http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/perspective/stories/s1079161.htm

Topic: Don't Drive the Kids to School

Program Transcript
As part of the NSW Department of Education's mandatory Environmental
Education policy my son's local primary school recently did an
environmental audit. This was a jolly day where everyone put on rubber
gloves and went through the bins. They estimated the volume of waste the
school generates, collected rubbish and worked out ways to save the
world.

Strangely though, transport options weren't one of the things looked at
either at this school or in the Department's policy document. They never
asked how staff and students got to school that day or looked at the
impact of their transport choices, so to do my bit I thought I'd put
together some figures. None of this was rocket science or top secret -
everything was available with a few phonecalls and emails.

Think about how the following numbers apply to your own local school.

To start with, let's imagine you are a parent. You drive a five-year-old
hatchback and live one and a half kilometres from the local school.

If the kids are driven to school both mornings and afternoons, that
means 6km of travel each day for 202 school days, so in a year you'll
drive 1212 km between home and school. The fuel consumption for
hatchbacks is generally around 8 litres per 100km, so in twelve months
you'll use about 97 litres of petrol and at 90 cents a litre this will
cost about $87.

The cost of depreciation, maintenance, insurance etc. means that as well
as fuel it will cost about $72 to park the car in your driveway, so if
you didn't have the car you would have that money to spend on train and
bus tickets and taxi trips every week. For the money you spent buying a
car you could fit out everyone in the family with a good bike and helmet
and still have plenty left over.

That's the financial cost. What about the environment? Each litre of
petrol consumed releases 2.257kgs of CO2, so over twelve months you'll
generate about 219kg of greenhouse gases just doing the school run.
Catalytic converters don't work for the first five kilometres of a trip
so at the same time you will be doing maximum damage to the atmosphere,
and short trips where the car starts cold use up to 40% more fuel and
wear out your engine quicker.

All of these environmental and financial costs are bigger if you drive a
station wagon, people mover or 4WD.

Based on these figures, the local school could save over a tonne in
greenhouse gasses next year by getting the children from five families
walking or cycling to school every day, or eight families walking three
days a week. It's estimated that 15% of Australian children are
overweight and 5% are obese, caused by diet and a sedentary lifestyle,
so those kids will also be getting the benefit of regular aerobic
exercise. If you want to shed a few kilos for next Summer why not join
them?

Considering that 760 000 children attend NSW public schools and
Environmental Education is a mandatory policy, there is the potential
for enormous savings with a simple change in behaviour.

Re-thinking the school run and other short trips has big implications
for the rest of us as well. Road transport already contributes 14.3% of
our greenhouse emissions and the numbers are all going the wrong way.
- emissions from transport are the fastest-growing sector of our
greenhouse output
- Between 1990 and 2000 emissions from cars increased by 22.2%, and as
we want bigger, more powerful cars fuel efficiency has decreased by 10%.

- When we buy a car, its environmental impact is the least important
factor in our choice of vehicle.
- Our transport-related emissions per capita are double those of someone
living in Europe and 4 1/2 times the world average.

Cars can be really handy things, and by all means use the car when it's
pouring with rain or you have to transport that enormous papier mache
dinosaur for today's science lesson. However, on the other days do
something better for your kids and dust off the bikes. When you add up
the numbers, it does make a difference.

Guests on this program:
         Belinda Keir
         Sydney writer

Presenter: Sandy McCutcheon
Producer: Keri Phillips

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Dear PAMH members,

Below is the transcript of an interview bicycle advocate friend Bruce
Robinson recently did with ABC radio and as republished at BFA-Oz*.

For those interested- for population health or other purposes- in
promoting bicycling, walking and other non mechanised forms of
transport, I think it could well be useful ammunition to have at hand.

well wishes,

Kate

*(BFA-Oz is a mailing list for people interested in bicycle advocacy at
a state and national level in Australia.  It is an initiative of the
Bicycle Federation of Australia  (www.bfa.asn.au). To subscribe send
e-mail from that address to   bfa-oz-subscribe@...)

-----------------------------------------------------
Sunday 02/11/2003

Oil Futures*

Summary:

Argument is intensifying about the future of oil and gas. The question
is not when oil will run out, but when global production will peak and
begin its long decline. An influential group of retired oil industry
geologists who have formed the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and
Gas (ASPO) believe that the crisis is almost upon us.

Details or Transcript:

Terry Lane: A couple of weeks ago in the program, I talked with Colin
Mason about his apocalyptic book The 2030 Spike and we spent some time
talking about oil. The question when production will peak, when it will
go into decline, what will happen when it becomes scarce and expensive
and then finally, what a post-oil economy might look like. Well letters
came, naturally. One simply said that the total extinction of human life
on the planet will be the best thing that has ever happened to it, and
some cheerful optimists wrote reminding me that from Malthus to the Club
of Rome, the doomsayers have always got it wrong - the whole planet is
positively bubbling with oil and we will never run out. Well, who knows?
So we looked around for someone who has looked into the matter of how
much oil is left and we found West Australian scientist Bruce Robinson
and here he is. Bruce, good afternoon.

Bruce Robinson: Hello, how are you?

Terry Lane: Now oil reserves are not the subject of your day job I
understand but more of a personal interest.

Bruce Robinson: That's right, yes. I've been following the story since
1996 in some detail.

Terry Lane: What sparked the interest?

Bruce Robinson: I'm interested in sustainable transport, particularly
bicycle transport and the amount of oil left is directly important for
bicycle transport advocacy.

Terry Lane: I understand you've been the sole Australian delegate to
some international conferences on the future of oil.

Bruce Robinson: Yes, there's an Association for the Study of Peak Oil
and Gas (ASPO) which is a largely European organisation that had a
couple of international workshops, one in Sweden last year and one in
Paris this year at the French Institute of Petroleum. For one reason or
another I was the only person from the southern hemisphere who bothered
to go along.

Terry Lane: Is this an industry conference, or who attends?

Bruce Robinson: Oh, it's a pretty wide range of things. The first one in
Sweden which was in the University of Uppsala was largely from the
pessimist camp if you like, the scientists, geologists, largely retired
oil exploration geologists who go around in tweed coats and without a
lot of immediate vested interest they say they're retired geologists
concerned about the future of their grandchildren. The second one in
Paris had a lot more input from big companies like the Deutsche Bank and
Daimler Chrysler, French energy utilities, French oil companies but
still with a lot of gaps. The British geological survey organisation was
represented, but no one from the southern hemisphere.

Terry Lane: What is the industry saying? I've read an optimistic
prognosis from Royal Dutch Shell and I've read a very pessimistic
prognosis from BP. What does the industry in general say about the state
of supplies?

Bruce Robinson: I think the industry is caught between what they know
privately - certainly Exxon Mobil have come out, as BP have, with a more
realistic if you like, pessimistic view - but there's an awful lot of
people, there's an awful lot of misleading and deceptive information,
weapons of mass deception being used around there. Your first questions,
about how much oil is left and when will it run out, are the wrong
questions. The question is when will the world's oil production peak and
then start declining? When is the big rollover? And by asking the wrong
questions, you get into trouble and a couple of weeks ago Colin Mason
talked about the reserves to production ratio on the current estimated
reserves and the current production rate, we've got 30 or 40 years. But
that's the wrong question because it's not going to happen like that.

Terry Lane: Well what is the right question?

Bruce Robinson: The right question is when is the peak of global oil
production? When will global oil production start declining? When will
demand for oil outstrip supply? That could be happening now, it could be
in five or 10 years. But that's a big rollover. That's a change from the
current buyers market to a sellers market.

Terry Lane: Bruce I have read two answers to that question when will oil
production peak and one answer is, it already has - it peaked in the
year 2000 - and the other is it'll peak next year in 2004.

Bruce Robinson: There's a number of estimates. In fairness to the people
making the estimates it's very hard to know and the energy investment
banker Matthew Simmons has pointed out that we won't know when it peaks
until afterwards, like no-one rings a bell at the top of the market and
things like that, so we won't know until afterwards and that's got it's
own problems because we can't take action until we know more about it.
The estimates range from about now to about 2010 which is the ASPO - the
Association that Study Peak Oil and Gas - estimate and other estimates
are 2020 and they range out to the far right according to the economic
principles employed.

Terry Lane: Well Bruce in my ignorance, let me ask you another wrong
question; the optimists have it that every day we are finding new oil
reserves and this will be never-ending, we can go on using oil from now
until kingdom come. But, my wrong question, I'm sure it's wrong but it
seems to me to be so obvious is, are the reserves that we are finding
today, enough to cover tomorrow's consumption? Are we finding reserves
of quantities large enough to cover current consumption?

Bruce Robinson: The world's been using more oil than it's been finding
since about 1980. There's a lot of misleading phrases and definitions
used, it's the Enron factor, you know the companies that go broke, no
worries, they were audited by international consultants and these things
so that the Enron and the HIH factor is alive and well in the oil
industry so that there's a lot of definitions. If you're trying to make
the books look really good, you can say we're discovering a lot of oil.
If you're trying to stave off the awful truth, there's a lot of evidence
that the world is using about three or four times as much oil every day
as is being found. The rate of oil discovery reached a peak in 1960 or
thereabouts and has been declining pretty steadily ever since, so yeah,
we're on the downhill slope. But there's an awful lot of clever,
innovative bookkeeping ways of making it look better than it really is,
and that's the Enron factor and that's the sort of thing that we should
be very careful about. The optimists are very good at those sort of
weapons of mass deception, the misleading and deceptive interpretation
of the data.

Terry Lane: When the geophysicists get together, can they say with
absolute certainty that they know where every probable oil deposit is?

Bruce Robinson: Certainly there's going to be some surprises, but
perhaps 90 per cent of the world's oil is already been discovered or
thereabouts. For the last 30 years, people know an incredible lot about
where the oil is and more importantly, where it isn't. So there's an
awful lot of information there, and that's why the oil companies are
merging, they're buying each other out, they're not spending a lot of
money exploring because it's not good business sense to put money into
dry holes. There is possibly still oil to be found, but not a lot of
really important, really big ones the size of the Saudi Arabian fields
and things. Those sorts of things are probably gone with a dodo. We
won't find any more of those.

Terry Lane: When will our domestic wells run dry?

Bruce Robinson: That's not a good question either. The domestic wells
will be producing oil for a very long time. They won't be producing a
lot of oil, and that's the difference. Certainly Australia's Bass
Straits production has been declining since 1985. The Northwest Shelf
oil production has started its final decline. At the end of another
decade Australia will be having to import about 60 per cent of its oil
on its current requirements and that'll be in a very competitive market
if China and all sorts of other people importing - Indonesia is going to
have to start importing, all sorts of people like the UK. The UK is
currently exporting oil; it's going to have to start importing in about
2007 because it is over its decline curve. The oil is declining now and
that'll never be as good again as it was before so that some of the big
fields, the forties field in the north is only producing 10 per cent as
much oil as it used to in its hey day. So there are an awful lot of oil
fields going down very quickly.

Terry Lane: What about natural gas? Is that a viable alternative for transport?

Bruce Robinson: It certainly is and that's one of the things that
Australia should be doing. Your previous speaker was talking about gas
prices, but there was no indication that that's a dwindling resource and
we should husbanding it and pricing is a good signal. There's a fair
shortage of gas in the southeast of Australia. There's quite a lot in
the northwest of Australia, but it's a long way to cart it around and
certainly we should be using that because that's the transition: that
is, if we run short of oil in Australia and we can't buy it
internationally, we can use the gas directly as compressed natural gas
or we can make gas into diesel or we can make gas into hydrogen for fuel
cells in the distant future. So we certainly should be husbanding our
gas as well because gas and oil are interrelated and prices are likely
to rise at the same time.

Terry Lane: What are the implications of the long-term contract to
supply massive quantities of natural gas to China?

Bruce Robinson: If I was in power I would've been very sceptical about
any long-term contracts. It's selling the farm off. Whether it's a
long-term contract to sell the farm off or a short-term contract, I
think our grandchildren are not going to thank the decision makers who
sold off the energy sources that they are going to need in the next
generation or two. The northwest shelf gas has got a lifetime of only a
generation or something, 20 or 30 or 40 years. At the rate it's being
exported we can't use it for both electricity, selling overseas and as a
transport substitute. It can't be in three places at once. There's not
enough of it. It's a limited resource as all the others are.

