed two PSAs: one describes the benefits of using face masks; the other uses a novel messenger (i.e., a retired US general) to advocate for them. We conducted two studies. First, we aired our PSAs on television and surveyed residents of the media market to determine if they saw the PSA and how they felt about wearing face masks. Second, we conducted a randomized experiment on a diverse national sample. Both studies suggest that exposure to our PSAs increased support for face masks and induced greater compliance with public health advice. These findings have implications for how governments might fight pandemics.

scholarly journals Disentangling Race, Poverty, and Place in Disparities in Physical Activity

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armani Hawes ◽  
Genee Smith ◽  
Emma McGinty ◽  
Caryn Bell ◽  
Kelly Bower ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Significant racial disparities in physical activity—a key protective health factor against obesity and cardiovascular disease—exist in the United States. Using data from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 2000 United States (US) Census, we estimated the impact of race, individual-level poverty, neighborhood-level poverty, and neighborhood racial composition on the odds of being physically active for 19,678 adults. Compared to whites, blacks had lower odds of being physically active. Individual poverty and neighborhood poverty were associated with decreased odds of being physically active among both whites and blacks. These findings underscore the importance of social context in understanding racial disparities in physical activity and suggest the need for future research to determine specific elements of the social context that drive disparities.

Notes on the Taxonomy and Natural Relationships of Fleas, with descriptions of Four New Species

Parasitology ◽  
1924 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Ewing
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
New Species ◽  
Public Health Service ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The Other ◽  
National Museum ◽  
Museum Collection

Recently the writer has had occasion to go over and help arrange the United States National Museum collection of fleas. Although not as extensive as some of the other well-known flea collections, it is invaluable of the Philippines, and of Doctor Carrol Fox, Surgeon, United States Philippines, and of Doctor Carrol Fox, Surgeon, United States Public Health Service, Two of the foremost authorities on the Siphonaptera.

A Comparison of the Early Twenty-First Century Drought in the United States to the 1930s and 1950s Drought Episodes

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (12) ◽  
pp. 2579-2592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Heim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
First Century ◽  
The Other ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Areal Extent ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Early Twenty

Abstract The United States experienced a severe drought that peaked in 2012 and was characterized by near-record extent, record warmth, and record dryness in several areas. For some regions, the 2012 drought was a continuation of drought that began in earlier years and continued through 2014. The 1998–2014 drought episode is compared to the two other major drought episodes of the twentieth century in terms of duration, areal extent, intensity, and spatial pattern using operational datasets produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Centers for Environmental Information. It is characterized by more short-term dryness, more concurrent (regional) wetness, and warmer temperatures than the other two drought episodes. The implications of these differences for water resource managers and decision-makers are discussed.

scholarly journals Monitoring Physical Activity Levels Using Twitter Data: Infodemiology Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Liu ◽  
Brian Chen ◽  
Alex Kuo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
County Level ◽  
Twitter Data ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

BACKGROUND Social media technology such as Twitter allows users to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions online. The growing body of social media data is becoming a central part of infodemiology research as these data can be combined with other public health datasets (eg, physical activity levels) to provide real-time monitoring of psychological and behavior outcomes that inform health behaviors. Currently, it is unclear whether Twitter data can be used to monitor physical activity levels. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to establish the feasibility of using Twitter data to monitor physical activity levels by assessing whether the frequency and sentiment of physical activity–related tweets were associated with physical activity levels across the United States. METHODS Tweets were collected from Twitter’s application programming interface (API) between January 10, 2017 and January 2, 2018. We used Twitter's garden hose method of collecting tweets, which provided a random sample of approximately 1% of all tweets with location metadata falling within the United States. Geotagged tweets were filtered. A list of physical activity–related hashtags was collected and used to further classify these geolocated tweets. Twitter data were merged with physical activity data collected as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Multiple linear regression models were fit to assess the relationship between physical activity–related tweets and physical activity levels by county while controlling for population and socioeconomic status measures. RESULTS During the study period, 442,959,789 unique tweets were collected, of which 64,005,336 (14.44%) were geotagged with latitude and longitude coordinates. Aggregated data were obtained for a total of 3138 counties in the United States. The mean county-level percentage of physically active individuals was 74.05% (SD 5.2) and 75.30% (SD 4.96) after adjusting for age. The model showed that the percentage of physical activity–related tweets was significantly associated with physical activity levels (beta=.11; SE 0.2; P<.001) and age-adjusted physical activity (beta=.10; SE 0.20; P<.001) on a county level while adjusting for both Gini index and education level. However, the overall explained variance of the model was low (R2=.11). The sentiment of the physical activity–related tweets was not a significant predictor of physical activity level and age-adjusted physical activity on a county level after including the Gini index and education level in the model (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS Social media data may be a valuable tool for public health organizations to monitor physical activity levels, as it can overcome the time lag in the reporting of physical activity epidemiology data faced by traditional research methods (eg, surveys and observational studies). Consequently, this tool may have the potential to help public health organizations better mobilize and target physical activity interventions.

Park, Recreation, Fitness, and Sport Sector Recommendations for a More Physically Active America: A White Paper for the United States National Physical Activity Plan

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (s2) ◽  
pp. S236-S244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Mowen ◽  
Birgitta L. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
The United States ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Physical Activity Guidelines ◽  
And Performance ◽  
National Physical Activity

Background:The United States’ first National Physical Activity Plan is now under development. This plan follows the release of new physical activity guidelines and seeks to address the nation’s ongoing physical inactivity and obesity crisis. For this plan to be successful, all facets of American culture need to unify behind its recommendations and action steps. Guidance for this plan involves active participation from a variety of sectors, including the park, recreation, fitness, and sport (PRFS) sector.Purpose:In this white paper, we discuss the potential of the PRFS sector in addressing America’s physical inactivity. Specifically, we provide a brief description, history, and scope of the PRFS sector; present evidence concerning linkages between this sector and physical activity; and discuss existing challenges and emerging opportunities for promoting physical activity. We conclude by suggesting PRFS recommendations to promote physical activity based on anticipated effectiveness, reach, scope, and sustainability.Methods:Academic articles, professional reports, and physical activity plans were reviewed to summarize the evidence concerning PRFS sector strategies for increasing physical activity. Recommendations: Based on our review, we propose several sector-specific proximity, place, program, partnership, promotion, people, policy, and performance indicator recommendations for improving physical activity in the United States.

The Early Interwar Period

2021 ◽  
pp. 153-192
Author(s):  
Sebastian Rosato
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
World War I ◽  
Interwar Period ◽  
The United States ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Other ◽  
World War ◽  
Treaty Of Versailles ◽  
The Creation

This chapter examines Franco-German and U.S.-Japanese relations in the early interwar period (1919-30). The chapter begins by drawing on the primary and secondary historical record to evaluate how key French and German decision makers thought about each other’s intentions, focusing on these episodes: the negotiation, signature, and aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles; the onset, development, and resolution of the Ruhr Crisis; and the Locarno era. Were they confident that their counterparts had benign intentions—that is, did they trust each other—as asserted by intentions optimists? Or were they uncertain about each other’s intentions, which is to say that they mistrusted each other, as suggested by intentions pessimism? Having shown that Paris and Berlin were far from confident that the other side had benign intentions throughout the early interwar period, the chapter then describes the shape of the resulting Franco-German security competition. The second half of the chapter repeats the analysis performed in the first half, this time with respect to the United States and Japan, focusing on the following episodes: the aftermath of World War I; the creation and operation of the Washington Treaty system; and the three years between the Geneva and London Naval conferences.

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