Issue 37 | March 2024 | {View as Webpage}

Your Monthly News and Updates from The Physical Activity Alliance (PAA)

Updates from the Physical Activity Alliance!

2024 Congressional Physical Activity Challenge – We Need Your Help!

The Congressional Physical Activity Challenge (sponsored by PAA and MyZone) is an annual competition involving the offices of the US Congress in a bid to achieve the highest level of physical activity. The Challenge is held each May for the duration of National Physical Fitness and Sport Month and open to all members of Congress & their congressional staff and interns, committee staff and leadership staff. This year we're also inviting the President’s Council on Sport, Fitness, and Nutrition to participate.

We are asking each of you to contact your members office and ask both staffers and members to participate! Please provide them with this flyer with information on how to join and the recording from the informational webinar.

The Role of Physical Education Within the National Physical Activity Plan

The Education Sector of our National Physical Activity Plan was developed to help schools, early care and education centers, and colleges and universities to establish policies and provide programmatic opportunities to support all students in adopting physically active lifestyles.

This article The Role of Physical Education Within the National Physical Activity Plan from the February 2024 issue of JOPERD presents an overview of the strategies and tactics, along with objectives specific for K-12 school physical education programming. Read

Congressional Briefing with the Congressional Physical Activity Caucus

PAA recently held a Congressional Briefing with Congressional Physical Activity Caucus Co-Chair Representative Jimmy Panetta [D-CA] (pictured) to talk about new physical activity legislation and the importance of prioritizing physical activity. A huge thank you to our federal partners from CDC and HHS who served as panelists sharing the research and data and our PAA members for leading the panel. We have lots of exciting things brewing this year, stay tuned!

ICYMI: Special Session on Heart Health for Seniors with Tivity Health, Physical Activity Alliance, and the American Heart Association

Last month, in celebration of American Heart Month, we joined the Healthy Aging Coalition for a special session focused on heart health for seniors. Watch the recording.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The purpose of this section is to provide physical activity resources, articles, research, and education as it relates to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

New Lakeshore Foundation Center Ups the Game for Adaptive Sports

PAA was honored to support and attend the January 2024 grand opening of Lakeshore Foundation Sports Science & Performance Center (SSPC) in Birmingham, Alabama.

The SSPC will benefit Paralympians and athletes at all levels. Read for more info.

Learn More

Video showing different athletes training at the Lakeshore Sports Science & Performance Center

Announcements, Releases, Reports, and Research

The Current State of Physical Activity Assessment and Interventions with Public Policy Solutions Read

Meeting the Aerobic and Muscle-Strengthening Physical Activity Guidelines Among Older US Adults, National Health Interview Survey 1998–2018 Read

The White House Announces New Partnership with Major Sports Leagues and Players Associations to Boost Physical Activity and Increase Nutrition Programming Across the Country Read

The White House Announces 141 New Bold Commitments From Stakeholders Cultivated Through the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities Read

NEW Resource from the Digital Medicine Society

The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) recently launched their core set of digital measures for the “6th vital sign”: physical activity! These new, free resources can be used to adopt measures of physical activity in clinical research and practice. More

New! The Complete Streets Policy Grading Tool

Smart Growth America recently released a new Complete Streets policy grading tool. Created in partnership with AARP, this one-of-a-kind interactive resource guides users through the steps of evaluating a Complete Streets policy using their 10 Element Framework and generates a report that includes details about the policy’s score and how it compares to others within the same state. Go ahead—use the tool to grade your community's policy here.

Military Families Outdoors

Military Families Outdoors is a new innovative partnership, championed by Congresswoman Betty McCollum, focused on supporting the health and well-being of service members and military families through intentional, hands-on outdoor experiences. The program is a result of $5milion in funding directed to the Defense Health Agency – Public Health and a partnership between the National Park Service, Blue Star Families, and Wilderness Inquiry. Read

New Book! Move To Live More: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers to Help Their Kids Move More and Feel Better

Move to Live More features 20 thought leaders in the physical activity and youth sports space, and innovative solutions for getting kids moving before school, in school, after school, and on the weekends. It offers tips and takeaways for parents and caregivers on how and why kids need to move for better physical health, mental health, and academic development. More

Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes Read

The Built Environment and Pediatric Health Read

Bicycle Friendly Community Ideabook

The League of American Bicyclists recently released the Bicycle Friendly Community Ideabook, a free publication that aims to inspire local advocates and decision-makers by uplifting projects, partnerships, and policies used by peer communities in their efforts to better support people riding bikes. Read

Park Prescription Program Toolkit

The Park Prescription Program Toolkit is an interactive, step-by-step guide for agencies interested in starting their own Park Prescription program. More

Power Mapping 101: How

Communities Can Make Connections

and Improve Park Access Read

Changes in Perceptions of the Near-Home Walking Environment Among US Adults-2015 and 2020 National Health Interview Survey Read

The Influence of Social Vulnerability and Culture on Physical Inactivity in the United States – Identifying Hot Spots in Need of Attention Read

NIH Designates People with Disabilities as a Population with Health Disparities Read

Getting Started With Physical Activity

Being active helps improve overall health and improve quality of life. For more information about how to get started, check out resources from our federal partners at the CDC and their Active People, Healthy Nation^SM initiative. More