Terry Lane: Well Bruce, I'm talking to you on a dodgy telephone
connection. It's always a dodgy telephone connection on Sundays. I think
something happens on Sundays from Perth. Now I mention that because the
Western Australian government I believe, is the only state government
who've done any sort of serious planning for a post-oil economy. Is that true?

Bruce Robinson: Well they're certainly leading Australia I think, and
other organisations in Western Australia like our Royal Automobile Club,
the motoring organisation. There's a state sustainability transport
plant here that the Premier's released about a month ago that mentioned
our oil vulnerability. Our Minister for Transport and Planning, Alannah
MacTiernan is I think the only transport minister in Australia who's
heard this story first hand from a real petroleum geologist Les Magoon
from the US Geological Survey, so yeah, I think Western Australia's a
long way ahead. There's a long way to go because there's an awful lot of
bureaucrats with company cars who don't want things to change. The
federal government I think, it would be best to say the federal
government's asleep at the wheel and they're not considering what's
around the bend. They're going around blind corners hoping everything's
going to be the same as it was before.

Terry Lane: Well you have to appreciate that whenever the oil runs out,
it's going to be a few years after the next election. I think that's the
problem that we face with our particular form of democracy, that it
doesn't encourage politicians to think ahead.

Bruce Robinson: Yes, it might be sooner than that. If there's a
fundamentalist revolution in Saudi Arabia we could have another oil
crisis in two or three weeks. There's not a lot of slack in the world
system so we're very vulnerable in the short term. In the medium term a
few years as OPEC gets more and more power and in the next decade or
two, for the final decline of global oil production, so I don't think
it's a good idea to put it off.

Terry Lane: So our new best friends in Iraq are not going to save us?

Bruce Robinson: Iraq's got about four years global supply, so whoever
owns Iraq will control four years of global oil supply but after, on the
fifth year, it's going to be a problem.

Terry Lane: Mmmm. Alright well I'll polish up the bike and I'll get it
out and it's obviously the vehicle of the future. You're a cyclist I believe?

Bruce Robinson: Yes, I rode into the ABC here today. It is a very
practical way of getting around and there's enormous health and
environmental cost benefits. There's an awful lot of overweight kids
being taken to school in 4WDs which are subsidised. Your previous
speaker mentioned cross-subsidies and things, businesses being
subsidised to waste petrol, the 4WDs are subsidised at $5,000 each. With
tariffs there are a whole lot of perverse policies, which are
encouraging people to use cars, like the fringe benefits tax and that's
got enormous cost to the Federal Government in the health areas,
environmental areas, congestion. There's an awful lot of very silly
things being done and people really should start considering the longer term.

Terry Lane: Bruce, thankyou very much. I'm sorry that we had to make do
with the telephone. Bruce, as you said rode into the ABC and was
supposed to be in the studio but for reasons that I don't fully
understand we couldn't put the studio to air and that's why we have the
phone. Bruce, thankyou, and ride carefully on the way home.

Bruce Robinson: Thank you very much.

Guests on this program:
Bruce Robinson, Sustainable Transport Coalition (WA)
Bruce Robinson is a scientist and cyclist who has taken a close personal
interest in the future of oil. He is the only Australian to have
attended meetings of ASPO.


Further information:
The ASPO website can be found at:
http://www.peakoil.net

The Sustainable Transport Coalition website is at:
http://www.stcwa.org.au/

back to the main story index
*****************************************
this transcript from
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/natint/stories/s980345.htm

Hi Connie,

Many thanks for your post and I encourage members to respond.

On the MS boards, my very favourite feminist site, recently was a thread
called "I HATE excercising!!! "

Its here, at
http://www.msmagazine.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=001980;p=1

What is it about exercise that is so hard to take in and why is it so
difficult to get the general populace to make it a part of their usual
and ongoing lifestyle?

Any thoughts?

To me, what Connie has said is well worth merit.

well wishes, Kate

Hello, All.  I'm in the U.S.A.  There might be an idea in this letter for
those of you who are real experts in exercise and health promotion.   I've
decided that one way to conquer my own execise resistance which comes and goes -
lately comes more than goes, is to take a class on how to become a personal
trainer. ;-)  I'm not kidding though.  I thought I'd exercise more if I knew why
I
was moving particular muscles rather than just thinking in generalities.  That
gets boring to me.  There is an all day, 6 days over 6 weeks class that
involves 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of practicum each day with a written and
practical test at the end.  There's a book by the American Council on Exercise
and you end up with a certification - which is sort of scary actually because I
know one doesn't become an expert in six days, but I'm not really looking to
become anyone's personal trainer just yet.   Being taught is some basics of
how to exercise, exercise physiology, nutritional thought, how to use weight
machines, how to assess for fitness and how to design a basic workout program -
all for the healthy, unimpaired population.  Special populations like the
elderly, the ill and injured and people who are very obese involve different
training.  There is also another four day program that is just on strength and
conditioning.  Since I'm a social worker with an interest in exercise resistance
and since the teacher is a "real" teacher (an instructor with a master's degree
in the subject at the university here), I thought I'd give it a shot.

Evidentally, you don't have to be thin, wear a thong to work out, or even
want to be a personal trainer.  They said a lot of people take this course for
their own well being so I guess I won't get laughed out of the place.  I'm
actually more interested in people who are larger, who don't fit the mold of
those
who you usually think of as exercising.  I see a lot of eating disordered and
non-exercisers, over-exercisers in my practice.  At any rate, a little formal
training is always a good thing as long as one knows one is not an expert.
I'm used to thinking in terms of full university degrees in subjects so I'm very
cautious about expecting a whole lot from a six day workshop but I think I'll
learn some very good basics.

So, have any of you ever thought of giving a weekend class or a multi-day
workshop to the public which is sponsored by some legitimate association on
exercise?  I'd think that lots of people are actually interested in a crash
course
on what to do.  The cost of the program I'd doing is between four and five
hundred dollars (American).

Best, Connie Konikoff in Louisiana, USA

Hi all,

I thought that this may be of interest:

Event: "The Antidepressant Debate: Depressed, Bothered or Bewildered"
Venue: Kim Beazley Lecture Theatre, Murdoch University
Event Date and Time: Wednesday, 8 October, 6.30pm
Has depression become the 21st Century's greatest health
affliction? It affects more than 800,000 adult Australians each
year. Modern antidepressant medications have transformed the
lives of many with depression, with prescriptions increasing
dramatically over the last decade. But how much do we know
about these medications. What are the side effects short and
long-term, good and bad? Is there international evidence for
toxicity and harm? How long should they be taken for? How easy
is it to stop taking them? Natasha Mitchell hosts this forum
with leading speakers from Australia and overseas including
the UK's Dr David Healy and Australian Professor Ian Hickie.
Entry is free. For further information contact Kim Lewins on
08 9360 2170 or email: kim.lewins@...
Broadcast on "All in the Mind" on Sunday, 12 & 19 Oct, 1pm
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/

well wishes, Kate

In BMJ's news round-up this week:-

Exercise can cut risk of breast cancer
     http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7416/640-b?etoc

Hi all,

The following not all that applicable to this particular group.
However, given that yahoo management seems eager to have the information
broadly disseminated, I forward it nonetheless.

well wishes,

Kate

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Important Update: Yahoo! Groups Service Changes
Date: 15 Aug 2003 01:01:53 -0000
From: Yahoo! Groups <groups-noreply@...>
To: bicycle@...

*** PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL ***

Dear Yahoo! Groups Moderator,

Important update: The new date for service changes is August 21, 2003.

You are receiving this notice because you are a moderator of one or more
groups. Previously, we emailed you about upcoming service changes to Yahoo!
Groups. To give you more time to manage your files, we have pushed back the
date of these changes to August 21, 2003.

To continue offering you a high quality, free service, Yahoo! Groups is making
the following changes:

Message Attachments:
Email attachments will no longer be archived in the Messages area, although
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Before August 21st, if you want to preserve them, you must move your old
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Add Members:
Although there is no membership limit for your group, we are changing
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Members feature so you can add only 10 new members each day. You can continue
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For more details on the service changes described above, please visit
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We hope you will pass this notice along to your group's members so they are
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Sincerely,

The Yahoo! Groups Team

Hi, Gang - I forgot to say that our "local newspaper" is in Lafayette,
Louisiana - USA.
Connie Konikoff


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Article from our local newspaper on exercise resistance  (with my letter to
the editor following)



"IMMOVABLE OBJECT"

Resistance to exercise can be overcome

Judy Stanford (writer at the Daily Advertiser/accent section)


July 15, 2003

 


You know you should exercise. You’re well aware it could make you look
better, feel better and live longer.

But, somehow, you never get around to it. Or if you do, you try the latest
craze for a few weeks or months, then abandon it.

For many, the idea of exercise has become disconnected from the idea of
having fun, said clinical social worker Connie Konikoff. “When we’re young,
we don’
t exercise. We move; we play.

“Movement is a birthright we’ve lost touch with and we’ve lost touch with
it
for some very good reasons.”

The drive to avoid exercise, for some, may come from exercise resistance
syndrome, Konikoff said. The relatively new concept was introduced by Francie
White, a Santa Barbara, Calif., registered dietitian whose course work included
a
heavy concentration in exercise physiology. White specializes in eating
disorders and exercise disorders.

“Exercise resistance syndrome is a resistance to wanting to move your body,”
White said in a telephone interview. “It’s a resistance to expressing
yourself physically.

“It’s probably, at this point, loosely defined, but I’d say it’s a
syndrome
that has a spectrum, from severe to mild, whereupon somebody finds herself
continuously quitting their exercise endeavors. They just start up, go to the
gym for four months and quit again.”

Although men can also be affected by exercise resistance, White said her work
so far has been focused on how it affects women.




Connie Konikoff





“We know that two-thirds of women do not get enough exercise,” Konikoff
said, “and 25 percent may get none at all.”

Resistance to exercise may have its roots in gym classes where children were
judged on their ability to perform physical tasks and failed, Konikoff said.
Or it might come from criticism by peers.

“The second you’re evaluated — you look stupid, or you’re moving too
slowly
or that’s the wrong kind of exercise, you react to it,” Konikoff said.

It may also be rooted in a rebellion against cultural pressures.

“We have a very authoritarian presence in our culture,” White said. “You
should exercise. You should eat right. I think deep down, it (angers) women to
have someone else implying what we should do with our bodies.

“And, when it gets connected to an external goal of losing weight or looking
a different way, it becomes work.”

Konikoff agrees.

“Where children or adults are told, ‘you need to lose weight,’ it means
you’
re unaccepting of the way you are. People who exercise for that reason often
don’t keep it up. It’s the psyche’s way of saying, ‘Love me as I
am.’”

For others, it may have come from a traumatic incident involving exercise,
said Konikoff, who now finds herself unable to ride horses after being severely
injured in a horseback-riding accident.

Many girls lose their interest in physical activity during adolescence, when
they get the impression it somehow makes them appear less feminine, Konikoff
said.

In the most severe cases, survivors of sexual abuse resist exercise because
they somehow connect it to the time during which they were abused, White said.

The reasons for exercise resistance are many and varied, but it can be
overcome, said Konikoff, who prefers to use the word, “movement,” to avoid
the more
negative associations.

“No. 1 is to paradox the individual,” White said, “by actually telling
them
they’re not allowed to exercise. Put your feet up. No guilt. You’re not to
exercise for a period of weeks, up to two months. It’s just a time out.”

Similar strategies have worked for binge-eaters, White said. During the time
out, clients look at their reasons for avoiding exercise.

Clients of White and Konikoff are asked a series of questions aimed at
finding out why she has become exercise-resistant, the first of which is,
“When did
exercise stop being play?

“Exercise stops being play when the introduction to exercise is lifeless,
rigid, uninteresting and overly competitive,” Konikoff said.

After finding the answers to why they resist exercise, White leads them into
exploring movement that fits their needs. Konikoff, whose background does not
include exercise physiology, refers clients to exercise programs or qualified
instructors.

Konikoff advises clients not to fall into the trap of giving validity to only
certain types of movement.

“Movement doesn’t have to be a formalized, ritualized set of movement. It
can be moving the body in a way that feels authentic and good to you.”

She warns against making into a chore. “I advise people to watch the
‘shoulds
’ around (movement). Because, if you make the time to exercise, it’s not
about setting up another demand, but saying, ‘this is time for me, when I
choose
to move my body.’”

