The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) have selected seven health professionals to spend a year working in the executive branch or a congressional office with key responsibilities for health legislation and programs as RWJF Health Policy Fellows for 2008-2009.
Archive for category Environment
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will award 10 grants of up to 250.000 US$ for policy advocacy to improve food and recreation environments in communities at high risk for obesity.
Active commuting to school
Jan 28
This new study from University of Birmingham is about the association between active commuting to school, weight and physical activity status in ethnically diverse adolescents predominately living in deprived communities.
Multidisciplinary research in public health: A case study of research on access to green space
Jan 28
The health benefits of using a green spaces for walking or exercising are well recognized. However, whether people choose to use local green space may be determined by a variety of factors. These are likely to include physical distance to access of green space, as well as perceptions and understandings of what is being accessed and how it should be used. This study has also illustrated the ways in which multiple methods can be integrated in public health research, and the merits of different approaches to undertaking multidisciplinary work of this type.
Designing for Better Health
Jan 28
Changemakers.net is organizing an online, open source competition as a global search for individuals and institutions who help people make better decisions regarding their health and the health of others. Designing settings and scenarios in which people make healthy choices requires presenting those choices in a way that takes the all-too-human side of decision making into account. People need (and want) choices, but they also need (and want) help’”a nudge’”when they’re not sure what to do.
5,167 Canadians aged 15-79 years completed a telephone survey. Self-efficacy and intention were the strongest correlates and had the greatest effect on PA.
Researchers from Poplar Bluff in Missouri carried out a qualitative and quantitative study of the approaches being used by the Ozark Heart Health Coalitions in developing walking trails in rural Missouri. In summarizing these approaches the authors describe 10 lessons with the aim of articulating the process and, thereby, increasing interest and capacity in development of walking trails.
Planning for Healthy Places
Jan 27
Planing land use, economic development, and redevelopment offer a valuable set of tools to promote and enhance healthy communities. Visit this website on ‘Planning for Healthy Places’ in California. Find inspiration for policy work to engage public health advocates in the planning decision-making process for healthy environments.
The Perfect Neighborhood
Jan 27
Enjoy this interactive story about inequality and urban planning.
This study compared moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and students without disabilities during inclusive physical education and recess. Students (7-12 years) wore a uniaxial accelerometer in school for 5 consecutive school days. Results indicated a significant difference between settings. Students with and without ASD spent a higher proportion of time in MVPA during physical education than during recess, relative to the amount of time spent in those settings.