Be Active Your Way Blog - Creative programming

Get Active America! – A Community Approach

TRichards — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:08:00 -0400

At a time when policymakers are pulling levers to transform our sick care system to a genuine health care system, we have redesigned our flagship health promotion program, Get Active America, beginning May 2, 2011, to position health clubs as leading voices in their communities for healthy and active lifestyles.

The cornerstone of Get Active America is outreach to encourage the club’s whole community – club members and nonmembers – to pursue an Active Lifestyle award, such as the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award, that will ultimately establish long-term, healthy physical activity habits. In this manner, Get Active America! supports the goal of the Let’s Move campaign, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, to inspire at least one million Americans to be active for 5 days/week for at least 6 out of 8 weeks. We are looking forward to reporting the great contributions of IHRSA members to the First Lady and her Let’s Move team.

We are also encouraging participating clubs to reach out to other local leaders to increase the impact of their efforts.

We’re anticipating that local governments will be interested in a Get Active America partnership in the spirit of Let’s Move Cities & Towns. Perhaps the leaders of local faith communities will be eager for IHRSA clubs to sign up their members for an Active Lifestyle award and share the message of health and wellness. And, certainly, there must be a local service organization near every club that could benefit from a warm-up exercise and healthy living discussion before its next meeting, no?

Of course, participating clubs will also connect directly with youth and seniors. We’re recommending that clubs offer to bring Get Active America to schools and senior centers through classes or seminars. Or, better yet, invite young people and seniors to pursue an Active Lifestyle award by, for example, offering use of the club at discounted rates during off-peak hours.

The outreach possibilities are limited only by imagination. We know that participating clubs may run into a logjam of local bureaucracy or shortsighted skeptics, but they are empowered by the truth that a health club can transform the members of a community in a way that few institutions of our society can hope to match. Undoubtedly, health clubs provide a service – health and wellbeing through exercise – that is vital to any community.

We don’t know yet the ultimate impact of Get Active America, but we’re hoping that it will lead to several innovative community health models through exercise.

What are other organizations doing to encourage innovation in the promotion of physical activity at the community level?

Active Aging Week 2011

CMilner — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:15:00 -0400

A myriad of activities can enhance health and well-being. The key is to find the right ones for an individual. One example of how we can encourage people to find what works for them is ICAA’s Active Aging Week.

Now in its ninth year, Active Aging Week, September 25–October 1, promotes the benefits of active, healthy lifestyles for adults over 50. During that time, host sites invite older adults in their local communities to experience free wellness activities and exercise in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere. Below are some insights from veteran organizers as well as some general planning tips for participating in this kind of health promotion event:

Save the dates. Give people plenty of notice to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Initiate planning early. Begin your planning cycle as early as possible to have time to develop a vision and create support materials.

Target the audience. Consider the target audience for your activities. The identity of your target audience will influence the goals you set, the partnerships you seek, and both the activities and approaches you use.

Decide on goals. Consider the specific goals you want to achieve through your activities, and let those goals guide your planning. Your objectives will focus your decisions through the planning stages. Plus, determine how to measure the success of your efforts.

Seek out partnerships. Determine the resources you will need and approach other organizations about forming alliances. These resources might include staff, facilities, expertise, contacts and funding, for example. Others to contact include organizations that might provide speakers and/or volunteers, or offer cash or in-kind donations.

Have a checklist. Make sure you know what you need to do, and when, in the months leading up to the event. To help Active Aging Week organizers, ICAA provides a general “five-month plan” listing the major planning stages, as well as a planning checklist of more detailed tasks (see below).

Work with colleagues. Bring colleagues into the planning process, as they can help in selecting goals, promoting the health promotion event, and supporting or leading activities. Also, seek out colleagues who have the skills to help with specific planning tasks, such as writing press releases or creating marketing approaches

Call in volunteers. Start a volunteer team and involve this group in creating a vision, spreading the word about activities, and carrying out plans

Use ICAA resources. Visit the ICAA website for free support materials used to help Active Aging Week hosts plan and implement this event. Resources include fact sheets; formats for media advisory, press release and calendar announcements; logos; posters; certificates of participation; and more. A bevy of “planning guide” articles offers programming inspiration and practical information, while planning worksheets include a marketing matrix and lists that hosts can customize to meet their needs. To access these resources, go to the ICAA Web site.

Active Aging Week activities may be the opportunity individuals need to step outside their comfort zone, finding that perfect activity that lets them be active their way. How can you take advantage of ICAA resources for Active Aging Week to help launch people on their way to healthier, active living?

