Emerging Issues

Since the beginning of the decade, opportunities for future objectives have emerged. The technology to measure individual physical activity levels has advanced to include additional types of devices (for example, pedometers, motion detectors, and heart rate monitors). Since their introduction in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2003, motion detectors have been used for population assessment. These and similar technologies provide the opportunity to track population progress in physical activity and fitness measures that augment health surveys.

Increasing opportunities for physical activity through multidisciplinary environmental and policy interventions has emerged as a priority for public health. For example, the Community Guide to Preventive Services² recommends increasing access to and promoting public awareness of suitable locations for physical activity, such as walking or biking trails or recreational facilities, and reducing barriers associated with facilities' operating hours and usage fees. An example of a multidisciplinary method to increase physical activity is the Safe Routes to School initiative.¹⁸ The project facilitates walking and bicycling to school by involving partners such as traffic engineers, public works officials, local school boards and school staff members, community planners, and parents.

At the midcourse of Healthy People 2010, progress was made toward increasing physical activity and fitness-related activities. However, many of the challenges present in 2000 still exist. Looking ahead to the future, public health practitioners increasingly view physical activity as a pillar of chronic disease prevention and mental health initiatives. The benefits of this status will be realized as interventions and programs that began between 2000 and 2005 come to fruition during the second half of the decade.

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