Spring 2009
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This information was printed from The President's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports,
located at http://www.fitness.gov
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From the Acting Executive Director
Penelope Slade-Sawyer
I am pleased to be back at the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The work of the Council is very important, particularly today when we continue to see alarming rates of overweight and obesity and debilitating medical conditions that result from complex factors including inactivity and obesity.
The Council office continues its work on the inactivity front with the launch of the 2nd National President’s Challenge (NPC) on May 1, 2009. The 2008 effort was a great success, with Alaska finishing first among the states and District of Columbia. I hope you will spearhead efforts to encourage the participation of your family, friends, colleagues, employees, and constituents in the 2009 NPC. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (http://www.health.gov/paguidelines) make clear how vitally important it is for adults and children of all ages and abilities to be active on a regular basis. Now is your chance to show others how they can be active by joining in this effort. Continue to visit the National President’s Challenge Web site for more details on the program http://www.presidentschallenge.com/national_challenge/.
For those of you who may be attending the 2009 American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Summit, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) annual meeting, or ACSM annual meeting, I encourage you to attend one of the PCPFS Science Partnership presentations. This year’s speakers include representatives from our Science Board and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These sessions are sure to be informative, particularly with regards to the development and application of the Physical Activity Guidelines and, in the case of the ACSM Annual Meeting, the relevance of the guidelines to specific population groups. I will be speaking about the guidelines’ development process at the AAHPERD annual meeting. Please feel free to stop by and say hello.
I look forward to spending this time with the Council and to continuing the great work of this office. Here’s to an active spring!
Regards,
Penelope Slade-Sawyer, PT, MSW
RADM USPHS
Acting Executive Director
Council Members' News and Activities
There are no Council members in place at this time. Information regarding new Council appointments will be released when it is available.
FEATURE ARTICLE
Recommendations for prevention and treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries
The ACL is one of four ligaments necessary for proper knee stability and function. Rigorous exercises or activities, such as basketball or soccer, that require sudden pivots or stops can significantly increase the chances of an ACL tear, a common injury among athletes - especially females. In fact recent studies reveal that young female athletes are up to eight times more
likely than boys to tear their ACLs. Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that in 2006 there were more than 46,000 female athletes age 19 and younger who experienced a sprain and strain of the ACL; nearly 30,000 of these injuries required repair.
Both non-surgical and surgical treatment options are available for ACL injuries. After an ACL injury or ACL reconstruction, an exercise and rehabilitation program to strengthen the muscles and restore full joint mobility of the knee may include the following:
- Range-of-motion and stretching exercises designed to restore flexibility.
- Braces to control joint movement.
- Exercises to strengthen the quadriceps and other leg, hip, pelvic and trunk muscles. (Muscle strength is needed to provide the knee with as much support and stability as possible.)
- Additional exercises including balance training, agility and aerobic conditioning like stationary cycling.
An athletic trainer or orthopaedic surgeon can recommend more advanced programs designed to improve technique, strengthen muscles and further decrease the chances for an ACL injury.
This article is part of a new public service announcement (PSA) campaign that is a partnership between the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) targeting ACL injury prevention and treatment among girls. For the PSA campaign materials, please visit: http://www.nata.org/ACL/index.htm
For more information, visit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Web site at www.orthoinfo.org and the National Athletic Trainers' Association Web site at www.nata.org.
