The following
organizations offer information and resources in a variety of
areas tied to physical activity, including policy, science and
medicine, education and community planning.
CHANGE
American Dietetic Association,
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995;
(312) 899-0040;
http://www.eatright.org/pr/child.html: The world’s largest
organization of food and nutrition professionals offers extensive
information on eating well, dieting safely, using vitamins,
raising healthy children and understanding nutritional needs.
AARP, 601 E St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20049; (800)
424-3410 or (202) 434-2277;
http://www.aarp.org/activeforlife/: AARP and The Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation co-sponsor Active for Life, an initiative in
Richmond, Va., and Madison, Wis., that uses community education,
advertising and public policy changes to try to increase physical
activity for mid-life and older adults in those cities. Web site
offers a do-it-yourself, 12-week physical activity plan for older
adults, links to health and fitness sites, and information on
training volunteers to conduct walking audits of their
communities.
American Obesity Association,
1250 24th St. NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20037; (202)
776-7711; http://www.obesity.org:
Offers consumers tips and programs to prevent and treat obesity.
Active Aging Partnership, University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Kinesiology, 126 Louise Freer
Hall, 906 South Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 244-7122;
http://www.agingblueprint.org: Web site provides downloadable
brochures on fitness and aging topics and offers exercise success
stories and links to fitness resources.
America Walks, P.O. Box 29103,
Portland, OR 97296-9103; (503) 222-1077;
http://www.americawalks.org:
Sponsors the National Walk Our Children to School Day and provides
guidelines for communities looking to develop a pedestrian
advocacy group. Web site also has tips for starting a walking
program.
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance, 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA
20191-1598; (800) 213-7193;
http://www.aahperd.org: Offers resources and programs for
sponsorship, such as “Jump Rope for Heart” and “Hoops for the
Heart,” for physical education teachers and recreation
practitioners.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333; (404) 639-3311,
http://www.cD.C..gov: Respected
national resource for statistics, research and health consequences
of overweight and obesity as well as a wealth of information about
health, nutrition and fitness programs.
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention, and Health
Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford
Highway NE, MS/K-24, Atlanta GA 30341-3717; (770) 488-5820;
http://www.cD.C..gov/nccdphp/dnpa/index.htm: Web site has
information on obesity statistics, public health programs, eating
well, nutrition and how to start being active.
Fifty Plus Fitness Association,
1040 Noel Drive, Suite 100, Menlo Park, CA 94025; (650) 323-6160;
http://www.50plus.org;
info@50plus.org: Publishes a newsletter, distributes books and
videos, sponsors activities such as “fun runs” and fitness
weekends, holds an annual conference and awards presentation, and
runs an ambassador program to help older adults create local
events.
National Coalition for Promoting Physical
Activity, 1010 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 350, Washington, D.C.
20001; (202) 454-7518;
http://www.ncppa.org: Comprised of organizations such as the
National School Fitness Foundation that promote physical activity
by distributing newsletters, handbooks, tip sheets, reports and
other tools to the public.
Center for Science in the Public
Interest, 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C.
20009; (202) 332-9110;
http://www.cspinet.org: Publishes the Nutrition Action
Healthletter, offering nutrition quizzes, information on food
safety and news articles about the nutritional content of a
variety of foods.
National Association for Health & Fitness, 401
West Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3233; (317) 955-0957;
http://www.physicalfitness.org;
info@physicalfitness.org:
Sponsors “National Employee Health and Fitness,” the largest
worksite health and fitness event in the United States; “Let’s Get
Physical,” the national fitness challenge, and “Make Your Move!”,
an incentive-based, health promotion campaign for employees.
North American Association for
the Study of Obesity, 8630 Fenton St., Suite 918, Silver Spring,
MD 20910; (301) 563-6526;
http://www.naaso.org: Publishes the journal “Obesity
Research,” available online.