  ©The Lafayette Daily Advertiser (LETTER TO THE EDITOR BELOW)

July 15, 2003


Letter to the Editor:

I wish to clarify a point in the exercise resistance article in Accent/
7/15/03.  First, I want to thank Daily Advertiser writer Judy Stanford for her
interest in this epidemic public health issue and for her ongoing commitment to
our community by making sure relevant issues are publicized so accurately.  I
only wish to add the point that if someone has been emotionally or physically
traumatized, my horse accident in the mountains making me an exemplar, there are
excellent treatments available.  EMDR (eye movement desensitization
reprocessing) and exposure therapies are the usual treatments to consider as
they can
rapidly help heal the trauma and reopen the person to the form of exercise they
wish they could have back, assuming it is medically safe for them to do so. 
I think that there are many forms of exercise available and people usually
only do therapy for issues which interfere with the way they want to live their
lives.  Otherwise it's simple - pick a different exercise!  Sometimes the
exercise resistance is not to a single exercise but to movement in general,
making
treatment important.   Thanks again to the Daily Advertiser for helping us to
understand that exercise resistance is not about laziness!

Connie Konikoff, Msw, Lcsw
110 Nathalie St.
Lafayette, La. 70503
337-237-7643, ext. 2





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At http://www.expositorymagazine.net/women_fitness.php, in the new
edition of Expository Magazine released this week, the following may
be of interest?

Kate
---------------------------

Women and Fitness by Olivia Lim

Naomi Wolf, the feminist author, thinks the beauty myth is not about
women at all but rather about men's institutions and institutional
power which is used to prescribe behaviour and not appearance.

Judging by the prevalence of anatomically perfect models and
television stars gracing our popular magazine covers, the media thinks
women should look like Elle MacPherson, also known as 'The Body.' Yet
The Bodyshop, the famous chain of natural skincare stores, says only
eight out of a million women in the world look like supermodels.

With the media and society's obsession with women and their bodies, it
is no wonder that the deluge of information containing the predominant
message overwhelms women: Slim is beautiful, fat is ugly.

About-Face, a US-based media literacy organization and watchdog of the
impact of mass media on the physical, mental and emotional well being
of women, says, "90 percent of all girls ages 3-11 have a Barbie doll,
an early role model with a figure that is unattainable in real life."

The organization also reviewed 10 of the most commonly read women's
and men's magazines for advertisements and articles related to weight
loss, and found that women's magazines contained 10.5 times more
articles related to dieting and weight loss than men's magazines.

Although men may suffer from the Adonis complex, women are generally
under more pressure to fight the battle of the bulge, and some lose
more than just the unwanted cellulite in the process. In her book The
Body Project, author and professor of women's studies at Cornell
University, Dr. Joan Jacobs Brumberg, wrote, "Girls today make the
body into an all-consuming project."

It is an all-consuming project that oftentimes turns into the eating
disorder faced by one in every hundred schoolgirls with anorexia.

The obsession women have with their bodies have spawned off many fad
diets and exercises that have left many disappointed women in their
wake. Yet women never fail to be enticed by the next new diet that
promises to help you "lose 10 kilos for just 10 dollars" in a matter
of one or two weeks.

A recent article in The Straits Times reported on how a popular
Malaysian television presenter suffered from high blood pressure and
hair loss after taking some slimming pills she bought off the shelf.
Her advice for women after having gone through this painful experience
is to do more exercises and dieting and avoid eating oily food.

However, the genetic makeup of our bodies does not react well to any
sudden weight loss caused by restricted food intake.

Bill Philips, CEO of EAS, a major US health supplement company, says
people who force themselves to stick with a crash diet will lose body
weight that comes from the loss of muscle tissue, instead of fat.

In his book Body-for-Life, Philips explains that once a person goes
off that diet - which everyone who has ever been on a diet does at
some point - it is certain that they will gain back the fat they lost
and more. "Our 'genetic programming' gives our bodies the ability to
control the production of enzymes, which, in turn, control every
aspect of our metabolism. Due to this fact, your body will 'fight
back' when you severely reduce food intake - it decreases the rate at
which it burns fat."

What people who frequently go on crash diets do not know is the way
our body metabolism works to ensure its survival when it is starved.
The body will start to burn off all the muscle tissue to conserve its
precious fat resources, because fat takes a longer time to be broken
down to fuel the body with energy. Also, our body fat serves as
insulation against harsh, external elements and will be utilized only
after most of the muscle tissue has been wasted.

This survival mechanism in our body slows down our metabolism and
makes it less efficient in burning calories. So when a person
eventually gives in to the hunger pangs and starts eating normally
again, the body will be more prone to gaining fat.

In other words: "Diets make you fat", says Steuart De Hoedt, a fitness
instructor and personal trainer at Century Fitness Center. "You get
thin and then fat again, and then thin again and then somewhere in
between, but you will never lose and maintain the weight you want if
you go on frequent dieting."

However, it is heartening to know that women are now more
knowledgeable about weight loss and are experimenting with healthier
ways to fight the flab.

De Hoedt, a 35-year-old defense engineer turned fitness instructor and
personal trainer, says most women now prefer to join gyms in an effort
to lose weight, tone up and get fit, rather than go on a diet.

"Generally they use all the equipment, but specifically the cardio
equipment - the stepper, the treadmill and the exercise stationary
bike", says De Hoedt." However, like every other fitness instructor
and personal trainer, De Hoedt believes that the best way for any
woman to achieve that lean, toned look, made popular by Hollywood
actresses such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston, is to
combine aerobic and anaerobic (weight training) workouts and a
sensible diet.

"I think there's been a bit of a misnomer with what weights actually
do to the composition of your body; and people, especially women,
believe that they're going to get bigger by doing weight training,
whereas in fact, it is the complete reverse, because muscle is denser
than fat."

De Hoedt says women who have met with him for a personalized fitness
program, feel a little bewildered by the prospect of training with
weights. "They can't see how weight training is going to make them
smaller and help them lose weight, so, that's the first hurdle that we
have to try and overcome."

Tim Fritz, a free-lance writer for major fitness magazines such as
Muscle & Fitness and a part-time personal trainer, says, "I think most
women are still under the misconception that strength training will
make them big, bulky, and muscle-bound. More women would train with
heavier weight if they knew the truth about the benefits and effect of
strength training."

Although Fritz thinks that the media has helped in educating women
about the benefits of strength training for weight loss, osteoporosis,
and overall health, he feels more can be done to encouraged women to
train with weights. He feels that the fitness industry can play a part
to "dispel the rumours about strength training by explaining the
science and physiology of exercise (in layman's terms, of course), and
by explaining and demonstrating the benefits."

It helps that there are women such as Rikki Flanders, a competitive
power lifting participant and fitness instructor. As a female fitness
instructor and someone who has trained with weights for the past seven
years, Flanders says women are generally surprised when she tells them
she can lift a certain amount of weights and has been doing
competitive weight lifting, because her petite physique is atypical of
a bodybuilder's body.

However, she thinks women often come into the gym with unrealistic
expectations that set themselves up for a disappointment when goals
are not met after a period of training. "They think that paying to
join a gym and having a personal trainer will automatically give them
fast results to a better body. Some of them are not willing and
committed to putting in the hard work that is needed to produce an
effective overall body transformation."

As a result, some women go back to the old cycle of 'yo-yo dieting' or
hide behind excuses such as "I'm too busy" or "I'm not the physically
active type of person" to avoid exercising or going to the gym.

And then there are those who become obsessive about their exercise
regimes. Flanders recalls one woman who was preoccupied with
exercising and used to spend hours on the cardiovascular equipment at
the gym. "I don't think she liked working out, but she seemed to think
that she needed to do all those exercises to maintain her weight. In
fact, she wasn't very fat in the first place, she was rather slim."

Women need to realize that real women come in all shapes and sizes and
you can never be too thin or too fat, but only unhealthy. It is
unrealistic to mould yourself into a preconceived standard of a
feminine form.

While some women may be fortunate to be blessed with Barbie-like
statistics, the majority of women fall into the categories "from the
slim ectomorph to the plump, pear-shaped endomorph to the muscular
mesomorph, with several combinations in between", according to the CEO
of Weider Health and Fitness, Joe Weider.

Popularly known as the father of modern bodybuilding, the 70-something
Weider believes that every body is a beautiful body if it is a fit,
strong and lean one. He does not believe that a standard ideal
feminine shape exists, but instead encourages women to "be as
physically fit as your genetics allow."

It is crucial that women stop to think about the health problems
associated with weight gain and weight loss before striving to achieve
their dream body. Genetics is kind enough not to let us look like
carbon copies of each other, so it is time that we learn to work with
and celebrate our natural body structure. As Emily Dickinson so simply
puts it, "Beauty is not caused, it is."



Olivia Lim is a freelance writer from Singapore. She has a Bachelor of
Arts in English Language and Political Science from the National
University of Singapore and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from RMIT
University, Melbourne.

Her interest in writing projects include women's issues, health and
personal empowerment. She is available for commissioned feature
writing projects and can be contacted at newliv@....

Currently, she and her husband travel between Singapore and Bali,
where they are setting up a furnishing company.

If you have any questions about this article or her research, please
contact her at the above e-mail address.

Copyright � 2003 Olivia Lim --

Article this week in Medical Journal of Australia (MJA):

Physical activity is important, but can it be promoted
in general practice?
      Ben J Smith, Elizabeth G Eakin and Adrian E Bauman
      Med J Aust 2003;  179 (2):  70-71.
      http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/179_02_210703/smi10162_fm-1.html
--

Kate
*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+!

In a message dated 7/18/2003 3:28:05 AM Central Daylight Time,
bicycle@... writes:

> http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7407/113?etoc
>
>

Thank you so much, Kate!  I had never heard of overconsumption of fluids
being a problem when exercising.  Of course, I'm not an exercise expert, but
this
is so important to know.  Thanks for sharing the reference.  I'm making sure
that the dietician at work knows about this stuff because we work with
athletes.  Best, Connie


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Article in BMJ which may be of interest:

Overconsumption of fluids by athletes
      Timothy David Noakes
      BMJ 2003;327 113-114
      http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7407/113?etoc

well wishes,
Kate
*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+!
New email address: bicycle@...

Hi all,

Some minor updates have been made to the resources provided at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth/files/

Please kindly inform me of any other additions or changes to the current
list which you feel need to be made.

well wishes,

Kate
*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*
bicycle@...
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/kateandlynn/

Following were mentioned yesterday on another list I belong. Thought
they may be of interest to Jane and other members here, as well.

well wishes,
Kate
*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+!
Cycling & Health Briefing Paper- a copy temporarily at:
http://agbu.une.edu.au/~drobinso/UKCycling_health.pdf

*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+~*~+!
At http://bcc.gn.apc.org/tbc/winter2002/health.html :

The Bristol Cyclist - No. 46 - Winter 2002

Cycling can seriously improve your health!

The following extracts come from a Cycling & Health Briefing Paper for
the Regional Cycling Development Team. Commissioned by AEA Technology
and written by Nick Cavill, independent consultant and health promotion
advisor to the Regional Cycling Development Team, and Dr. Adrian Davis,
independent consultant on transport and health.

Nick and Adrian are thanked for allowing their work to be included in
the Bristol Cycling Campaign Newsletter.

There is now an extremely strong body of research to support the links
between regular physical activity and good health. The first study on
this subject in the 1950s found that physically active bus conductors
had far lower rates of heart disease than physically inactive bus
drivers, despite similar backgrounds. Since then numerous other studies
have reported similar observations, which were reviewed in a landmark
report by the US Surgeon General.

Regular physical activity improves health in the following ways:

Reduces the risk of dying prematurely Reduces the risk of dying
prematurely from heart disease Reduces the risk of developing diabetes
Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure Helps reduce blood
pressure in people who already have high blood pressure Reduces the risk
of developing colon cancer Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
Helps control weight Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and
joints Helps older people become stronger and better able to move about
without falling Promotes psychological well-being

Physical activity is also associated with improved subjective
well-being, mood and emotions. These effects are seen in populations of
all ages and are independent of socio-economic or health status.
Physical activity can also improve self esteem and results in positive
changes in various aspects of physical self-perceptions such as body
image or physical self-worth. Active individuals also report fewer
symptoms of anxiety or emotional distress and report improved sleep
patterns.

