Elevating Physical Activity as a Public Health Priority: Establishing Core Competencies for Physical Activity Practitioners in Public Health

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 682-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber Dallman ◽  
Eydie Abercrombie ◽  
Rebecca Drewette-Card ◽  
Maya Mohan ◽  
Michael Ray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
Public Health Priority ◽  
Health Priority ◽  
Activity Promotion

Background:Physical activity has emerged as a vital area of public health. This emerging area of public health practice has created a need to develop practitioners who can address physical activity promotion using population-based approaches. Variations in physical activity practitioners' educations and backgrounds warranted the creation of minimal standards to establish the competencies needed to address physical activity as a public health priority.Methods:The content knowledge of physical activity practitioners tends to fall into 2 separate areas—population-based community health education and individually focused exercise physiology. Competencies reflect the importance of a comprehensive approach to physical activity promotion, including areas of community health while also understanding the physiologic responses occurring at the individual level.Results:Competencies are organized under the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 5 benchmarks for physical activity and public health practice.Conclusions:The greatest impact on physical activity levels may be realized from a well-trained workforce of practitioners. Utilization of the competencies will enable the physical activity practitioner to provide technical assistance and leadership to promote, implement, and oversee evaluation of physical activity interventions.

scholarly journals Walking and Walkability: Is Wayfinding a Missing Link? Implications for Public Health Practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Vandenberg ◽  
Rebecca H. Hunter ◽  
Lynda A. Anderson ◽  
Lucinda L. Bryant ◽  
Steven P. Hooker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Environmental Features ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Problem Solving Process

Background:Research on walking and walkability has yet to focus on wayfinding, the interactive, problem-solving process by which people use environmental information to locate themselves and navigate through various settings.Methods:We reviewed the literature on outdoor pedestrian-oriented wayfinding to examine its relationship to walking and walkability, 2 areas of importance to physical activity promotion.Results:Our findings document that wayfinding is cognitively demanding and can compete with other functions, including walking itself. Moreover, features of the environment can either facilitate or impede wayfinding, just as environmental features can influence walking.Conclusions:Although there is still much to be learned about wayfinding and walking behaviors, our review helps frame the issues and lays out the importance of this area of research and practice.

Systematic review of physical activity promotion by community health workers

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 114-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Fabiana Costa ◽  
Paulo Henrique Guerra ◽  
Taynã Ishii dos Santos ◽  
Alex Antonio Florindo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Activity Promotion

Physical Activity and Its Relationship With Perceived Environment Among Adults Living in a Region of Low Socioeconomic Level

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Antonio Florindo ◽  
Emanuel Péricles Salvador ◽  
Rodrigo Siqueira Reis
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Perceived Environment ◽  
Environment Variables ◽  
Activity Promotion

Background:The environment has a great influence on people’s lifestyles and their capacity to choose healthy habits. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between perceived environment and physical activity among adults living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.Methods:This was a cross-sectional population-based study conducted with 890 people age 18 years or over. Physical activity was measured through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ; long version) and perceived environment was evaluated using the Neighborhood Walkability Scale (NEWS) adapted. Poisson’s regression was used for statistical analyses and prevalence ratios were calculated. The outcome variable was the attainment of at least 150 minutes per week of physical activities. The independent variables consisted of perceived environment variables and control variables (sex, age, schooling, time living in the home, and number of cars per household).Results:The perceived environment variables that explained physical activity were: receiving invitations from friends for activities (P = .012), low environmental pollution scores (p trend = 0.030) and high general safety scores (P-trend = 0.039).Conclusions:These results suggest that physical activity promotion in regions like this should be envisaged as a complex phenomenon and investments in public safety, prevention and combating of environmental pollution and social support networks are needed.

Moving Through COVID-19: Perspectives of Older Adults in the Getting Older Adults Outdoors Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Kristina Marie Kokorelias ◽  
Jacquie Ripat ◽  
C. Allyson Jones ◽  
Nancy E. Mayo ◽  
Nancy M. Salbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
Safety Guidelines

Safety guidelines resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic may reduce physical activity participation of older adults, particularly prefrail and frail individuals. The objective was to explore older adults’ experiences with physical activity during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, interviews were conducted with 16 older adults. Data were analyzed thematically. Two themes emerged: (a) coming to a standstill and (b) small steps. Participants described that imposed provincial and federal recommendations caused them to reduce their physical activity with negative consequences. As time progressed, participants used emerging public health knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 to safely increase physical activity. Many participants developed strategies to remain active during the pandemic (e.g., wearing a pedometer, walking outdoors at particular times of day). Findings from this study can better inform the development of programs, clinical practice, and policy for physical activity promotion in older adults during periods of physical distancing and isolation.

Physical Activity Promotion in Primary Health Care in Brazil: A Counseling Model Applied to Community Health Workers

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1531-1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Antonio Florindo ◽  
Evelyn Fabiana Costa ◽  
Thiago Herick Sa ◽  
Taynã Ishii dos Santos ◽  
Marília Velardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Counseling Model ◽  
Activity Recommendations

Background:The aim of this study was to describe a methodology for training to provide counseling on physical activity among community health workers working within primary healthcare in Brazil.Methods:This was an intervention study conducted with 65 community health workers in the Ermelino Matarazzo district in the São Paulo, Brazil (30 in intervention group). The intervention group received a course of 12 hours (with 4 meetings of 3 hours each in 1 month) that aimed to improve their knowledge and be autonomous with regard to promoting physical activity. For data analysis, focus groups and questionnaires on knowledge and perceptions regarding physical activity were used.Results:The average attendance for the 4 meetings was 29 workers (93% of total). There was an improvement in knowledge on physical activity recommendations in comparison with the control (P = .03), and qualitative results revealed that the professionals appreciated the learned content, valued its application based on knowledge construction and felt secure about promoting physical activity. This was seen through high adherence levels and construction collective of proposal for home visits for physical activity promotion.Conclusion:The training was effective in improving knowledge and attitudes toward counseling on physical activity among community health workers.

scholarly journals Exploring the impact of the ‘new’ ParticipACTION: overview and introduction of the special issue

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Faulkner ◽  
Lira Yun ◽  
Mark S. Tremblay ◽  
John C. Spence
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Marketing Organization ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
The Impact

ParticipACTION is the Canadian physical activity communications and social marketing organization first launched in the fall of 1971 and then ceased operations in 2001. ParticipACTION was relaunched in 2007. Framed as a public health natural experiment, evidence was collected from a population-based survey of knowledge, awareness, understanding of physical activity, and physical activity levels among Canadians (individual level), and key informant surveys and interviews examining capacity, readiness and advocacy for physical activity promotion among physical activity organizations (organizational level). The purpose of this paper is to first provide an overview of some of the major initiatives undertaken by the ‘new’ ParticipACTION that may have contributed to any changes at these individual or organizational levels. Second, the paper sets the stage for the three empirical papers in this special series reporting follow-up results.

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