Increased Physical Activity Across Lifespan
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has identified two specific objectives (a) to increase the proportion of adolescents who engage in vigorous physical activity 3 or more days per week for 20 minutes or more per occasion and (b) to increase the proportion of adults who engage in regular, preferably daily, moderate physical activity at least 30 minutes per day. How can we help Americans reach these objectives at a time when trends indicate physical activity in the population at large is decreasing? One is through continued research and new, improved interventions.
Genetics of health and behavior and brain development and function.
Understanding the decrease of physical activity with age, understanding dose-response relationships between physical activity for disease prevention and rehabilitation, and understanding the biologic, psychosocial and cognitive mechanisms of using physical activity to promote mental health.
Activities other than endurance exercises.
Important for elderly individuals at high risk for impaired mobility and loss of independence because of insufficient activity.
The extent to which physical activity can facilitate other lifestyle changes.
Smoking cessation, dietary changes.
Improve measures appropriate to ethnic and cultural minorities, women, youth and older populations so that they do not overburden participants, yet remain reliable and valid.
Better and less expensive activity monitors and palm-top computers to facilitate accurate real-time data collection, assessing the impact of providing walking-biking trails and safe playgrounds
Creative new intervention methods and strategies.
Matching intervention content on participant motivational readiness, improvement of mass media interventions targeting underserved populations.
The physical and psychosocial environment in which choices to be active or sedentary occur.
Better understanding of neighborhood and family/friend support for exercise and physical activity.