Be Active Your Way Blog - Recreation

Innovative Physical Activity Joint Use Agreements

sFranklin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:44:00 -0400

Public park and recreation agencies and school districts in many areas have utilized Joint Use Agreements (JUA) for years. The National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN) "defines a JUA as a formal agreement between two separate government entities - stating terms and conditions for shared use of public property or facilities." Pooling of resources allows for more effective use of government dollars, which in today's economy takes on even greater meaning as well as a heightened sense of urgency. Groups advocating for physical activity have recently begun encouraging more towns, cities and counties to consider such agreements as a way to increase the number of physical activity opportunities for their residents.

Consider the following... School playgrounds are open to the community on weekends in San Francisco as a result of a joint use agreement between the school district and the city. The City of Seattle took things a bit further... they designed and implemented a program that centralized scheduling of both school and recreation facilities, which streamlined the reservation policy and increased access. In several communities, schools and cities have combined their resources to build new recreation facilities that serve the needs of both the schools and the community (NPLAN).

The National Physical Activity Plan includes JUAs as important strategies in both the Education sector and the Parks, Fitness Recreation and Sport (PFRS) sector. The Make the Move Report - 2010-2011 National Implementation of the U.S. Physical Activity Plan lists increasing the number of JUAs by 10% over the next 5 years as a priority for the PRFS sector. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is co-leading this strategy with the National Recreation and Park Association.

I encourage advocates to look beyond government though for JUAs and to consider the possibility of public-private agreements. The Wheaton Park District used an innovative approach to increase their number of (much in demand) soccer fields. A large corporate campus sat at the edge of park district and had plenty of flat (this was Illinois!), green space that was there purely for its aesthetic value. The two organizations signed an agreement that stated the park district would mow the grass in return for its use as soccer fields evenings and weekends. I dare say there are many possibilities like this across the country.

Perhaps there is a private health club located near a school. Use of the club may be sparse during the day... what a great opportunity for a PE class! Maybe there's a camp nearby used only in the summer... strike a deal for use of its athletic facilities. Many places of worship even have recreational facilities. The possibilities are endless to increase spaces and places for people of all ages to engage in physical activity - if you just think the outside the box a bit!

What kinds of unique joint use agreements can you think of? Are there facilities in your own community that you could see working with to increase the opportunities for physical activity?

Can Physical Activity Help Children with ADHD?

SLier — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:46:00 -0400

Inattentiveness, procrastination, fidgetiness, and disorganized work habits are just a few of the symptoms of ADHD. For a child with ADHD, such behaviors impair functioning at school, home, and their ability to maintain relationships with peers. The cause of ADHD is largely unknown and likely to be a multi-factorial interplay between genetic and environmental influences. Current strategies for management include medications and intensive behavioral therapy which are not optimal for long term management of the disorder.

Can physical activity help symptoms of ADHD? There is burgeoning research in this area that suggests this may be the case. A recent review paper published by Jeffery M. Halperin and colleagues from Queens College of the City University of New York, in Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews, January 2011, suggests ADHD in children should be viewed within the context of a “developmental trajectory” rather than a fixed medical condition. As such, ADHD can be modified by environmental influences, including exercise. Individuals with ADHD are never cured, but they can compensate. Environmental influences, including exercise, may affect the degree of later brain development and hence determine the extent to which an individual can compensate.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans of the brains of children show that exercise increases activity in the frontal lobes, which are responsible for executive function (see USA Today article). The executive functions consist of processes responsible for planning, rule acquisition, initiating appropriate actions/inhibiting inappropriate actions, and selecting relevant sensory information. ADHD is a disorder of executive function. In an NIH funded study performed by Catherine Davis and colleagues at the Medical College of Georgia, on 94 sedentary children randomized to a high dose exercise intervention group, found improvement in planning scores (i.e., executive function) in the high dose group compared to controls.

Studies are underway to determine the optimal frequency and amount of physical activity appropriate for children with ADHD. There is some consensus however, that certain types of physical activities may be more beneficial in children with ADHD (see article). Activities that require memorization and sequencing of behaviors help focus attention and repeat learned movement patterns, e.g., yoga, martial arts, dance/ballet, gymnastics, swimming and team sports. One study of the brains of judo players (adults) by Jacini and colleagues found significantly higher volume of gray matter in the frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, and cerebellar regions of the brains of judo players versus controls. Interestingly, neuroimaging studies have shown reduced volume of the frontal, posterior, and cerebellar areas of brains of children with ADHD.