Note: NATA is a President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Science Partner http://www.fitness.gov/about_sciencepartners.htm
Mark Your Calendar
Save the Date
March
National Brain Injury Awarenes Month www.biausa.org
National Nutrition Month www.eatright.org
25-28 ACSM Health and Fitness Summit, Atlanta, GA www.acsm.org/summit
April
Cancer Control Month www.cancer.org
Sports Eye Safety Month www.aao.org/eyemd
22 Earth Day
25 World Tai Chi and Qigong Day http://www.worldtaichiday.org
6-12 National Public Health Week www.nphw.org
18-26 National Park Week www.nps.gov/npweek
National SAFE KIDS Week www.usa.safekids.org
May
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month www.fitness.gov
American Stroke Month www.americanheart.org
Clean Air Month www.lungusa.org
1 National President’s Challenge Launch (May 1-July 24)
10 Launch of the WOMAN Challenge www.womenshealth.gov/woman
20 National Employee Health and Fitness Day www.physicalfitness.org
10-16 National Women’s Health Week www.womenshealth.gov/whw
National Physical Education and Sport Week www.naspeinfo.org/naspe
18-24 Recreational Water Illness Prevention Week http://www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming/rwi_prevention_week.htm
June
National Trails Day (June 6) http://www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx
National Get Outdoors Day (June 13) http://www.funoutdoors.com
Great American Backyard Campout (June 27) www.backyardcampout.org.
July
1-2 National Plan for Physical Activity National Conference, Washington, DC http://www.physicalactivityplan.org/
Deadlines
Office of Disease Prevention and Healthy Promotion, HHS
April 27- Application deadline for state, territory, and tribal governments to apply for funds to conduct strategic planning using the Healthy People 2020 framework and population health improvement concepts. Up to 12 projects will be funded a maximum of $37,000 each. The project activities must take place between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. For more information and to download the request for proposal forms, please visit www.healthypeople.gov/stateaction.
National Institutes of Health
Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research Consortium (U01)
(RFA-HL-10-004)
Application Receipt Date(s): October 06, 2009
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HL-10-004.html
Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research Coordinating Unit (U01)
(RFA-HL-10-005)
Application Receipt Date(s): October 06, 2009
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HL-10-005.html
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
RWJF has two funding opportunities available.
Deadlines:
April 28, 2009 at 1pm (Pacific) for the Call for Proposals Round 9
July 17, 2009 at 5pm (Eastern) for the Rapid Response Round 2 Grants
More information and application forms are available at http://www.activelivingresearch.org/ grantsearch/grantopportunities/current
Physical Activity and Public Health Courses
Application Deadline: May 15, 2009:
The fall 2009 courses will be held September 15-23, 2009 in Hilton Head Island, SC. These courses are highly recommended for staff of state Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Programs. For more information about the courses and the application process, please visit http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/seapines/index.htm.
President's Challenge Program Updates
Awards
Certificates with President Obama’s signature are now available. The medallions featuring his signature are still in production.
President’s Challenge Poster Game
Nerdel, a President’s Challenge advocate, created a poster game just for kids. The game is based on the 2008-2009 President’s Challenge poster that was created by world renowned artist, Mr. Charles Fazzino. To learn more about the game, please visit: http://www.nerdel.com/presidents_challenge/
National President’s Challenge
Make your plans to participate in the 2009 National President’s Challenge. It’s fun, it’s free, and it’s easy. To learn more, please visit: http://www.presidentschallenge.org/ national_challenge/downloads/2009%20NPC%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Science Board News and Notes
Member Updates
The PCPFS is proud to announce the three new Science Board members whose terms will begin in 2009. Those individuals are I-Min Lee, MD, Sc.D., Matt Mahar, Ed.D., and Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D. Dr. Lee is an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard University and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Mahar is a professor and director of the Activity Promotion Laboratory at East Carolina University. Dr. Wiese-Bjornstal is an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota.
Members whose terms expire at the end of 2008 are Drs. Barbara Ainsworth, Maureen Weiss, and Weimo Zhu. Dr. Weiss served as chair of the board in 2008. Dr. Ainsworth has served on the editorial board of the Research Digest since 2007. We greatly appreciate their service to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Get Informed
ACSM Health and Fitness Summit: Jacqueline Epping, M.P.E., with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will talk about the Physical Activity Guidelines. The Summit is scheduled for March 25-28, 2009. http://www.acsm.org/Content/
NavigationMenu/Education/Conferences/
HealthFitnessSummit/Summit.htm
AAHPERD National Convention: Science Board members Thom McKenzie, Ph.D., Patty Freedson, Ph.D., and Greg Heath, DHSc. will talk about the applications of the Physical Activity Guidelines to school and after-school programs. Their talk is part of the AAHPERD Research Consortium program. The convention takes place March 31-April 4, 2009. http://www.aahperd.org/research/template.cfm?template=08_submissions.html
Want to recognize an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the science of physical activity? Nominate that individual for the Science Honor Award. For information on the award and the nomination process, please visit:
http://www.fitness.gov/news-honorawardprocess.htm
What's New at HHS
Physical Activity Guidelines Information
Be Active Your Way e-cards offer tips and tools to help you and your loved ones find different ways to get active! Visit the Web site, choose a card, add a personal message, and send it to friends or family. http://www.healthfinder.gov/ecards/cards.aspx.