Program Spotlight 1-11-11

SLier — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:50:00 -0400

This week’s spotlight shines on the Kids Take Heart program offered by The Hope Heart Institute, an organization in Bellevue, Washington that focuses on cardiovascular disease prevention.

Program Basics
Kids Take Heart (KTH) is a health and fitness curriculum that includes anatomy, fitness, nutrition, stress and goal-setting. It was developed and piloted by certified teachers in nearly 20 districts and over 60 schools and 650 classrooms. KTH was designed as a tool to equip children in third, fourth and fifth grades to make lifestyle choices that promote fitness, health and wellness and lessen the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.

An online training component provides graduate continuing education credits or clock hours for teachers, and allows teachers to schedule a curriculum kit (including all lesson materials) for two months. After the program is completed, students will be able to:
     • Identify components, functions, and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
     • Recognize and evaluate risk factors, warning signs, and prevention strategies (i.e. healthy eating and active living) for cardiovascular disease.
     • Create and implement a personal wellness plan targeting nutrition and physical activity.
Kids Take Heart also involves student health ambassadors promoting heart health information among families and the greater community.

In addition to emphasizing 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily, the KTH fitness unit helps students integrate active lifestyles, the FITT (frequency, intensity, time and type) principle and components of health-related fitness (i.e. flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance). Throughout the unit, students participate in a series of physical activities and calculate their median pulse. This helps them determine which physical activity level they fall within most days of the week so they can determine individual daily amounts. In the end, students communicate the concept of energy balance – the intake of quality foods in the right quantity expended by physical activity.

Teachers can implement the program during PE classes, in various grade level classrooms, or some combination of the two. KTH could also be used in an after-school program, through the local Parks & Recreation Department or Boys & Girls Clubs. The program incurs little to no cost for school districts (or other venues).

Measuring Success
Teacher evaluations and student health logs determine the impact of the program. The evaluations provide information on the structure and content of training, appropriateness of curriculum, ease of use with kit materials as well as the total number of students reached. Student health logs show nutrition and physical activity goals that students set, as well as their progress in reaching their goals over a two week period.

Challenges
Carly Meiser, CHES, serves as the Education and Community Outreach Assistant for The Hope Heart Project. When asked about program challenges, she said, “With school budget cuts, the pressure of standardized tests, and so many programs competing for time within the school day, health and physical education programs are either being pushed to the back burner or off the burner entirely even as the number of children who are overweight or obese rises.” This is likely a challenge that is echoed among school-based programs nationwide.

Lessons Learned
Ms. Meiser shared that flexibility has been the program’s key to success, “We piloted the original program several years ago, and continue to modify it for improvement based on feedback and changing needs of diverse populations. One tip would be to create a program that can be altered to meet different needs. Having a “menu” of items for folks to select from helps us piece together what a group needs most.”

According to Ms. Meiser, KTH can be used to support health and physical activity in the community by allowing kids to be health ambassadors promoting what they learned throughout your program while developing advocacy skills (perhaps at a community health event). The program can equip families with sound information and spur healthy changes within households.

What are some other creative ways that student ambassadors could be used to affect change in their communities? Share your thoughts & experiences by submitting a comment, below.

Children are on the Move in DeCA

kHawkins — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:42:00 -0400

Childhood obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions, with the number of overweight children doubling over the past two decades. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is championing the fight against childhood obesity with supporting the “Let’s Move!” campaign through promoting physical activity for children and healthy food choices. We have taken the quest to market and educate DeCA’s military audience to commissaries, publications and even to social networking sites, holding healthy food and physical activity demonstrations, writing about the positive effects making healthy choices can bring, and “tweeting” with commissary patrons about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Two of DeCA’s most recent health and wellness events took place at military installations in Virginia. 5-year-olds from the installation child development center learned how to make fresh fruit shish kabobs and vegetable cornucopias using whole-grain tortillas, while commissary employees teamed up with the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center to treat the children to a morning of fun-filled exercises. These events encourage children at an early age so they know how to make healthy choices throughout their lives. By working with the children, the community and the families to learn to make healthy choices, they’re more likely to continue these good habits as they get older. Eating healthy and exercising are both important aspects in winning the battle against childhood obesity and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The fight against childhood obesity involves the community supporting the families and providing educations as well as interventions that help support the things they do at home. At the same time, we are able to teach adults to be healthier through these interactive events.

What are some things you are doing to help encourage children to be active in your community?

Program Spotlight

SLier — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:30:00 -0400

This week we would like to spotlight the Fit for the Masters Use module of ProjectPower and how it was implemented by a Houston-based program.