President’s Council on Physical Fitness and
Sports, Department W, 200 Independence Ave. SW, Room 738-H,
Washington, D.C. 20201-0004; (202) 690-9000;
http://www.fitness.gov; Best
known for running the President’s Challenge, a physical
activity/fitness awards program for students, provides physical
fitness information, especially for children, to the public,
teachers, coaches, health care and fitness professionals, youth
camp and club leaders.
Shape Up America!, c/o WebFront
Solutions Corporation, 15757 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville, MD
20855; (301) 258-0540;
http://www.shapeup.org: Founded by former Surgeon General Dr.
C. Everett Koop, provides extensive tools, information and quizzes
about obesity and nutrition. Its “10,000 Steps Program” promotes
walking using a pedometer.
American School Food Service
Association, 700 South Washington St., Suite 300, Alexandria, VA
22314; (703) 739-3900;
http://www.asfsa.org/: With 52
state affiliates, hundreds of local chapters and more than 55,000
members, the group’s goal is to ensure all children have access to
healthful school meals and nutrition education. Website provides
research, statistics, nutrition information, activities for parents
and teachers (learn to make “Trees in a Broccoli Forest”), and
database of school meal recipes.
American School Health Association, 7263 State
Route 43, P.O. Box 708, Kent, OH 44240; (330) 678-1601;
http://www.ashaweb.org: Comprised of administrators, counselors,
dentists, health educators, physical educators, school nurses and
school physicians, ASHA promotes health and nutrition education
programs. Publishes the quarterly “Health in Action” newsletter with
ideas for lesson plans and health programs, handouts for students and
their families and other resources.
Community Food Security
Coalition, P.O. Box 209, Venice, CA 90294; (310) 822-5410;
http://www.foodsecurity.org: Helps communities develop a system of
growing, manufacturing, processing and selling food. Projects include
the “Farm to School Program,” where local farmers sell to schools as a
revenue source, providing students with fresh and healthy lunch and
snack alternatives.
Eat Well & Keep Moving, Department of Nutrition,
Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., 7th floor,
Boston, MA 02115; (617) 432-1135;
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/prc/ewkm.html: Run by the Harvard
Prevention Research Center, promotes healthful eating and physical
activity in schools, homes and communities through classroom lessons,
promotional campaigns, physical education improvements and food
service.
Food and Nutrition Information
Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, National Agricultural
Library, Room 105, 10301 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD
20705-2351; (301) 504-5719;
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/:
Offers a wide array of information about food and nutrition, available
in the “Consumer Corner” of its website.
Food Studies Institute, 60 Cayuga St.,
Trumansburg, NY 14886; (607) 387-6884; www.foodstudies.org: Headed by nutritionist Dr. Antonia
Demas, who developed the “Food is Elementary” curriculum, which
teaches schools to use healthier, mostly ignored ingredients in the
federal school lunch program to feed students and educate them about
nutrition.
Healthy Kids Challenge, 2 West
Road 210, Dighton, KS 67839; (888) 259-6287;
http://www.healthykidschallenge.com: This non-profit partnership
with Cooking Light magazine offers materials and tips for creating
healthy eating and activity for urban students and their families. The
program is designed for communities with limited resources. Schools
and communities sign up to “Take the Challenge” and receive free
materials.
P.E.4Life, 1150 17th St. NW, Suite 407,
Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 776-0377; http://www.pe4life.org:
Promotes daily physical education programs for students by selling
a Community Action Kit, sponsoring and providing activity ideas
for National P.E. Day and hosting workshops through its Institute.
Project Lean, P.O. Box 942732,
MS- 674, 94234, Sacramento, CA; (916)323-4742;
http://www.californiaprojectlean.org/index.html: Website offers
healthy eating and physical activity brochures in both English and
Spanish, research, tip sheets, recipes and lesson plans for high
school students; also a Community Action Guide to removing soda from
school vending machines.