Additional e-cards will be available in the future, so check the Web site for updates!
Healthy People 2020
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion invites public comment on the existing Healthy People 2010 objectives. These comments will be used to inform the development of the draft Healthy People 2020 objectives. Comments for this period must be received by April 24, 2009. Please visit http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/comments/.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
AHRQ created a diabetes cost estimation tool. Employers can use the tool to estimate how much diabetes costs them and the potential savings from better management of the disease. To learn more or to access the tool, please visit: http://www.ahrq.gov/populations/diabcostcalc/.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Children's BMI Tool for Schools
The tool is an Excel spreadsheet that can be used by schools, child care and other professionals to calculate BMI for groups of children. To access the tool, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/
bmi/childrens_bmi/tool_for_schools.html
Weight of the Nation Conference
Register for the CDC’s inaugural conference on obesity prevention and control taking place July 27-29, 2009 in Washington, DC. The conference is designed to provide a forum to highlight progress in the prevention and control of obesity through policy and environmental strategies and is framed around four intervention settings: community, medical care, school, and workplace.
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/
Summary.aspx?e=815f3980-e9c7-4a48-8569-a6daf4e39e8b
Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report
Arthritis as a Potential Barrier to Physical Activity Among Adults With Heart Disease --- United States, 2005 and 2007.
“Being physically active is an important component of heart disease (HD) management (1); however patients with HD are less likely to comply with physical activity recommendations than those without HD (2). Arthritis is a common comorbidity among persons with HD, and arthritis-associated joint pain and fear of further joint damage can be an unrecognized barrier to physical activity among persons with HD (CDC, unpublished data, 2008).”
To view the entire article, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5807a2.htm?s_cid=mm5807a2_e
ACHIEVE
43 U.S. communities have been selected to serve as ACHIEVE communitities: Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental changE. Their goal is to bring together local leaders and stakeholders in an effort to build healthier communities by promoting policy, systems, and environmental change strategies that focus on physical activity, nutrition, tobacco cessation, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
To learn more about these communities, please visit www.achievecommunities.org.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The Acting Surgeon General is featured on the first in a series of NIH Podcasts about the new Physical Activity Guidelines. Access the Podcasts at: http://www.nih.gov/news/radio/nihpodcast.htm
The National Institute on Aging updated the popular NIA exercise guide for older adults. The 2009 version, Exercise and Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging is available for free online and in print. To download or order the guide, please visit: www.nia.nih.gov/exercise.
And elsewhere…
Healthy Eating and Active Living Convergence Partnership
The Partnership has available a free Web-based toolkit that provides an overview of transportation policy and planning and the connections with public health. The focus of the information tends toward federal policies. To navigate the toolkit, please visit:
http://www.convergencepartnership.org/th101/
Active Living Research
A new research brief, Growing Demand for Communities that Promote Health, overviews the state of the peer-reviewed research relating to walkable communities and their affect on physical activity. To access the PDF, visit http://www.activelivingresearch.org/files/
ALR_Brief_WalkableCommunities.pdf
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and National Society for Physical Activity Practitioners in Public Health (NSPAPPH)
Together the ACSM and NSPAPPH launched a specialty certification, Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist. This is a national voluntary professional certification for physical activity practitioners who focus on public health settings. To learn more, please visit:
http://www.nspapph.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=1.