There is also evidence that physical activity outdoors may be more beneficial for children with ADHD. Dr. Frances Kuo from the University of Illinois found that green outdoor settings (green backyard, park, or neighborhood space) appeared to reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children compared to the same activities performed in indoor settings AND built outdoor settings (concrete areas, not much green). Lastly, in July 2010, Yale Researcher, Dr. David Katz published preliminary results of the ABC Fitness Program (Activity Bursts in the Classroom) which focuses on physical activity during the school day. The study compared an intervention group (schools that incorporated bursts of physical activity throughout the day) versus a control group. Preliminary results indicated that medication use for ADHD decreased in the intervention group. Green settings for playgrounds at schools, physical activity in the morning before class (tai chi on the lawn anyone?), and incorporating physical activity during the day in the classroom, may be just the prescription needed to help children overcome the hurdles of ADHD.

Thanks to Farzana L. Walcott, MD, MPH, for submission of this post.

News & Reports 7/26/10

SLier — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:30:00 -0400

This week we highlight some current news articles regarding physical activity as a family event.

Family Workouts Establish Bonds (source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune) Article discusses the added benefit of relationship building that can come from participating in physical activity as a family.

Family Fitness Challenge: How to have a fun, active summer (source: USA Today) Article discusses ways for families to be active together this summer with six weekly activities.

What are some other ways for families to become involved in physical activity together?

Tapping in to America’s Great Play Spaces

JWargo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:17:00 -0400

Credit: Steve Hillebrand/US Fish and Wildlife Service

With millions of acres of public lands and thousands of miles of rivers, Americans have access to an amazing outdoor “gym” in which they can pursue a variety of activities. Between the National Park Service and the Forest Service alone, there are approximately 160,000 miles of trails, 58 national parks, and more than 14,000 recreational sites. This doesn’t include the numerous state and local parks and recreation areas that may be next door to your home, school, or worksite. Contrary to popular belief, being active outdoors doesn’t have to mean a long car trip, a lot of gear, or special skills.

While physical activity researchers and public health professionals tackle the challenge of getting more Americans to meet the recommended levels of physical activity, federal land and water management agencies are tackling questions regarding future generations of conservationists and land managers. Competing interests ranging from organized after school activities to a variety of electronic media and concerns about safety are among the reasons children may not be engaging in outdoor activity as they were 20-30 years ago. If children don’t know about these great “play” spaces, why will they care about them in 5, 10, or 15 years?

This presents a valuable opportunity for land and water management agencies and health organizations to come together for the common good and to help both sectors achieve their ultimate goals. Chapter 8 of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends communities engage sectors such as parks and recreation and transportation for their capacity to facilitate or enhance participation in a variety of physical activities. Since 2002 a Memorandum of Understanding between the federal land management and public health agencies has encouraged cooperation and information sharing in order to promote the benefits of physical activity on public lands for human and environmental health.

A number of local, state, and national initiatives in the public and private sectors have facilitated communication between the health, park and recreation, and transportation sectors and furthered the reach and scope of initiatives improving health through recreational or nature-based physical activity. A few examples include “Get Fit Great Falls”, “No Child Left Inside”, the Arkansas River Trail Medical Mile, and the Forest Service’s “More Kids in the Woods” challenge cost share initiative. Nationwide, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs improve the ability of primary and middle school students to safely walk and bicycle to school. Across the country, SRTS programs bring together the very sectors highlighted here in addition to many others.

The President’s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program includes a ready list of outdoor activities users can select to more quickly facilitate tracking those activities on their personal activity tracker. Whether it’s a lunch-time walk or wheel through a nearby park, a bike-ride home on a rail-trail, or fishing in a national wildlife refuge, our nation’s public lands and waters are invaluable in our quest to help Americans be more physically active.

How are you working with your local, state, or federal land management agencies? What opportunities do you have to connect with these agencies to improve the reach of your physical activity programming?

Description: Encouraging partnerships between federal, state, and local land and water management agencies and public health experts and physical activity practitioners to improve levels of physical activity, particularly among our nation’s youth.