Inactive people are more likely to develop clinically defined
depression. Physical activity is effective in reducing clinical
depression and has been shown to be at least as effective as traditional
treatments such as psychotherapy. Those who maintain physical activity
for six months report less use of medication and are more likely to
recover than those solely on medication.

Cycling is clearly a form of physical activity, but it has a number of
specific qualities that effect the potential for improving health.

Research from Finland provides some of the strongest evidence for the
health benefits of cycling. Two studies suggest that journeys to and
from work by bicycle provide exercise of sufficient intensity and
duration to improve fitness and health, and that travel by bicycle
provides greater increases in measured fitness than does walking.

The Copenhagen Heart Study, which involved 13,375 women and 17,265 men
aged between 20 ? 93 years who were randomly selected. Of these, 14,976
cycled regularly and of which 6,954 cycled to work. The average time
spent cycling in those who did cycle to work was three hours a week. The
study found that cycling has a strong protective function.

Researchers concluded that:

even after adjustment for other risk factors (such as smoking),
including leisure time physical activity, those who did not cycle to
work experienced a 38% higher mortality rate than those who did.

This is a very important finding as it provides direct evidence that
regular cyclists are likely to live longer than non cyclists.

The Bristol Cyclist - No. 46 - Winter 2002

In BMJ this week:

Effectiveness of counselling patients on physical activity in general
practice: cluster randomised controlled trial
      C Raina Elley, Ngaire Kerse, Bruce Arroll, and Elizabeth Robinson
      BMJ 2003;326 793
      http://bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/326/7393/793?etoc

Hi all,

For interest, the following extracts from USC Prevention Research Center
Notes - March/April 2003 (for full version see
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/Newsletter/index.htm and, for research
updates, http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/updates/index.htm).

well wishes,

Kate
bicycle@...
******************************************************************
MOVE FOR HEALTH: The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched
"Move for Health" as an annual global initiative to promote physical
activity as essential for health and well-being. Move for Health is
part of a broader WHO initiative to address the growing burden of
chronic diseases through its Global Strategy on Diet, Physical
Activity and Health. WHO proposes Member States celebrate the annual
Move for Health Day on May 10th, but the timing of events will be
left to the discretion and resources of individual countries. For
more information, go to
http://www.who.int/hpr/physactiv/move.for.health.shtml.

PROMOTING PA IN SOCIALLY/ECONOMICALLY DEPRIVED COMMUNITY: A recent
study in Scotland assessed the impact of two physical activity (PA)
interventions on non-regularly active individuals in a socially and
economically deprived community. Participants volunteered to be
included in either a fitness assessment intervention or an exercise
consultation intervention. Within their chosen intervention group,
participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental
condition or a control condition. Participants in the fitness
assessment intervention received a personal exercise program based
on comprehensive fitness testing, and participants in the exercise
consultation intervention received counseling about physical
activity. PA significantly increased in both intervention groups at
4 weeks and was maintained at 6 months; however PA was maintained
after 1 year in only the exercise consultation group. These findings
suggest that non-regularly active participants who receive exercise
consultations have better long-term adherence to PA than those who
receive fitness assessments. In addition, the findings suggest that
socially and economically deprived populations respond favorably to
PA interventions. Lowther, Mutrie, & Scott. "Promoting physical
activity in a socially and economically deprived community: A 12
month randomized control trial of fitness assessment and exercise
consultation." Journal of Sport Sciences, 20:577-588, 2002.

FITTING IN FITNESS: A six-week physical activity intervention for
middle-aged women, called Fitting in Fitness for Life! (FIF), was
evaluated. FIF used a cognitive-behavioral approach, along with
empowerment techniques, and was aimed at increasing levels of
physical activity among middle-class, white women. The participants
significantly increased the number of light, moderate, and vigorous
physical activity sessions they participated in, as well as the
total number of physical activity sessions. Total physical activity
levels also increased from baseline to post-intervention and were
maintained at follow-up. The authors  and Physical
Activity and $37 million fo conclude that a cognitive-
behavioral, empowerment-based physical activity intervention that
focuses on women's distinct barriers can be effective at increasing
physical activity levels for white, middle-aged women. Segar,
Jayaratne, et al. "Fitting Fitness into Women's Lives: Effects of a
Gender-tailored Physical Activity Intervention." Women's Health
Issues, 12(6):338-347, 2002.

CORRELATES OF PA: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine
urban-rural and socioeconomic status differences in physical
activity behavior, and various environmental and social influences
on that behavior. The results indicate that lower income residents
were less likely than higher income residents to meet physical
activity recommendations. Rural residents were the less likely to be
active than either urban or suburban residents. Among urban
respondents, there was an increase in the likelihood to meet
recommendations with an increase in the number of facilities
available for exercise (including neighborhood streets, parks, and
shopping malls). Parks, Housemann, & Brownson. "Differential
correlates of physical activity in urban and rural adults of various
socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States." Journal of
Epidemiology & Community Health, 57:29-35, 2003.

PA PERCEPTIONS OF OLDER ADULTS: A qualitative study was undertaken
to explore the perceptions, motivations, and barriers to physical
activity in adults 75 years of age and older. Interviews with 33
participants revealed that many viewed sedentary behavior as
harmful, were unsure of the proper amounts of physical activity to
perform, perceived themselves as relatively active, and wanted more
information from their physicians about physical activity. In
addition, participants were motivated to be physically active to
keep their independence, to stay healthy, to keep up their
appearances, and to maintain family relationships. Barriers included
lack of time, poor health, aging, and adverse environments. Grossman
& Stewart. "You aren't going to get better by just sitting around:
Physical activity perceptions, motivations, and barriers in adults
75 years of age and older." The American Journal of Geriatric
Cardiology, 12(1):33-37, 2003.

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL TOOLKIT: The National Highway   and Physical
Activity and $37 million foTraffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) has developed "Safe Routes to School," a
toolkit for use by educators and others to promote walking and
biking to school. The toolkit includes sections on mapping the
routes to school, activities and outreach, and classroom lessons. It
also includes sample Safe Routes to School forms, press releases,
posters, and other resources. The toolkit is available on the web at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/ped/saferouteshtml.
******************************************************************

Hi Jane,
I am just collecting some information together
My contact is academic, and may not meet your needs for people to talk to,
he recently had an article in the Weekend Australian
He is forwarding to me some reports that have been produced in recent times and
I will forward details when I get them,
it may be worth following up the Weekend Australian report

his contact details

Adrian Bauman
Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology, UNSW
Director NSW Centre for Physical Activity and Health
Epidemiology Unit, Hugh Jardine Building, Locked mail bag   7017, Liverpool  BC
1871
New South Wales ,  Australia
TELEPHONE   61  2  9828 6000
FACSIMILE    61  2  9828 6012

Robert

Broken Hill NSW 2880
email:              rtb@...

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: janew@...
   To: PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth@...
   Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 9:12 AM
   Subject: Re: [PhysicalActivityMentalHealth] <no subject>


   Robert, Love to hear about your contact. Unfortunately, as soon as I began
   this research I became bogged down with another project which is taking
   months. So, I am still very interested just very slow!

   Kate, don't give up on me, I am still keen!

   Jane
   janew@...
   ----------
   >From: bicycle@...
   >To: PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth@...
   >Subject: Re: [PhysicalActivityMentalHealth] <no subject>
   >Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 5:19 PM
   >

   > Hi Robert,
   >
   > I think there may be some interest in having the information posted
   > here, as well as to Jane, if you can manage it. Certainly an interest
   > from Donna, and also from me.
   >
   > For information, membership of this list is so far predominately
   > comprised of people working in health and health promotion- and most,
   > but not all, here in Australia. The archives and file sections of the
   > list are publicly accessible.
   >
   > best wishes,
   >
   > Kate
   > bicycle@...
   >
   >> Hello, I have just joined this quiet group and noticed Janes enquiry
   >> in Australia,
   >> If it is not too late I can give her a contact where the latest
   >> state of play can be found here
   >> Robert
   >
   > --------------------------------------------------------
   > URL: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth/
   > To unsubscribe send an email to:
   > PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth-unsubscribe@...
   > For past archives see also: http://www.topica.com/lists/bicycle
   >
   >
   > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
   http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms.html
   >
   >

         Yahoo! Groups Sponsor


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Robert, Love to hear about your contact. Unfortunately, as soon as I began
this research I became bogged down with another project which is taking
months. So, I am still very interested just very slow!

Kate, don't give up on me, I am still keen!

Jane
janew@...
----------
>From: bicycle@...
>To: PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth@...
>Subject: Re: [PhysicalActivityMentalHealth] <no subject>
>Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 5:19 PM
>

> Hi Robert,
>
> I think there may be some interest in having the information posted
> here, as well as to Jane, if you can manage it. Certainly an interest
> from Donna, and also from me.
>
> For information, membership of this list is so far predominately
> comprised of people working in health and health promotion- and most,
> but not all, here in Australia. The archives and file sections of the
> list are publicly accessible.
>
> best wishes,
>
> Kate
> bicycle@...
>
>> Hello, I have just joined this quiet group and noticed Janes enquiry
>> in Australia,
>> If it is not too late I can give her a contact where the latest
>> state of play can be found here
>> Robert
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> URL: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth/
> To unsubscribe send an email to:
> PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth-unsubscribe@...
> For past archives see also: http://www.topica.com/lists/bicycle
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms.html
>
>

Hi Robert,

I think there may be some interest in having the information posted
here, as well as to Jane, if you can manage it. Certainly an interest
from Donna, and also from me.

For information, membership of this list is so far predominately
comprised of people working in health and health promotion- and most,
but not all, here in Australia. The archives and file sections of the
list are publicly accessible.

best wishes,

Kate
bicycle@...

> Hello, I have just joined this quiet group and noticed Janes enquiry
> in Australia,
> If it is not too late I can give her a contact where the latest
> state of play can be found here
> Robert

Hi Robert,
	 I would be interested too in finding out who the contact for
Australia is in this area.
Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: derffred65 [mailto:rtb@...]
Sent: Sunday, 2 March 2003 5:26 PM
To: PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth@...
Subject: Re: [PhysicalActivityMentalHealth] <no subject>


Hello, I have just joined this quiet group and noticed Janes enquiry
in Australia,
If it is not too late I can give her a contact where the latest
state of play can be found here
Robert

--- In PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth@y..., bicycle@n... wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> Jane and I spoke with each other over a longish telephone call
> yesterday.
>
> She mentioned what she wants to do (...and which I believe for 'the
> cause' is so worthwhile supporting), and I've given her the
internet
> available and other resources I've collected or at least know of.
I'm so
> out of touch these days with the latest developments, however, and
I
> know we have people here on this list who are currently engaged in
> health promotion and/or mental health- and, who most likely could
be
> rather very invaluable in offering help.
>
> Please reply to Jane, either via here on this list (or privately at
> janew@z... ).
>
> sincerely,
>
> Kate
> bicycle@n...
>
> Jane (janew@z... ) wrote:
> >
> > I was wondering if anyone in this group could help me out. I am
a freelance
> > journalist based in Sydney, Australia, writing an article about
the link
> > between physical activity and mental health. In particular, I'm
interested
> > in the use of exercise as a treatment for mental illness. I
would love to
> > hear from anyone working in the field - especially anyone who
can help me
> > with an overview of where we stand in Australia. Also, I'm
looking for
> > personal stories from people who have been helped by exercise.
Thanks for
> > your help. Jane


--------------------------------------------------------
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To unsubscribe send an email to:
PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth-unsubscribe@...
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This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential
information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify
the sender. Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender,
and are not necessarily the views of South Western Sydney Area Health Service.