Program Basics

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has created a year-round diabetes awareness program called ProjectPower, which is specifically designed for implementation in African American churches. In this program, the church can promote awareness messages and healthy family living by participating in one of the modules called Fit for the Masters Use (Physical Activity). In this module, participants learn the definitions of diabetes and pre-diabetes. This module increases awareness of why physical activity is important, introduces different forms of exercise, provides suggestions for getting started, discusses the recommended amounts of exercise for adults, and increases awareness of the healthcare provider’s role. According to Sherry Grover, her program tailored the module by offering some give-a-ways such as the ProjectPower pedometer and using line dancing, which has become increasingly popular in the African American community, as exercise.

Measuring Success

Grover says that they measure program success through knowledge and program assessments. Knowledge is measured in the form of pre/post quantitative test. The questions are focused on information presented in the Fit for the Master’s Use module. Participants are asked to not include a name on questionnaires and consent for participation is constituted by completing the forms which are optional.

The program’s success is measured by the qualitative and quantitative measures. Qualitative measures are obtained by the Ambassador Evaluation. Ambassadors are church representative trained by the ADA to conduct the year-round modules. Questions measured address the presentation of the workshop and the materials used in the program.

Challenges

Challenges faced in implementation include recruitment and funding. The pastors of the churches are asked to recommend ambassadors’ or representatives from the church that can recruit church member participation. Past participation has been low. Some of the reasons given include: time constraints and not wanting to know about a potential illness. “In addition,” Grover states, “funding for giveaways, materials and snacks is often a problem.”

Implementing a Similar Program in Your Community

Those interested in implementing similar programs can contact the ADA for market area, ambassador training and program materials. The ambassador training is normally conducted at the ADA offices but can be conducted at individual churches. After participants complete training, they are given ambassador materials for the program. They are also given timelines. The ADA will conduct follow-up on each participant’s progress.

How could you use this program in your community?

Program Spotlight

SLier — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:23:00 -0400

This week we would like to spotlight Healthy & Fit on the Go, a program designed to inspire behavior change by providing tips and tools for self-care, healthy eating and physical activity for University of Minnesota Extension staff.

The Program Basics

Healthy & Fit on the Go is a program designed to inspire behavior change by providing tips and tools for self-care, healthy eating and physical activity for Extension staff who spend a great deal of their work day in the car. The Physical Activity Guidelines are used as the basis for materials development. A review of the research in behavior change, nutrition and physical activity resulted in this series of 10 how-to tip cards packaged in a take-along kit with a lunch bag, water bottle and exercise band.

This program is designed as a worksite wellness initiative; a pilot was conducted with staff that included an education session featuring the materials in the kit: an insulated lunch bag with re-freezable ice pack, a medium-resistance exercise band, a BPA-free water bottle and 4 how-to tip cards for healthy eating choices and physical activity ideas.

Components of the kit were distributed and demonstrated at the Annual Conference of Extension Educators during October 2010.

Measuring Success

Betsy Johnson and her colleagues conduct end-of-conference surveys at the close of each annual conference where distribution, education and demonstration occur. In addition, kit-specific online surveys are sent at 3-month and 6-month intervals following the conferences. Online surveys include a request for input regarding the usefulness of the kit contents as well as suggestions for tip card topics.

Initial results indicated a strong motivation for changing behavior upon receipt of the portable kit with actual changes exceeding 40 percent for recipients after the first year.

Challenges

Johnson mentioned three main challenges for the program:

Institutionalization: “It was relatively easy the first year to ensure all staff received the kit and participated in the education/demonstration. In years 2 and 3 we are experiencing some issues around distribution and education to new staff as well as distributing and educating staff about new tip cards.”

Individual motivation: “Kit recipients are motivated to use the materials immediately following the conference as evidenced in post-conference surveys. But motivation decreases as time passes. The 3-month and 6-month surveys indicate less actual use/behavior change the further away from the conference. But, each survey does serve as a reminder about the kit and some become motivated by that reminder.”

Cost: “As we expand to the staff in more program areas within Extension (and are faced with state budget crises) we are testing components of the kit for usefulness and cost-effectiveness as a way to motivate behavior change at a lower cost.”

Implementing a Similar Program in Your Community

Try using the following suggestions when implementing a program like this in your community:

As we’ve heard with other programs, get leadership buy-in. With upper management support for the effort, it will more likely be integrated into the planning for a conference or program; without that support, all expense and effort could be wasted.

Develop a systematic reminder system to maintain the motivation for behavior change that follows the education sessions.

