Physical Activity and Public Health

Catalog description

Examines the role of physical activity in public health. Includes population level strategies for promoting physical activity in communities. KINES 426 Physical Activity and Public Health (3) An examination of the role of physical activity in public health. The first half of the course will provide an introduction to public health and basic epidemiology, measurement, dose-response relationships, chronic disease prevention. We will examine the historical progression of physical activity as a part of public health, including landmark studies showing the relationships between physical activity and chronic disease morbidity and mortality. Current public health guidelines and national policies related to physical activity will be discussed in detail. Students will debate the scientific foundation for current issues in the field, including fitness vs. fatness as a predictor of health outcomes and comparing behavior vs. objectively measured variables. The role of physical activity in preventing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer, colon and prostate cancer will be discussed. We will focus on large scale epidemiologic studies that highlight prevention. The second half of the class will focus on a social ecological framework for promoting physical activity and will address population level approaches through policy and environmental strategies, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Task Force for Community Preventive Services guidelines. We will study how features of the built environment can encourage or discourage walking and biking and refer to current research in the field that examines these relationships in different populations (urban/rural, youth/older adults). We will learn about the challenges associated with assessment and measurement at a population level. Policy level approaches to physical activity promotion; including local, state and national; will also be discussed. We will discuss various community level approaches including: point-of-decision prompts, mass media campaigns, enhancing access to physical activity opportunities and other strategies outlined in the guidelines. Lastly, we will examine how physical activity promotion is addressed in other countries through community, policy and environmental strategies in Canada, Australia, Brazil and throughout Europe.