Hello, I have just joined this quiet group and noticed Janes enquiry
in Australia,
If it is not too late I can give her a contact where the latest
state of play can be found here
Robert

--- In PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth@y..., bicycle@n... wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> Jane and I spoke with each other over a longish telephone call
> yesterday.
>
> She mentioned what she wants to do (...and which I believe for 'the
> cause' is so worthwhile supporting), and I've given her the
internet
> available and other resources I've collected or at least know of.
I'm so
> out of touch these days with the latest developments, however, and
I
> know we have people here on this list who are currently engaged in
> health promotion and/or mental health- and, who most likely could
be
> rather very invaluable in offering help.
>
> Please reply to Jane, either via here on this list (or privately at
> janew@z... ).
>
> sincerely,
>
> Kate
> bicycle@n...
>
> Jane (janew@z... ) wrote:
> >
> > I was wondering if anyone in this group could help me out. I am
a freelance
> > journalist based in Sydney, Australia, writing an article about
the link
> > between physical activity and mental health. In particular, I'm
interested
> > in the use of exercise as a treatment for mental illness. I
would love to
> > hear from anyone working in the field - especially anyone who
can help me
> > with an overview of where we stand in Australia. Also, I'm
looking for
> > personal stories from people who have been helped by exercise.
Thanks for
> > your help. Jane

Kind courtesy of Rosemarie Speidel ("speidel" <speidel@...>)
comes the following:

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REDUCES THE RISK OF SUBSEQUENT DEPRESSION FOR OLDER ADULTS
This study concluded that elderly individuals who remained active were less
likely to be depressed or to become depressed. The researchers tracked 1,947
people, ages 50 to 95, over a period of five years, utilizing an eight-point
scale to measure the amount of exercise they received. Each one-point
increase, the investigators ascertained, reduced the risk of being depressed
by 10%, and of becoming depressed by 17%. The improvements were clear even
after adjustments were made for age, sex, ethnicity, financial strain,
chronic conditions, disability, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol
consumption, and social relations.
American Journal of Epidemiology 2002;156:328-34

Hello everyone,

Jane and I spoke with each other over a longish telephone call
yesterday.

She mentioned what she wants to do (...and which I believe for 'the
cause' is so worthwhile supporting), and I've given her the internet
available and other resources I've collected or at least know of. I'm so
out of touch these days with the latest developments, however, and I
know we have people here on this list who are currently engaged in
health promotion and/or mental health- and, who most likely could be
rather very invaluable in offering help.

Please reply to Jane, either via here on this list (or privately at
janew@... ).

sincerely,

Kate
bicycle@...

Jane (janew@... ) wrote:
>
> I was wondering if anyone in this group could help me out. I am a freelance
> journalist based in Sydney, Australia, writing an article about the link
> between physical activity and mental health. In particular, I'm interested
> in the use of exercise as a treatment for mental illness. I would love to
> hear from anyone working in the field - especially anyone who can help me
> with an overview of where we stand in Australia. Also, I'm looking for
> personal stories from people who have been helped by exercise. Thanks for
> your help. Jane

I was wondering if anyone in this group could help me out. I am a freelance
journalist based in Sydney, Australia, writing an article about the link
between physical activity and mental health. In particular, I'm interested
in the use of exercise as a treatment for mental illness. I would love to
hear from anyone working in the field - especially anyone who can help me
with an overview of where we stand in Australia. Also, I'm looking for
personal stories from people who have been helped by exercise. Thanks for
your help. Jane

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: USC Prevention Research Center Notes - September, 2002
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 15:57:24 -0400
From: "USCPRC USCPRC" <uscprc@...>

****UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER NOTES****
"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"

      Greetings from the faculty, staff, and students in the USC
Prevention Research Center.  Finally, cooler fall weather is upon
us, making it easier to accumulate that "60" minutes of moderate
and vigorous activity currently recommended by the National
Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM). (Note from editor: see
article below titled "60 Minutes a Day.")  Their recommendation
may seem hard for some people to achieve, but to maintain a
healthy body weight, it may be a realistic assessment of the
amount of energy expenditure needed on a daily basis.  The IOM
recommendation should not negate the health enhancing value of 30
minutes of activity recommended by the Public Health Service to
reduce chronic disease risks.  It merely focuses on a different
health outcome: healthy weight maintenance and maximal
cardiovascular health.  So, how can a busy adult achieve 60
minutes of activity/exercise per day?  How about active commuting
to work?  Given the traffic problems in some areas, it may take
less time to get to where you are going.  And, it can't be put off
for another day.
      On another note, if you haven't had a chance to check out our
PRC website (http://prevention.sph.sc.edu), it is a great resource
for research updates, current events, and physical activity
communication materials.  Best wishes for an active, fall season.
Barb Ainsworth

Barb Ainsworth, USC PRC Director
Dennis Shepard, USC PRC Deputy Director
Delores Pluto, Newsletter Editor (dmpluto@...)
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu
******************************************************************
IN THIS ISSUE - September 2002

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Moving Hearts for Health, Urban Walking Kit,
Walk to School Day

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON:  "IMPACT" Bill, Public Input on
TEA-21 Reauthorization, America Bikes

RESEARCH NOTES: Barriers to Walking/Cycling to School, School
Travel in Georgia, Perceptions of PA among African-American Women,
Leisure-Time PA among Adolescents, Walking & Vigorous Exercise

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES: 60 Minutes a Day, State
Legislation Related to PA & Nutrition, Health Care Provider
Counseling for PA, PA and Health Strategy (Canada), Changing the
Way We Age

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES: Safe Routes to School in Delaware,
AIM 2010

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS: ASHC Annual Meeting, CDC
Women's Health Conference, NRPA Annual Congress, Cooper Institute
Programs

******************************************************************
NEWS YOU CAN USE

MOVING HEARTS FOR HEALTH: The theme of the World Health
Organization's Global Embrace this year is "Active Aging: Moving
Hearts for Health." The Global Embrace is an annual
intergenerational advocacy event of the Global Movement for Active
Ageing, to enhance the health of older persons and their
communities (http://www.who.int/hpr/ageing). The Global Embrace
consists of a chain of locally organized walks and celebrations,
encircling the globe during a 24-hour period, drawing attention to
the health benefits of walking and physical activity while
providing enjoyment to all generations. This year's events will be
held in conjunction with the World Heart Day
(http://www.worldheartday.com/index.asp).

URBAN WALKING KIT: The SC Coalition for Promoting Physical
Activity (SCCPPA) believes that communities should provide
supportive environments for physical activity.  But until those
places are widely available, you can practice "safe steps" using
the "Official Urban Walking Kit." Created by SCCPPA's past
president Regina Fields, the tongue-in-cheek kit contains a
fluorescent light stick (for use in poorly lighted places),
sidewalk chalk (to draw crosswalks where needed), a whistle (to
get drivers' attention as you cross the street), a surgical mask
(to protect you from air pollution), a wrist-wallet (for cab fare
in case you get stranded in an unsafe place), and a notepad and
pen (to write down unsafe walking conditions so you can report
them to city council when you get home). Happy trails!

WALK TO SCHOOL DAY: October 2 is International Walk to School Day.
Last year nearly 3 million people from 21 countries walked to
school together on Walk to School Day, all hoping to create
communities that are safe places to walk. For more information, go
to the international site at http://iwalktoschool.org or the US
site at http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/.

For a list of additional PA related observances and events, visit
the PA links section of our website at
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/PAlinks/index.htm.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON

"IMPACT" BILL:  Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee, the only physician
in the US Senate, introduced the "Improved Nutrition and Physical
Activity Act" or the "IMPACT Act"
on July 30, 2002.  The purpose of the bill is "to establish grants
to provide health services for improved nutrition, increased
physical activity, obesity prevention, and for other purposes."
There were 8 original co-sponsors: Senators Bingaman (NM), Clinton
(NY), Dewine (OH), Dodd (CT), Lugar (IN), Murray (WA), Stevens
(AK), and Warner (VA).  Sen. Inouye (HI) signed on as a sponsor on
Sept. 4.  The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.  If passed as is, the
IMPACT Act would provide $10 million per year beginning in FY2003
for several initiatives including local community grants, funds
for state departments of education to implement coordinated school
health programs, and funds to assist CDC and state health
departments to promote healthy eating and PA.  For the full text
of the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov and search for bill
S.2821.  Information about which Senators are members of the
Committee is available at the same website.

PUBLIC INPUT ON TEA-21 REAUTHORIZATION:  The U.S. Department of
Transportation is soliciting input from the public as part of
reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21).  TEA-21 includes funding provisions for recreational
trails, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and alternative
transportation. Input will be accepted until January 1, 2003, and
may be submitted online at
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/ or by mail to: Docket
Clerk, U.S.DOT, Room PL-401, Docket Number OST-2002-12170, 400
Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590.   Comments should be
categorized in the areas of Environment, Public Transportation,
Planning, Safety, Transportation Data, Freight Issues, Security,
Finance, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and
Research/Technology/Education; comments will be forwarded to Task
Forces according to the category.  Questions about the public
input process can be directed to U.S. DOT at 1-800-647-5527.
(Source: "Alliance for a New Transportation Charter" Action Alert,
www.antc.net.)

AMERICA Beition for Promoting IKES:  America Bikes is a "coalition of
individuals,
businesses and organizations working to include good bicycle
provisions in the 2003 federal transportation funding
legislation."  The America Bikes advocacy agenda has three major
emphases: Provide Safe Routes to School; Create a Bicycle-friendly
Transportation System; and Strengthen Enhancements, CMAQ, and
other TEA-21 Programs.  On the coalition's website,
www.americabikes.org, advocates can sign up to receive regular
updates and action alerts.  America Bikes also has asked House and
Senate candidates to share their views on bicycling issues and is
posting results from the survey on the site as responses are
received.

RESEARCH NOTES

BARRIERS TO WALKING/CYCLING TO SCHOOL: A recent study from the CDC
analyzed data from the national HealthStyles Survey to examine why
most children do not walk or bike to school. Nineteen percent of
respondents reported that their youngest child walked to school
and 6% rode a bike. Collectively, these trips comprised 14% of the
children's trips to school. The most common barriers to walking or
biking to school were long distances (55%) and traffic danger
(40%). Other barriers included adverse weather conditions, crime
danger, and opposing school policy. CDC. "Barriers to Children
Walking and Biking to School - United States, 1999." MMWR
51(32):701-704, 2002. On the web at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5132a1.htm.

SCHOOL TRAVEL IN GEORGIA: Data from the Georgia Asthma Survey were
analyzed to examine modes of transportation to school in Georgia.
Results revealed that 4% of children between the ages of 5-15
walked to school most days of the week, 49% rode the bus and 43%
were driven to school by an adult. Only 19% of the children who
lived within one mile of school walked to school most days of the
week. CDC. "School Transportation Modes - Georgia, 2000." MMWR
51(32):704-705, 2002. On the web at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5132a2.htm.

PERCEPTIONS OF PA AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN: Six focus groups
were conducted with African-American women residing in SC to
explore their perceptions of physical activity (PA), barriers, and
enablers. The 42 women (age 19-51) initially associated PA with
structured activities but when prompted were able to identify
lifestyle physical activities. Participants also associated being
"busy" with PA even if activities did not involve physical
movement. Participants associated negative attributes to sedentary
African-American women and positive attributes to active African-
American women. They also believed that one could be fit and
overweight and that fitness and overweight were not necessarily
related. Wilcox, Richter, Henderson, Greaney, & Ainsworth.
"Perceptions of physical activity and personal barriers and
enablers in African-American women." Ethnicity and Disease, 12:
353-362, 2002.

LEISURE-TIME PA AMONG ADOLESCENTS: Results from a 10-year
prospective study showed that leisure-time PA levels decrease
among adolescent girls. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute Growth and Health Study followed 2379 girls from ages 9
or 10 to ages 18 or 19. By ages 16 or 17, 56% of the black girls
and 31% of the white girls reported no regular leisure-time PA. A
higher body mass index was associated with greater declines in
activity for both races. Pregnancy was associated with a decline
in PA levels among black girls, while smoking was associated with
a decline among white girls. In addition, low levels of parental
education were associated with declines in activity at older and
youngereition for Promoting  ages for white girls but only at older
ages for black
girls. Kimm, Glynn, Kriska, et al. "Decline in Physical Activity
in Black Girls and White Girls during Adolescence." The New
England Journal of Medicine, 347(10):709-715, 2002.

WALKING & VIGOROUS EXERCISE: The effects of walking and vigorous
exercise on the incidence of coronary and cardiovascular events
were explored in 73,743 postmenopausal women (age 50-79) in the
Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. A higher weekly
energy expenditure score (expressed as a total MET score) showed a
strong inverse relationship with both coronary and cardiovascular
events. Women who walked or exercised vigorously for at least 2.5
hours per week had a 30% risk reduction for a cardiovascular
event. Risk reductions for coronary and cardiovascular events were
similar for both walking and vigorous exercise. The relationship
between physical activity and risk reduction was similar for white
women and black women, as well as for different ages and body mass
indices. Walking intensity and time spent sitting also were
significantly related to cardiovascular event risk. Manson,
Greenland, LaCroix et al. "Walking Compared with Vigorous Exercise
for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Women." The New
England Journal of Medicine, 347(10):716-725, 2002.