Respond to suggestions for improvements, changes or additional tips and materials; it must be relevant to the user or it won’t be used.

If materials and education are distributed once a year at a conference, plan for 3-5 years worth of new materials to keep it fresh and to create the expectation that this wellness program is part of the conference culture.

Program Spotlight 10-18-10

SLier — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:51:00 -0400

This week we would like to spotlight the Arkansas State University – Beebe Wellness Program, a recently developed wellness program struggling through the difficulties associated with building a successful program with limited resources.

The Program Basics

The Arkansas State University – Beebe Wellness Program (ASUB Wellness) is entering its second year of existence. Upon initiation of the program, they received a copy of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Toolkit. Since then, they have followed many of the guidelines in their programs and especially in wellness coaching sessions with individual employees. They have established an incentive program entitled “Step by Step” focusing on walking and “Walking Wednesdays” to promote physical activity. Be Active Your Way materials are freely distributed to the employees who show interest in physical activity.

Measuring Success

According to Joseph Scott, “Our program success has exclusively been measured by employee participation.” In their inaugural year, ASUB Wellness ongoing events and programs were deemed successful if they could increase participation from start to finish. Evaluation sheets were sent out post participation asking for input on how the employees were affected and what they would change. Most responses were positive. Scott says, “They have already been asking when the incentive program will be back.”

Challenges

The wellness program is financed by the college with a small, $5,000 budget for programming exclusively for college employees. This poses all kinds of challenges when trying to run a wellness program for an entire semester. Joseph Scott mentioned that they have overcome some of the financial burden by:

Asking local vendors to donate prizes and incentives
Holding events/programs that do not take a major toll on the budget
Getting brochures and handouts from major organizations like ADA or AHA as well as government agencies
Partnering with their health insurance provider to procure speakers, handouts, and information

The program is run by a part-time wellness coordinator which limits the time available to set up events and run the program. Another challenge to consider is that, as a state institution, ASUB Wellness encounters many restrictions on implementing incentive programs. It restricts buying the employees basic instruments like pedometers and wellness materials. The last challenge faced is getting the campus interested in wellness. No previous programs were in place to consistently focus on wellness at the college until the ASUB Wellness Program. The wellness coordinator has routinely been asked what the program is and does.

Implementing a Similar Program in Your Community

ASUB Wellness has many tips to offer minimally funded smaller wellness programs. They have discovered that when minimally funded and understaffed you have to:

Reach out for help from larger groups and organizations. This might include getting wellness materials for discounted rates or even free.
Ask local organizations to participate in events. This helps use manpower from the community.
Reach out to individuals specifically in different areas to get more departments involved in activities.
Find ways to incorporate giving incentives for physical activity. This has been very successful and popular among ASUB employees.

Do you have suggestions for this budding wellness program? How could they strengthen their program?

Program Spotlight

SLier — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:13:00 -0400

This week we spotlight Cincinnati Veterans Affairs (VA) Management of Overweight/Obesity for Veterans Everywhere Program (MOVE!), an evidence-based lifestyle program for veterans.

The Program Basics

According to Stephanie Ciccarella, Cincinnati VA utilizes a 2-step process to promote readiness to change. The first step offers education on nutrition, behavioral habits, and physical activity. The second step emphasizes action, like journaling, physical activity, and problem-solving personal habits. Training is offered twice a week under the supervision of a physical therapist with cardiovascular, strength training, and education during 2-hour classes. Personal accountability is the cornerstone of the program.

Veterans begin the second step with education on the importance of regular daily activity. Each person is issued a pedometer and instructed to track their daily steps. Veterans are able to see changes in their activity levels reflected in their journals and set goals. By the end of the program, veterans take lead roles by leading exercise and supporting each other through problem solving and motivation.

Measuring Success

"Emphasis on performance and outcome measures are keys to determining effectiveness of the program,” says Ciccarella. “They help guide program development.”

The Cincinnati MOVE! Phase II program utilizes additional evidence-based outcome measures to help guide the development of physical activity training and education during meetings. These outcome measures (listed below) help indicate ability to successfully participate in semi-intensive exercise, degree of health risk, and improvement in function. By reviewing pre- and post assessment measures, each group member is able to see his or her specific improvement.

Challenges and Program Shortcomings

“One of the primary shortcomings of this program is its length,” says Ciccarella. A longer program would ensure a more thorough change in behavior and demonstrate greater physical progress. Another drawback to the program is geographic availability. Evidence demonstrates that people are more likely to maintain a physical activity schedule when resources are available within 10 miles of their homes. Some veterans must travel significant distances to participate. Veterans are also required to commit a significant amount of time over a 6-week period. This poses a problem for those who work, have children, or go to school. Given the nature of weight loss, the benefits of participation may not be dramatic enough to maintain motivation. Some of the proposed answers to these problems include lengthening the program to 9 or 12 weeks, expanding Physical Therapy Clinics in all outpatient settings, and introducing more flexible scheduling.

