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NEWS
RELEASE
For more information,
contact:
Christa Dickey
American College of Sports Medicine
Communications and Public Information
(317) 637-9200 ext. 127
INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE ACTIVE AND HEALTHY AGING
EXAMINED RECENTLY DURING NATIONAL MEETING
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
American College of Sports Medicine and University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
promoting policy and public health initiatives for activity among
older
adults
INDIANAPOLIS - One year after The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
(RWJF)
awarded a landmark grant to examine how physical activity can extend
years
of active, independent life, reduce disability and improve the quality
of life for older adults, the American College of Sports Medicine and
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted the second in a
series of national meetings in October in Washington, D.C. to build
coalitions
and implement initiatives to inspire older adults to become more
physically
active.
Recognizing that scientific
and clinical evidence has increasingly demonstrated that regular
physical
activity is essential to health and can prevent and help with the
management
of many diseases, the RWJF grant supports The National Blueprint
Increasing
Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 50 and Older, created by a
national
panel of aging experts and associations. The panel included experts
from
AARP, ACSM, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), the Centers for
Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute on Aging (NIA)
and
RWJF. The principal investigator and co-principal investigator of the
grant are Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Ph.D., FACSM and Jane G. Senior, ACSM
research director.
Among potential solutions
that must be developed to increase physical activity in older adults,
the Blueprint advises organizing activity-friendly communities,
workplace
opportunities and related physical activity initiatives, and
healthcare
systems to provide access to physical activity information, resources
and counseling to older consumers. Outcomes from the meeting emphasize
plans to build sustainability for the Blueprint project by committing
to partnerships among mission-related organizations, developing
strategies
in medical systems, research institutions, home and community
settings,
as well as public policy and marketing to increase physical activity
patterns
in adults ages 50-plus.
According to Chodzko-Zajko,
a leading aging expert, this meeting is part of a major national
campaign
to bring awareness of the benefits of physical activity in the older
adult
community.
Physical activity
as part of a healthy lifestyle can help improve quality of life and
reduce
healthcare costs. Aging individuals stand to gain significant health
benefits
through exercise, as substantial scientific studies have shown that
physical
activity can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood
pressure
and cholesterol, type II diabetes and obesity, all leading causes of
death.
Strength training is important for the older adult, as increasing
muscle
strength leads to better balance, reducing the risk of falling and
fracturing
bones. The good news for older adults who do not regularly exercise is
that it's never too late to start. (See the ACSM Position Stand
"Exercise
and the Older Adult," online at http://www.acsm-msse.org.)
Aging experts attending
the national meeting included Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Ph.D., FACSM,
Robin
Mockenhaupt, Ph.D., Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and David Buchner,
M.D., Ph.D., FACSM Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information
on the Blueprint, please see http://www.agingblueprint.org
The American College
of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science
organization in the world. More than 18,000 International, National
and
Regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific
research, education and practical applications of sports medicine and
exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance,
fitness,
health and quality of life.
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