For additional summaries of recent research on promoting physical
activity, visit the Research Updates section of our website at
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/updates/index.htm.

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES

60 MINUTES A DAY: A new report from the National Academies'
Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 60 minutes of physical
activity per day (twice the daily goal recommended by the CDC &
ACSM). The IOM report, titled "Dietary Reference Intakes for
Energy, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Protein and Amino Acids,"
establishes new recommendations for daily energy and nutrition
needs while minimizing risk for chronic disease. According to the
press release, adults and children (regardless of weight) should
spend a total of at least one hour each day in moderately intense
physical activity to maintain cardiovascular health at a maximal
level. Read the press release at
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309085373?OpenDoc
ument. The full report is available from the National Academy
Press, (800) 624-6242, or http://www.nap.edu.

STATE LEGISLATION RELATED TO PA & NUTRITION: For a list of state
legislation related to PA and nutrition, visit the website of the
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) at
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/phyact.htm. The site has
additional links and resources of interest to PA and nutrition
policy makers. (From CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National
Center for Bicycling & Walking.)

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER COUNSELING FOR PA: The U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force has issued a recommendation titled "Behavioral
Counseling for Physical Activity," published in the August 6 issue
of Annals of Internal Medicine. The Task Force (sponsored by the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) found mixed or
inconclusive evidence regarding the role of primary care providers
in motivating adult patients and recommended more research. There
are a few multi-component interventions that the Task Force feels
are promising approaches to encouraging adults to exercise,
including patient goal setting, written exercise prescriptions,
individually tailored physical activity regimens, and telephone
follow-up. In addition, the Task Force notes that linking primary
care patients to comeition for Promoting munity programs, targeting
groups rather than
individuals, may be a helpful approach. The recommendations and a
summary of the evidence are found on the AHRQ website:
      U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Behavioral Counseling in
Primary Care to Promote Physical Activity: Recommendations and
Rationale. July 2002. Originally in Annals of Internal Medicine
2002;137:205-7. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Rockville, MD.
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/physactivity/physactrr.htm
      Eden KB, Orleans CT, Mulrow CD, Pender NJ, Teutsch SM. Does
Counseling by Clinicians Improve Physical Activity? Summary of the
Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Originally
in Annals of Internal Medicine 2002;137:208-15. Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/physactivity/physsum.htm.
      Another systematic review of the literature, conducted by
Canadian researchers was recently published in the Canadian Family
Physician. See Petrella & Lattanzio.  "Does counseling help
patients get active? Systematic review of the literature."
Originally in Canadian Family Physician 2002;48:72-80.
http://www.cfpc.ca/programs/patcare/physact/cme/counseling.asp

PA AND HEALTH STRATEGY (CANADA): The College of Family Physicians
of Canada (CFPC) has developed a Physical Activity and Health
Strategy to help family doctors help their patients build physical
activity into their daily lives. The Strategy also recognizes the
importance of promoting active transportation policies by
encouraging city planners, health professionals and municipal
leaders to work together to design urban and suburban communities
that support active living environments. Dr. Andrew Pipe of the
CFPC recently presented "Sustainable Community Development: Why
It's Good for Health" at the Federation for Canadian
Municipalities conference and at the Canadian Urban Transit
Association.  The PowerPoint presentation and Dr. Pipe's speech
can be found at
http://www.cfpc.ca/programs/patcare/physact/ph_act.asp.

CHANGING THE WAY WE AGE: In July, the International Council on
Active Aging (ICAA) launched a $500,000 media program to support
President George Bush's HealthierUS Initiative. "Changing the Way
We Age" will educate the media about the concept and process of
active aging. The media support program will provide the media
with access to the latest cutting-edge information and
groundbreaking research, while educating them about how that
research can apply to an aging population. For more information,
visit the ICAA website at http://www.icaa.cc.

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL IN DELAWARE: According to an AP Press
Release, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner signed legislation on Sept. 10,
authorizing the Delaware Department of Transportation to establish
and administer a "Safe Routes to School" program using federal
transportation funds. Under the new law, the DOT will make grants
available to schools and school districts through a statewide
competition. Proposals must identify safety hazards as well as
current and potential walking and bicycling routes. They will be
rated on their potential for reducing child injuries and
fatalities and encouraging increased walking and bicycling.

AIM 2010: Americans in Motion 2010 (AIM 2010) is recruiting
community coalitions to conduct a media-based/internet physical
activity behavior change campaign in the spring of 2003.
Community coalitions will have access to the Take Charge Challenge
website for recruiting social systems (eition for Promoting worksites,
schools,
churches, senior centers, etc.), data collection, report
generation, incentives sales, and communication. The TCC website
will allow coalitions to generate income to support the campaign.
Monthly conference calls are being hosted by CDC's Division of
Nutrition and Physical Activity to provide technical assistance to
coalitions that are interested in participating. Both the
http://www.Takechargechallenge.org and http://www.Aim2010.org web
sites are under construction. For more information, contact Bruce
Leonard at aim2010@... or (770) 978-2289.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

ASHC ANNUAL MEETING: The 76th Annual Meeting of the American
School Health Conference, "Advocacy for Student Health and School
Success," will be held October 2-5, in Charlotte, NC.
(http://www.ashaweb.org/conferences.html)

CDC WOMEN'S HEALTH CONFERENCE: "Advancing the Health of Women:
Prevention, Practice, and Policy" will meet October 7-9 in
Atlanta, GA. (http://www.cdc.gov/od/spotlight/wmconf/index.htm)

NRPA ANNUAL CONGRESS: The National Recreation and Park
Administration (NRPA) Annual Congress and Exposition will meet
October 15-19, Tampa, FL.
(http://www.nrpa.org/department.cfm?departmentID=9&publicationID=1
1, Phone: (703) 858-0784)

COOPER INSTITUTE PROGRAMS: The Cooper Institute Workshop,
"Developing Lifestyle Physical Activity Programs" will occur Oct.
14-16 in Dallas TX, followed by the conference series, "Physical
Activity: Preventing Physical Disability in Older Adults" on
October 17-19. (http://www.cooperinst.org/sciconf.asp, Phone:
(972) 341-3247)

For a more complete list of conferences and workshops, visit the
PA links section of our website at
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/PAlinks/index.htm.

******************************************************************
Writers: Delores Pluto, Tracy Pearch, Regina Fields

This and past issues of the "University of South Carolina
Prevention Research Center Notes" are available at our website at
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/Newsletter/index.htm.  To submit an
item, please e-mail Delores Pluto at dmpluto@....

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, e-mail the
Prevention Research Center at USCPRC@.... When subscribing,
please include your name, e-mail address, title, and
organizational affiliation. There is no subscription cost.

For continuing discussions about physical activity, join the
Physical Activity and Public Health On-Line Network listserv.
Instructions are located on our website, at
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu.

The USC Prevention Research Center is a member of the CDC
Prevention Research Center's National Network, consisting of 26
Centers in the U.S.  For more information about the PRC National
Network, visit http://www.cdc.gov/prc/index.htm.
******************************************************************
Prevention Research Center
Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South
Carolina
730 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
803-777-4253

Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
******************************************************************

Accession Number
      Journal Article: 1999-00354-007.
Author
      DiLorenzo, Thomas M; Bargman, Eric P; Stucky-Ropp, Renee; Brassington,
      Glenn S; Frensch, Peter A; LaFontaine, Thomas.
Title
      Long-term effects of aerobic exercise on psychological outcomes.
Source
      Preventive Medicine: an International Devoted to Practice &
Theory. Vol
      28(1) Jan 1999, 75-85.
      Academic Press Inc, United Kingdom, www.academicpress.com
Abstract
      Examined the short- and long-term psychological effects following
      completion of a 12-wk aerobic fitness program using bicycle ergometry
      (and confirmed increases in fitness). Following completion of the
      program and a 12 mo follow-up, 82 participants (aged 18-39 yrs)
      completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Profile of Mood States,
      State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale.
      Physiological measures used to assess changes in aerobic fitness were
      maximal work load, submaximal heart rate at a standard work load,
      predicted maximum oxygen uptake, and resting heart rate. Results show
      that the exercise participants experienced a positive fitness change
      and psychological improvement over the initial 12-wk program vs a
      control group. At 1-yr follow-up, physiological and psychological
      benefits remained significantly improved from baseline. (PsycINFO
      Database Record (c) 2000 APA, all rights reserved)

   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cit

Accession Number
      Journal Article: 2001-11106-003.
Author
      Hansen, Cheryl J; Stevens, Larry C; Coast, J. Richard.
Author E-Mail
      cherylh@...
Title
      Exercise duration and mood state: How much is enough to feel better?
Source
      Health Psychology. Vol 20(4) Jul 2001, 267-275.
      American Psychological Assn, US
Abstract
      The effects of exercise duration on mood state were examined. In a
      repeated-measures design, the Profile of Mood States inventory
(D. M.
      McNair, M. Lorr, & L. F. Droppleman, 1971) was administered
before and
      after 1 quiet resting trial and 3 exercise trials of 10, 20, and
30 min
      on a bicycle ergometer. Heart rate levels were controlled at 60%
of the
      participant's estimated V0-sub(2max ) level. An overall analysis of
      variance found improved levels of vigor with reduced levels of
      confusion, fatigue, and total negative mood. Planned analyses revealed
      that the improvements in vigor, fatigue, and total mood occurred after
      10 min of exercise, with progressive improvements in confusion
over 20
      min and with no additional improvement over longer periods. These
      results complement current recommendations, which suggest that to
      experience positive fitness and health benefits, healthy adults should
      participate in a total of 30 min of moderate physical exercise daily,
      accumulated in short bouts throughout the day. (PsycINFO Database
      Record (c) 2000 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)

Seiderman, C. B. and Russell(1997) R. H. How better bicycle
facilities can enhance local economies.

http://www.tlcnetwork.org/velocity.html

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of improved bicycle access on the
economic life of city and town centres, including the manner in which
  greater security for bicycles and cyclists can effect local
economies. The focus is the comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian
program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, with contrasts drawn --
particularly for economic purposes -- to a commuter bikeway in a
suburban setting near Cambridge, and to a bicycle trail in an
ex-urban location southeast of Cambridge. Context is provided through
  a comprehensive review of data from other urban areas, particularly
those in the US and in Europe. The authors, a city planner and an
environmental attorney, conclude that well-planned bicycle amenities,
  including bike parking facilities in urban areas, exercise a
decidedly positive effect on local and (depending on their location)
regional economies. These effects include new and expanded business,
increased employment, a stronger local tax base, higher real estate
values, greater safety, decreased air pollution, lower health costs
and heightened tourism revenue. Nonetheless, more rigorous economic
analysis of the extent and quality of these effects are needed, and
in particular studies that quantify specific effects in diverse
settings, and those that link the effect to particular types of
bicycling amenities.



I. Cycling is central to a community's health and wealth

If the measure of a community's vitality is in part the ease with
which its citizens can commune -- among employment, shopping and
social activities -- then a community linked by a network of bicycle
facilities is one that should be more, not less, economically
successful. Bicyclists are a community's residents, employees,
employers and customers. Hence amenities that afford bike access to
town centres not only do not interfere with economic activity, they
actively enhance it. Particularly when reinforced by a set of rules
that properly mediate among the needs of cyclists, pedestrians and
motorists, greater ease of access to commercial centres for cyclists,
  and improved cycling facilities in general, exercise a positive
influence on local economies.

We support this thesis with existing data and analyses on the
connection between bicycling and economic health, and offer as a case
  study the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, located in the New
England region of the United States. Cambridge, with a population of
nearly 100,000 in 6.4 square miles (16.7 square kilometres), is a
dense urban setting. A nearby suburban town centre provides strong
evidence of this connection as well.

Economic activity should be viewed from a broad perspective. It
constitutes retail sales, tourism, new and expanded business, and
higher employment, as well as the less tangible but potentially
immense impact seen when a community becomes more "livable" -- an
upward trend in real estate values, greater local tax revenue, even
increased community participation in civic affairs.