Outcome Measures

Berg balance scale	Perceived wellness survey
Montreal cognitive assessment	Gait speed
Weight/BMI	6- minute walk test
Rate of perceived exertion	Vital signs
Readiness to change

Implementing a Similar Program in Your Community

Cincinatti VA tailored the national MOVE! Program to fit their specific needs. To implement the program in your area, check out the original MOVE! Program at: http://www.move.va.gov/ and see how it can work for you.

How could you tailor the MOVE! program for your area?

Are you interested in having your program spotlighted? Leave a comment below and we will contact you with more information.

Sharing Successful Strategies- The New Program Spotlight Blog Series

SLier — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:36:00 -0400

Youth street dance at Family Fitness Days in San Diego, Ca

When we first launched the Be Active Your Way Blog, we aimed to create a space where professionals could share successes, ideas, and lessons about physical activity promotion. We successfully accomplished this through regular guest bloggers discussing promotion strategies, but we have decided it is time to kick it up a notch. We want to increase information sharing about successful strategies to promote the Physical Activity Guidelines.

We know that the readers of this blog (you!) are active in promoting physical activity in a multitude of different ways in a diverse array of settings. It’s time to share information about these programs and how they address the tough task of promoting physical activity. How do your programs do it? What are the barriers? How do you know that your hard work is paying off? How could others implement programs similar to yours?

Starting this week, we will feature weekly Program Spotlight blogs. These blogs will give you the chance to see how your peers are fighting the fight. We hope that these blogs will give you a chance to see the innovations of others and apply what they have learned to your own work. Each blog will include information about barriers that were faced, ways the programs are evaluated, and tips for how to implement similar programs.

We encourage you to get involved with the Program Spotlight blogs. Comment on the blogs about programs you like to show your support or better yet, if you have a program you would like to share with the community, let us know! Leave us details about the program in a comment below, and we can get back to you about how your program could possibly be spotlighted one week.

Program Spotlight

SLier — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:26:00 -0400

This week we would like to spotlight Family Fitness Days (FFD), a successful, community-based physical activity program in Southern California.

The Program Basics

Network for a Healthy California – San Diego & Imperial Region works with low-income Californians, increasing their physical activity and teaching them the importance of living a healthy life. Their FFD are monthly events that take place at the City Heights Farmers’ Market. The program highlights physical activity opportunities and classes taking place in the community that are either free or low cost. According to Larissa Johnson, Physical Activity and Community Youth Organization Coordinator, "The goal is to get people to realize that all they need to do is pick an activity that’s easy to fit into their lives and then do it."

FFD are multifaceted, providing interactive physical active events and a booth with physical activity information such as the Be Active Your Way fact sheets. Different physical activities are highlighted every month, alternating between aerobic activities and strengthening activities. Videos of past activities on posted on the ICanSanDiego YouTube page at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ICANSANDIEGO#g/a

Measuring Success

The success of the program is measured by how many people are reached. Network for a Healthy California has established partnerships with local recreation centers and agencies that provide physical activity demonstrations to see if enrollment increases as a result of the FFD.

Challenges

Ms. Johnson feels fortunate that the challenges have been minimal. Both the community and the Farmers’ Market have been receptive to incorporating the physical activity program. However, one of the challenges faced by FFD is lack of personnel to staff the events. Though the events only occur once a month, it is difficult to secure volunteers for the four hour time commitment. To overcome the challenge, FFD connected with professor Ellen Turkel from San Diego City College, a local community college, where students from her health class receive school credit for service learning. They have found the student volunteers to be a great addition to the project, because they want to play a positive role in the community.

Implementing a Similar Program in Your Community

Ms Johnson feels it would be quite easy to create programs similar to FFD in any community. She suggests that others should:

Connect with local resources. For a Farmers’ Market, there are always organizations, businesses, etc surrounding the market. Utilize them as a resource!
Take a look at events that are going on in your community and try to see ways that physical activity can be integrated into that event. For example, if your community has an annual pumpkin festival, that festival is a great opportunity to include physical activity. Think about using the pumpkins as makeshift cones for a relay course or a soccer dribbling challenge.

Do you have suggestions that FFD could use to build their program’s success?

How might this program be adapted for success in your community?