Safe Routes to Schools, P.O. Box 201, Forest
Knolls, CA 94933; (415) 488-4101;
http://www.saferoutestoschools.org: Provides tips on starting a
program to encourage students to walk or bike to school; offers how-to
examples from the first Safe Routes to School program, started in
Marin County, Calif.
SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active
Recreation for Kids), San Diego State University, 6363 Alvarado
Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92120; (800) 444-5700;
www.sportime.com/spark.jsp: Featured in the Surgeon General’s
report on physical activity as a school-based solution to pediatric
obesity, this non-profit organization of San Diego State University
offers a package of research-based curricula, staff development,
extensive follow-up support and equipment to elementary and middle
schools.
SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for
Kids), San Diego State University, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 250,
San Diego, CA 92120; (800) 444-5700;
www.sportime.com/spark.jsp: Featured in the Surgeon General’s
report on physical activity as a school-based solution to pediatric
obesity, this non-profit organization of San Diego State University
offers a package of research-based curricula, staff development,
extensive follow-up support and equipment to elementary and middle
schools.
The Children and Adolescent
Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit),
2140 Shattuck Ave., Suite 610, Berkeley, CA 94704; (510) 644-1533;
http://www.canfit.org: Develops
culturally appropriate health, nutrition, and physical activity
materials — such as its “Recipes for Success” manual — aimed at
low-income, multi-ethnic youth, particularly African Americans and
Asian/Pacific Islanders. Trains youth service providers, awards
community grants for nutrition education and physical activity
projects, and provides scholarships for students studying health and
nutrition.
The Cooper Institute, 12330 Preston Road, Dallas,
TX 75230; (972) 341-3200;
http://www.cooperinst.org: Developed FITNESSGRAM, a computerized,
health-related fitness assessment for children, used in more than
6,000 schools nationwide.
The Edible Schoolyard, 1781 Rose
St., Berkeley, CA 94703; (510) 558-1335;
http://www.edibleschoolyard.org: Operates a two-acre organic
garden at the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley,
Calif., where students participate in farming, preparing, serving and
eating their own food.
The Food Trust, School Market Program, 1201
Chestnut St., 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107; (215) 568-0830;
http://www.thefoodtrust.org:
Operates farmers’ markets in the mid-Atlantic region, providing food
demonstrations, nutrition education and health screenings. Works with
urban public schools to promote healthy eating and provide nutrition
education through a student-run, fresh-food market program.
Urban Nutrition Initiative
Project, Center for Community Partnerships, University of
Pennsylvania, 133 South 36th St., Suite 519, Philadelphia, PA
19104-3246; (215) 898-5351;
http://www.upenn.edu/ccp/uni.shtml: Using entrepreneurship and
promotions, offers lower-income elementary, middle and high schools
the means to incorporate nutrition and physical fitness into
traditional subjects, such as math and language arts, by operating
fruit and vegetable stands and working in school gardens.
ClinicalTrials.gov;
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/: Operated by the National
Institutes of Health in collaboration with the Food and Drug
Administration, its website provides information on obesity-related
clinical trials open to the general public
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,
5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20016; (202)
686-2210;
http://www.pcrm.org: Focuses on
preventive medicine, conducts research in diabetes, cancer and weight
management, and promotes the “New Four Food Groups” — grains, legumes,
vegetables, and fruit.
Prescription for Health:
Promoting Health Behaviors in Primary Care Research Networks,
University of Colorado, Department of Family Medicine, P.O. Box
6508 F-496, Aurora, CO 80045-0508; (303) 724-9771;
http://www.prescriptionforhealth.org: Supported by The Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, identifies behavior-change strategies that primary
care practices can promote by focusing on the four most important
causes of preventable disease and disability: sedentary lifestyle,
unhealthy diet, smoking and risky drinking.
University of California, Davis;
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu:
Offers expert speakers and programs on a variety of nutrition and
physical fitness topics, including the “New Latino Diet,” “Weight Gain
for Latino Immigrants,” childhood and teen obesity; the links between
diet, genes and disease in minorities; and the effect of exercise on
appetite and metabolism.