Bicycle facilities can enhance economic activity in a number of ways:


Improved cycling facilities can increase access to business for a
potentially significant pool of customers. Improved facilities can
increase the public's sense that a community is a safe and desirable
one in which to live. This perception will tend to attract businesses
  and new jobs, and bolster the local tax base.1 Increased bicycle use
  is one strategy to combat major forms of air pollution.2 Bicycle
facilities often serve as a magnet for tourism, which can propel
economic activity. Bicycle facilities and increased bicycle use tend
to reduce the multiple costs associated with automobiles and sprawl.
Bicycle facilities are cheaper to build and maintain than the
automobile infrastructure.3 Not only can bicycle amenities enhance
safety in specific areas, but cities with higher bicycling
populations have been shown to have lower overall accident rates.4
This is turn reduces related costs, such as those for police, medical
  care, and insurance.5 Those who use the bicycle rather than the car
can save money, some of which is then reinvested in the local economy
.

II. Existing data

Evidence that increased bicycling and a healthier economy go hand in
hand can be found in many places. We review two different settings
where this evidence is particularly compelling: (i) communities where
  environments are geared towards cycling; and (ii) specific
facilities, primarily off-road trails.

A. Thriving town centres

The vitality and economic health of a town's commercial centre is
dependent upon its accessibility to the public. The conduit that
permits this access is the street, and well-planned streets make for
thriving centres. In his book, Great Streets, Allan Jacobs notes that
  "first and foremost, a great street should help make community[. It]
  should facilitate people acting and interacting to achieve in
concert what they might not achieve alone." Streets, Jacobs
emphasizes, should be accessible to all.6

Indeed, when a city truly is accessible, commonplace beliefs may
prove to be false. For example, even in bicycle-friendly nations many
  assume that those who shop by car spend more than those who arrive
by foot, bike or public transit. But this is not always so. Although
a report from the Netherlands concluded that cyclists spent 43% less
than motorists7 a recent Copenhagen study that analyzed shoppers'
spending according to mode of transport found that those who walk,
use public transport or bicycle spend much more than those who use
cars. Moreover, this holds true even for the most expensive purchases
.8 Copenhagen is a city that thrives despite -- or perhaps because of
  -- its emphasis on providing access to people rather than to
automobiles. During the past 30 years, much space in its inner city
has been turned over to pedestrians and cyclists. A short while after
  "pedestrianization" began, pedestrian numbers increased by 20-40%.9

But the measure of success is not only how many people come, but how
many stay and for how long. In their analysis of the changes in
Copenhagen, Jan Gehl and Lars Gemz�e report that the number of people
  who spend time in the city centre has increased by a factor of 3.5 -
- which is precisely the amount by which pedestrian space expanded
during the same period.10

In Copenhagen, the policy of providing bicycle lanes on major streets
  has meant less curbside parking and fewer motor vehicle lanes. The
result has been a clear increase in the use of bicycles: from 1930 to
  1995, the bicycle lane network in the city grew from 80 to 293
kilometers, and from 1970 to 1995, bicycling as a mode of transport
to the city centre increased by 65%.11

Although the Copenhagen study is one of the most comprehensive of its
  kind, similar evidence has been developed elsewhere. In several
small Florida (US) towns, main streets in the commercial districts
were redesigned to enhance non-vehicular access, with dramatic
success.12 Many Danish towns have installed traffic calming measures
and easier access for bicyclists. Described in a comprehensive report
  that includes examples from Germany and France, these improvements
have enhanced the urban environment and increased safety and access.
Not surprisingly, they have received overwhelming public support.
Some have drawn not only more cyclists, but even more motorists.13 By
  developing comprehensive bicycle networks, communities throughout
the Netherlands also have shown that an improved bicycle
infrastructure results in increased cycling.14

B. Trails

Off-road bikeways, or trails, can have a decidedly positive effect on
  nearby businesses. They can be a tonic for tourism, and generally
are observed to increase the desirability of neighboring properties.
In spurring a sometimes sudden new influx of buying-power, they can
supplement local economies.

Additionally, by allowing low-impact use of what often is a coveted
public resource, bicycle trails can avert other development choices -
- like road construction -- that may leave a negative legacy.

1. US examples

Data from surveys at other bicycle trails and facilities in the
United States support the view that a bicycle-friendly community has
made a sound investment in its future economic health. For example,
evidence shows that bicycle trails and paths attract new business.
Along the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park in the US state of
Maryland, six businesses related to trail activities have opened and
two more, seeking a stronger customer base, have relocated there.15 A
  similar phenomenon has been observed along the Heritage Trail in
Iowa (US) and the Delaware and Raritan Multi-Use Trail in central New
  Jersey (US).16

In addition, bicycle facilities attract people -- cyclists,
pedestrians, others on wheels -- often by the thousands. And a number
  of analyses have demonstrated that those who use these facilities
spend money. These expenditures amounted to nearly US$26 per day at
the Oil Creek Bike Trail in Pennsylvania, more than US$12 per day at
the Sugar Valley Trail in Minnesota, about US$11 per day at the
Tallahassee-St. Marks Trail in Florida, and between US$5 and US$11
per day at the Sugar River Trail in Wisconsin.17

The proximity of a bicycle facility has also been shown through
surveys and economic analyses to increase local property values. For
instance, a study in Seattle found that property near the
Burke-Gilman Trail commanded a 6% price premium.18

2. Local examples

Two examples from Massachusetts demonstrate the value of trails for
suburban town centres and ex-urban tourist areas.

Lexington town centre

The Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, an 11-mile-long trail running from
Cambridge westward, is used both for recreation and transportation.
Persuasive evidence exists that the bikeway has had a strong economic
  impact on the town centres through which it runs, including
Lexington's. Three bike shops have opened along the trail, one of
which reported more than 1,800 customers in a two-day period. A small
  ice cream store -- among several new businesses of this type --
reported 1,500 transactions in a single day.19 Other businesses have
moved closer to the bikeway to take advantage of its commercial
potential. Indeed, proximity has become a selling point in the local
real estate market. A recent master plan for the business corridor
running parallel to the bikeway concluded that, given its success in
drawing cyclists and walkers, the business district needed to do even
  more to take advantage of this commercial potential. New signs are
under consideration, and at least one town, neighboring Arlington,
plans to install bike racks to encourage commercial visits. The first
  20 were anticipated by spring, 1997.20

b. Cape Cod recreational bike trail

The 24.5-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail stretches across the Massachusetts
peninsula and popular vacation area. Although most of it passes
through undeveloped marshlands and parks, this popular trail has
boosted local business.21 An economic development official with the
Cape Cod Commission -- a government body with jurisdiction over
regional development -- noted that nearly every town along the trail
now has a bicycle sales and rental shop near the trail, as well as
one or more eateries. "It's continuing to be more successful each
year," he commented.22



Table 1

A recent survey of 38 businesses along the Cape Cod Rail Trail found
that this relatively rural bicycle facility had a strongly positive
effect on at least some sectors of the local economy. For example, of
  those surveyed:

60% said they have expanded their business since the trail opened,
and mentioned the trail as a major reason for the expansion; 53% said
  that revenues from trail users constitute more than 10% of their
total annual revenues; 24% said that the trail played a part in theur
  decision to open or aquire their business; and 75% predicted that
the trail's proximity will have a positive effect on their business
in the future.

Source: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, 1997.

PhysicalActivityforMentalHealth@...

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: USC Prevention Research Center Notes - Jan/Feb 2002
    Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 11:36:00 -0500
    From: "USCPRC USCPRC" <uscprc@...>
      To: <USCPRC@...>

  ****UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINAPREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER NOTES****
"Promoting Health through Physical Activity"

Greetings from the faculty, staff, and students in the USC Prevention
Research Center. This year, the World Health Organization has proclaimed
the theme for World Health Day on April 7th, 2002 as "Move for Health."
Around the world, countries are preparing for the celebration by
sponsoring special events. For example, in Brazil, the community program
of Agita Sao Paulo (Be Active Sao Paulo) has been expanded to Agita
Brazil and Agita Mundo (Be Active World!). Visit their website at
http://www.agitamundo.org.br and the WHO site at
http://www.who.int/world-health-day/index.en.shtml . Numerous countries,
counties, cities, schools and organizations also are planning special
events. What are yours? Please share your activities with us so we can
we help inform others about ways to promote active lifestyles. Best
wishes for an active winter season.

Barb Ainsworth, Director
Dennis Shepard, Deputy Director
Delores Pluto, Newsletter Editor ( dmpluto@... )
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu
******************************************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE - January/February 2002

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Active for Life - Call for Proposals; Perils for
Pedestrians; America's Walking

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON: Federal Funding Update, Healthy
Communities Initiative Proposed

RESEARCH NOTES: Environment, Policy & PA; Perceived Environment &
Walking Behavior; 10,000 Steps Per Day for Sedentary Women?

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES: Safe Routes to School; Health
Update: Environment & Health; A Decade of ISTEA Accomplishments; Healthy
People 2000: Final Review

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES: Australia's National Cycling Strategy;
PLAY Arizona; Walk In to Work Out; Engaging Teens in PA

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS: National Bike Summit; International
Walking Conference; Health Education/Health Promotion Conference; ISBNPA
2002; Pro Bike/Pro Walk 2002

USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE: Compendium Tracking Guide;
Physical Activity and Public Health Course (PAPH)

******************************************************************************

NEWS YOU CAN USE

ACTIVE FOR LIFE - CALL FOR PROPOSALS: "Active for Life: Improving
Physical Activity Levels in Adults Age 50 and Older" is a four?year,
$8.7?million grants program, administered through the School of Rural
Public Health (SRPH), part of the Texas A&M University System Health
Science Center, and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Under this project, as many as eight grants will be awarded to test the
effectiveness of promising interventions to promote physical activity in
the general population of mid-life and older persons at health risk
because of their sedentary lifestyles. Active for Life grantee sites
will recruit 1,000 people age 50 and older to participate in programs
based on one of two model strategies that help participants incorporate
physical activity into their daily routines. The call for proposals and
more information about the Active for Life program is available on the
web at www.activeforlife.info or send email to
activeforlife@... .

PERILS FOR PEDESTRIANS is a monthly television series promoting
awareness of issues affecting the safety of people who walk. The show
interviews advocates and government planners about problems such as
missing sidewalks and crosswalks, dangerous intersections, speeding
traffic, and obstacles to wheelchair users and people with disabilities.
Perils For Pedestrians appears on public access cable stations across
the United States and is also webcast. For more information and to see
if the series is available in your area, visit
http://www.pedestrians.org .

AMERICA'S WALKING: Connecticut Public Television will be launching a new
series on PBS television this spring titled "America's Walking," hosted
by Mark Fenton, former editor of Walking Magazine. The series will
encourage active living for a healthier lifestyle. It will focus on
walking and touch on a range of outdoor activities such as cycling and
kayaking. Each 30-minute episode will include segments on health and
fitness; nutrition and wellness; gear to go; travel and adventure; and
advocacy for a more active world. The first thirteen episodes will begin
airing in April 2002; check your television listings or contact your
local PBS station to be sure they're carrying the program.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON

FEDERAL FUNDING UPDATE: Congress has completed the Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY)
2002. The bill includes several types of funding for physical activity
programs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will receive
$27.5 million for nutrition and physical activity, a 70% increase over
the previous year. Funding has been earmarked for the Institute of
Medicine to conduct a study on childhood obesity. The Youth Media
Campaign focusing on physical activity, which is in the planning stage,
suffered a 45% funding cut, from $125 million in FY 2001 to $68.4
million in FY 2002. The Preventive Health Block Grant, which funds many
state health departments' physical activity programs, stayed at just
over $135 million. The Physical Education for Progress (PEP) grant
program received significant increase, from $5 million in its inaugural
year in 2001, to $50 million in FY 2002. (Sources: Margo Wootan from
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity; Council of State and
Territorial Epidemiologists; National Association for Sport and Physical
Education.)
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE PROPOSED: US Dept. of Health and Human
Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson has announced that President
Bush is proposing a new Healthy Communities Innovation Initiative in his
fiscal year 2003 budget. If approved by Congress, the $20 million
initiative would fund demonstration projects in five communities to
target the prevention of diabetes, asthma, and obesity. Participating
communities would match the federal funds with local resources and would
develop coalitions to enhance access to services and encourage positive
behavioral changes. The initiative also proposes that the CDC administer
a health communications campaign to encourage moderate changes in
lifestyle. For more information, see the full press release at
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20020201b.html .

