The HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has been working with the Association for State and Local Health Officials (ASTHO) to educate and mobilize state health leadership to integrate the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the PAG Midcourse Report throughout the state health agencies. This partnership has resulted in four webinars, a collection of case studies, and an issue brief describing state stories.
Register today! Coming up on Wednesday, October 9th, 2-3 pm EDT is the fourth and final webinar in their series, and it will focus on the school setting. Sign up today to learn how state health agencies can support the Physical Activity Guidelines through school based strategies, initiatives, and programming.
ASTHO has recently released an issue brief highlighting a variety of successful state stories to increase physical activity throughout a variety of settings. The issue brief shares stories from Georgia, Wisconsin, Colorado, South Carolina, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Michigan and provides specific tips on what worked for each of these states to improve the physical activity levels by collaborating across sectors.
What can states do?
1. Engage multi-sector, geographically diverse stakeholders to develop a strategic direction for statewide physical activity promotion.
2. Provide state-specific technical assistance and guidance to ensure that programs and policies are implemented with fidelity.
3. Build on existing successful initiatives to expand those efforts to multiple agencies, as well as private, public, traditional, and nontraditional partners.
4. Leverage cross-sector community partnerships and coalitions to implement evidence-based programs, particularly for special populations (e.g., older adults, people with disabilities, and people with chronic medical conditions).
5. Conduct sector-specific, comprehensive needs assessments to identify the opportunities and barriers to promoting and increasing physical activity.
Is your state or community promoting physical activity? We would love to hear from you! Share your comments below.