The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44410

Leslie Mikkelsen, MPH, RD¹, Larry Cohen, MSW¹, Gil Sisneros, MPH, CHES², Michelle Oppen, MPH, CHES³, Katherine Keir¹, Sarah E. Samuels, DrPH⁴, Amy M. Carroll, MPH⁴, Mike Miller⁵, and Amy Woodman⁵. (1) Prevention Institute, 265 29th Street, Oakland, CA 94611, 510-444-7738, leslie@preventioninstitute.org, (2) California Department of Health Services, Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, PO Box 942732, MS 662, 601 N. 7th Street, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320, (3) Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, Public Health Institute, 2168 Shattuck Ave, Suite 300, Berkeley, CA 94704-1307, (4) Samuels & Associates, 1204 Preservation Park Way, Oakland, CA 94110, (5) Brown Miller Communications, 1114 Jones Street, Martinez, CA 94553

Increasing physical activity is an important public health goal. Relatively little attention has been paid to effective strategies for increasing physical activity among low-income individuals. People with low incomes tend to be furthest from meeting recommended activity levels and face the greatest hurdles in achieving them. Therefore, the Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section (CPNS) of the California Department of Health Services convened an advisory committee, the Physical Activity and Nutrition Integration Committee (PANIC), to address the disparities among low-income individuals. PANIC participated in a planning process, funded by USDA, to identify strategies for integrating physical activity promotion into nutrition promotion efforts at local public and community organizations. Prevention Institute facilitated the process which utilized the Spectrum of Prevention as the organizing tool for the strategy framework. The Spectrum identifies six levels of intervention which encourage practitioners to move beyond a primarily educational or 'individual skill building' approach to a more environmental focus. Each level of the tool targets successively broader arenas for change beginning with the individual and ending with the broadest level, emphasizing policy and legislative change. PANIC identified key barriers to physical activity: no role models, limited time and disposable income, inadequate recreational activities, poor walk-ability or bike-ability. Important underlying principles for change included: community involvement, comprehensive strategy development, collaboration between disciplines, and meaningful evaluation. Based on their findings, PANIC developed a comprehensive framework with key strategies for each level of the Spectrum of Prevention. Steps are currently being taken to implement various elements of the strategic framework.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to
• understand how the elements of the Spectrum of Prevention contribute to comprehensive strategy development,
• describe the key findings of approaches to increasing physical activity among low-income families and
• understand current PANIC activities.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.