Active Living by Design,
University of North Carolina School of Public Health, 400 Market
St., Suite 205, Chapel Hill, NC 27516; (919) 843-2523;
http://www.activelivingbydesign.org: Supported by The Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, this program promotes physical activity and
healthy environments through community design, public policies and
communications. Website offers many downloadable toolkits and examples
of community design, focusing on land use, parks, trails, greenways,
transportation, and how communities are built and used.
America’s Walking,
http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking: Website is based on the
fitness, travel and lifestyle series aired on PBS, hosted by Mark
Fenton, former editor of Walking magazine. Provides 20% Boost Approach
to 10,000 Steps a Day program; a synopsis of each episode, quizzes,
tips for starting a walking program, locations for walking trips,
nutrition information and advice about gear.
Congress for New Urbanism, The
Heart Building, 5 Third St., Suite 725, San Francisco, CA
94103-3296; (415) 495-2255;
http://www.cnu.org: Founded by
architects, CNU supports neighborhood groups and designers to
implement the principles of the New Urbanism — rebuilding
neighborhoods, cities, and regions to reconfigure sprawl.
League of American Bicyclists, 1612 K St. NW,
Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20006-2082; (202) 822-1333;
http://www.bikeleague.org: This 300,000-members group offers the
“Bicycle Friendly Communities Program,” encouraging access for
cyclists; bicycle safety and education materials; advocacy efforts;
and sponsorship of National Bike Month (May), Bike to Work Week and
Bike to Work Day.
Pedestrian and Bicycle
Information Center, 730 Airport Road, Suite 300, Campus Box 3430,
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3430; (919) 962-2203;
http://www.walkinginfo.org:
Web site offers the original, detailed walkability and bikeability
checklist for communities. Provides communities with safety
information kits, including Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool
software; data from more than 9,000 bicycle and pedestrian crashes; a
Pedestrian User Guide with information on roadway design and traffic
signage, and a Bike Lane Design Guide. Holds conferences and training
programs, including the Pedestrian Bicycle University Course.
National Center for Bicycling & Walking, 1506 21st
St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 463-6622;
http://www.bikewalk.org:
Provides training and consulting services to public health and
transportation agencies and planners, and conducts workshops and
conferences on biking and walking.
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 955 L’Enfant Plaza,
Suite 905, Washington, D.C. 20024; 888-DASH-2-DOT;
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/:
Runs Pedestrian Safety Programs that encourage walking and provide
tips for reducing pedestrian injuries. Offers checklists on community
walkability and bikeability, as well as Community Action Kits to help
organize walk-to-school days and other activities.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 1100 17th St. NW,
10th floor, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 331-9696;
http://www.railtrails.org; In
its effort to have 15,000 miles of open rail-trail by the end of 2004,
the group provides information, technical assistance and training to
local organizations creating public trails from former rail lines and
connecting corridors. Focuses on smart growth through its Regional
Trails and Greenways Initiative.
Rivers, Trails, and Conservation
Assistance Program, National Park Service, 1849 C St., NW, Org.
Code 2220, Washington, D.C. 20240; (202) 354-6900;
http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/index.html: Provides
technical assistance and a Community Tool Box to communities to
conserve rivers, preserve open space, and develop trails and greenways
through national network of 90 conservation and recreation-planning
professionals.
Walkable Communities, Inc., 320 S. Main St., High Springs, FL 32643;
(386) 454-3304;
http://www.walkable.org: Provides workshops, training programs,
walkability audits, videotapes, visual aids and related services to
help communities become more pedestrian-friendly.
Sierra Club, 85 Second St., 2nd
Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 977-5500;
http://www.sierraclub.org: America’s oldest and largest grassroots
environmental organization has a “Challenge to Sprawl” campaign that
provides resources for citizens who want to promote smart growth in
their communities.