RESEARCH NOTES

For additional summaries of recent research on promoting physically
active lifestyles in community settings, look at the Research Updates at
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu .

ENVIRONMENT, POLICY & PA: In a groundbreaking study, researchers
conducted a telephone survey of US adults to determine the association
of environmental and policy factors with physical activity. The authors
found that individuals who said they had access to a walking or jogging
trail were 55% more likely to be engaging in regular physical activity;
those who said they had sidewalks in their neighborhoods were 28% more
likely. Respondents who said they had access to a park were 95% more
likely to be regularly active, and those who had access to an indoor gym
were 94% more likely. Enjoyable scenery was also associated with regular
PA participation. The presence of unattended dogs was associated with
slightly lower levels of PA participation. Support for policies
promoting physical activity was very high: 89-90% of respondents
supported using local government funds for walking trails and bicycle
paths, 85-88% agreed that zoning should include walking/bike paths, and
95% supported requiring physical education in schools. Social factors
and personal barriers to physical activity were also studied. See
Brownson, Baker, Houseman, et al. "Environmental and Policy Determinants
of Physical Activity in the United States." American Journal of Public
Health, 91(12):1995-2003, December 2001.

PERCEIVED ENVIRONMENT & WALKING BEHAVIOR: A recently published
Australian study explored the relationship between various perceived
environmental factors believed to be associated with PA (community
aesthetics, convenience of walking facilities, and having company for
walking) and exercise/recreation related walking behavior.
Cross-sectional population-based survey data was collected among
residents living in New South Wales, Australia. Results indicated that,
among men and women alike, less aesthetically pleasing environments and
less convenient facilities in the environment were both associated with
a lower likelihood of having walked for exercise in the past two weeks.
Individuals (especially women) who reported having no company or pets to
walk with were also less likely to have walked in the past two weeks.
These associations were also observed in separate analyses among men and
women and those reporting good and poor physical and mental health. See
Ball, Bauman, Leslie, and Owen. "Perceived Environmental Aesthetics and
Convenience and Company Are Associated with Walking for Exercise among
Australian Adults." Preventive Medicine, 33:434-440, 2001.

10,000 STEPS PER DAY FOR SEDENTARY WOMEN? Researchers in Arizona
explored the appropriateness of using 10,000-steps per day as a physical
activity target for sedentary women. A sample of sedentary workingwomen
(ages 30-55) wore pedometers over a 4-week period and recorded their
steps at the end of each day to determine baseline step counts.
Participants also recorded their pedometer counts before and after two
30-minute brisk walks which they were instructed to perform each week on
randomly assigned days. Baseline step counts for the sedentary women
averaged 7,220 steps on non-walk days and 10,030 steps on walking days,
with 3,104 steps being attributed to the 30-minute brisk walk. In
addition, on those days when the 30-minute brisk walk was prescribed, a
significantly greater proportion of the women achieved the 10,000-step
level. While these findings support using 10,000 steps per day as a
challenging behavioral target for sedentary women, the authors suggest
that higher or lower step count targets, depending on baseline levels,
may be necessary as not all of the sedentary women were equally inactive
on their non-walking days. See Wilde, Sidman, and Corbin. "A 10,000-Step
Count as a Physical Activity Target for Sedentary Women." Research
Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 72(4):411-414, 2001.

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL: Safe Routes to School (SR2S) programs are
beginning to grow more popular around the US. The program began in
Australia and has spread to Europe and now North America. To encourage
more children to walk or bike, parents need to trust that it is both
safe and convenient from a variety of perspectives. This is the impetus
for SR2S programs. Transportation Alternatives has published a summary
of such programs in the US on their website at
http://www.transalt.org/campaigns/reclaiming/saferoutes2.html . The
document categorizes SR2S programs into the following four approaches:
traffic calming, funding, encouragement, and enforcement. It includes an
inventory of programs from around the country with contact information
and web links. Other useful information on SR2S programs can be found on
the website of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking at
http://www.bikewalk.org/safe_routes_to_school.htm .

HEALTH UPDATE: ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH: The UK's Health Education
Authority published "Road Transport" as part of its Environment and
Health series. This report summarizes existing statistics, research, and
debates for health professionals to provide a map of the current state
of knowledge and action on the environment and health as it relates to
transportation in England. The report includes a section on physical
activity and transportation. The full report is available on the UK
Health Development Agency's website:
http://www.hda-online.org.uk/downloads/pdfs/healthupdate_road_transport.pdf
.

A DECADE OF ISTEA ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In honor of the 10?year anniversary
of the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
(ISTEA), the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) released Ten
Years of Progress: Building Better Communities Through Transportation.
The report profiles more than 70 innovative transportation projects
around the country and provides a summary of national statistics
documenting how transportation has changed since passage of the ISTEA.
The 48?page, full?color Ten Years of Progress report is available
through STPP for $15, by calling (202) 466?2636. The online, indexed
version can be browsed by category and type of intervention (e.g.,
bicycle and pedestrian improvements) and the state in which the project
is located. Go to STPP's website http://www.transact.org .

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000: FINAL REVIEW: In October the National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS) released "Healthy People 2000: Final Review."
This publication, which incorporates the 1995 midcourse review
modifications to the objectives, provides the latest available tracking
data for objectives and subobjectives in all priority areas throughout
the decade (priority area 1 = PA and fitness). The report is available
on the NCHS website,
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hp2k/hp2k.htm (click on
Healthy People 2000 Review) or you can go directly to the report at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2k01.pdf .


PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES

AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL CYCLING STRATEGY: The Australian Bicycle Council
(ABC) has published "Australia Cycling - The National Strategy
1999-2004," which provides the framework for the delivery of programs to
increase safe cycling and remove impediments to cycling. The Strategy
contains deliverable objectives, with clear targets, time frames, and
responsibilities. Its implementation will ensure that cycling can play
an important part in the Australian transportation system. Find the
report on the ABC website, http://www.dotrs.gov.au/abc/index.htm .

WALK IN TO WORK OUT: "Walk in to Work Out" is a new initiative in the UK
to encourage employees to leave the cars at home. The Department for
Transport, Local Government, and the Regions (DTLR) is sending an
information pack to over 2,000 travel plan coordinators within major
organizations, businesses and local authorities. The pack includes goal
setting, journey planning, and safety information. The launch of the
pack coincided with the National Audit Office's conference, "Joining
Forces to Tackle Obesity," held in January in London.

PLAY ARIZONA: Promoting Lifetime Activity for Youth (P.L.A.Y.) works
with children and youth in grades 4th?8th in Arizona schools.
Implementation of the P.L.A.Y. program began in January 1997 in twelve
counties and has expanded to approximately 160 schools, reaching 24,000
students and 900 teachers a year. The program is designed to encourage
student independence in achieving 30 minutes of daily activity at school
and at home. Participating students receive log sheets, which include
activity suggestions. Participating teachers receive program materials,
an activity card, a wall chart to record students' progress, and
classroom equipment such as balls and jump ropes. As a result of the
P.L.A.Y. program, students' attitudes about physical activity have
become more positive and the number of students reporting that they are
not physically active has decreased. You can find more information about
P.L.A.Y at http://www.maricopa.gov/public_health/play/ or contact Tammy
Ball, Program Manager, Preventive Health and Health Services Block
Grant, at (602) 364?2401 or tball@... .

ENGAGING TEENS IN PA: HealthPartners, a group of nonprofit Minnesota
health care organizations, has developed a multi-topic publication to
engage teens in healthy lifestyles. While the "magazine" covers
everything from pimples to puberty, it also includes an eight-page
section on nutrition and physical activity. This section provides
practical ways for youth to integrate healthy eating and activity into
their teenage lifestyle. The publication is available on line at the
HealthPartners website, http://www.healthpartners.com under "programs,
classes, and resources."

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

NATIONAL BIKE SUMMIT: The League of American Bicyclists' Second National
Bike Summit will be held in Washington, DC on March 6?8, 2002. Bicycle
advocates, industry leaders, transportation professionals, key
legislators, and government officials will gather to advance policies
and initiatives to support and encourage bicycling. Visit the conference
website at http://www.bikeleague.org/involved/nationalbikesummit.htm .

INTERNATIONAL WALKING CONFERENCE: The third international walking
conference, "Steps Towards Liveable Cities," will be held May 8-9, 2002,
in San Sebastian, Spain. The purpose of the conference is to discuss and
propose ways to bring cities back to pedestrians, increase urban
quality, and create livable cities. For more information, contact Carlos
Suso Beitia, Technical Secretariat, Congress WALK 21, email:
carlos@... .

HEALTH EDUCATION/HEALTH PROMOTION CONFERENCE: The CDC and ASTDHPPHE will
sponsor the 20th National Conference on Health Education and Health
Promotion: Strengthening America through Health Education and Health
Promotion, June 5-7, 2002, in New Orleans, LA. The 2002 conference goal
is to provide opportunities to share successful health education and
health promotion programs for a variety of settings, populations, and
public health issues. More information can be found at
http://www.astdhpphe.org/conf20/20confindex.htm .

ISBNPA 2002: The first annual meeting for the International Society for
Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting will occur
July 12-13, 2002 in Seattle, WA. The meeting will offer interested
professionals an opportunity to hear about the latest research on
behavioral issues in nutrition and physical activity, discuss common
theoretical, method and intervention issues across nutrition and
physical activity disciplines, and meet new colleagues who share a
common behavioral perspective. More information will be available at
http://www.bcm.tmc.edu/cnrc/ISBNPA/meeting/meeting.html .

PRO BIKE/PRO WALK 2002: The 12th International Symposium on Bicycling
and Walking will be held in St. Paul, Minnesota from Tuesday through
Friday, September 3-6, 2002. Sponsors expect more than 600 bicycle and
pedestrian program specialists, advocates, and government leaders
committed to improving conditions for bicycling and walking. The program
includes seminars on bicycle and pedestrian facility planning, design,
and engineering; promotion and encouragement programs; public health and
physical activity; education and safety research and programs; effective
advocacy techniques; and trails and greenway development. Responses to
the call for papers must be in by March 1, 2002. The conference website
is http://www.bikewalk.org/conference.htm .


USC PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER UPDATE

COMPENDIUM TRACKING GUIDE: The Compendium of Physical Activities was
developed for use in epidemiologic studies to standardize the assignment
of MET intensities in physical activity questionnaires. Version 1 of the
Compendium was published in 1993, and an updated version was published
in 2000. Dr. Barbara Ainsworth has now made available to other
researchers a tracking guide she has used in her physical activity
assessment studies. The guide can be found at
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/Tools/compendium.htm .

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH COURSE (PAPH): The 2002 PAPH Courses
will be held September 17-25 at the Shadow Ridge Hotel and Conference
Center in Park City, Utah. Sponsored by the USC PRC and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, PAPH features an 8-day Postgraduate
Course on Research Directions and Strategies and a 6-day Practitioner's
Course on Community Interventions. Nationally recognized experts in
public health research and practice teach both courses. The Research
Course serves post-doctoral personnel and is designed to develop
research competencies related to physical activity and public health.
The Practitioner's Course is for those professionally involved or
interested in community-based initiatives to promote physical activity.
Approximately 25 fellows are accepted for each course, based on
educational background, experience, professional position, and potential
to enhance public health research and practice. Information will be on
the PRC website by early March ( http://prevention.sph.sc.edu ) or
contact Janna Borden at 803-576-6050 or janna.borden@... .

******************************************************************************

Writers: Delores Pluto, Lillian Smith, Ralph Welsh, Regina Fields

This and past issues of the "University of South Carolina Prevention
Research Center Notes" are available at our website. If you have an item
you'd like to submit, please send it to Delores Pluto at dmpluto@...
.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, e-mail the Prevention
Research Center at USCPRC@... . When subscribing, please include
your name, e-mail address, title, and organizational affiliation. There
is no subscription cost.

For continuing discussions about physical activity, join the Physical
Activity and Public Health On-Line Network listserv. Instructions are on
our website, at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu .

The USC Prevention Research Center is a member of the CDC Prevention
Research Center's National Network, consisting of 26 Centers in the U.S.
For more information about the PRC National Network, visit
http://www.cdc.gov/prc/glance.htm .
*******************************************************************************

Prevention Research Center
Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina
730 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
803-777-4253

Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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