Evidence-based approaches to dissemination and diffusion of physical activity interventions

With the increasing availability of effective, evidence-based physical activity interventions, widespread diffusion is needed. We examine conceptual foundations for research on dissemination and diffusion of physical activity interventions; describe two school-based program examples; review examples of dissemination and diffusion research on other health behaviors; and examine policies that may accelerate the diffusion process. Lack of dissemination and diffusion evaluation research and policy advocacy is one of the factors limiting the impact of evidence-based physical activity interventions on public health. There is the need to collaborate with policy experts from other fields to improve the interdisciplinary science base for dissemination and diffusion. The promise of widespread adoption of evidence-based physical activity interventions to improve public health is sufficient to justify devotion of substantial resources to the relevant research on dissemination and diffusion.

Individual or population approaches to the promotion of physical activity... is that the question?

A recent editorial raised several issues about the role of exercise physiologists in the fight against physical inactivity in Australia. This opinion piece argues that we must strive to work together in multidisciplinary groups to improve our understanding of the mechanisms which link PA and health and the ways to persuade people to become more active. Prescription of specific exercise programs supported by exercise physiologists is one strategy for helping to activate Australians, but it is unlikely that that this atone will have a significant impact on population health. If we are to activate the 10,000,000 Australians who are currently insufficiently active for health benefit, we will need the combined efforts of governments, NGOs, teachers, planners, marketing experts, veterinarians, and ALL our health professionals, to combine forces to activate Australia. (c) 2006 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What does the animal model teach us about the effects of physical activity on growing bone?

Experiments to design physical activity programs that optimize their osteogenic potential are difficult to accomplish in humans. The aim of this article is to review the contributions that animal studies have made to knowledge of the loading conditions that are osteogenic to the skeleton during growth, as well as to consider to what extent animal studies fail to provide valid models of physical activity and skeletal maturation. Controlled loading studies demonstrate that static loads are ineffective, and that bone formation is threshold driven and dependent on strain rate, amplitude, and duration of loading. Only a few loading cycles per session are required, and distributed bouts are more osteogenic than sessions of long duration. Finally, animal models fail to inform us of the most appropriate ways to account for the variations in biological maturation that occur in our studies of children and adolescents, requiring the use of techniques for studying human growth and development.

Building Community Coalitions for the Promotion of Physical Activity: 10,000 Steps Rockhampton

The 10,000 Steps Rockhampton project is a multi-strategy community-wide, physical activity intervention based on the simultaneous implementation of five strategies, each identified as 'best practice' for the promotion of physical activity. Several community partners were engaged to develop and implement the strategies during the first eighteen months of the project. These included: the local media (TV, newspaper and radio); the local Division of General Practice and other health professional groups; the Heart Foundation and ‘Just Walk It’; the local council; and several large worksites. A local physical activity task force was also formed to administer a 'micro-grants' scheme, and to guide the development of community based strategies. The presentation will focus on the critical elements involved in developing and maintaining relationships with community partners. These include identification and ‘courting’ of potential partners, strategies for keeping them engaged, and the challenges of maintaining the balance between ‘top-down’ (evidence-based) and ‘bottom-up’ (community-driven) strategies. Data on implementation and uptake of the key strategies will also be presented. These include: 1) process data on the number of health