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Physical Activity for Older Americans
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Resources  


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.

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CHILDREN AND SCHOOLS
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.

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MEDICAL
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.

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PLANNING
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.


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