ACSM American Fitness Index™ Actively Moving America to Better Health

1. ACSM American Fitness Index™Actively Moving America to Better Health AFI Community Action Guide Overview

2. ACSM American Fitness Index™ • ACSM American Fitness Index™ (AFI) focuses on: • Health behaviors • Chronic disease • Health care • Built environment • Recreation • School PE • Identifies community strengths & challenges

3. AFI Program Goal Improve the health, fitness and quality of life of Americans by promoting physical activity

4. Helping All Communities • AFI data report includes top 50 metro areas • Information can help all communities look at same types of data • AFI Community Action Guide companion to AFI data report

5. AFI Community Action Guide • Easy to read • Practical • Supports community-based efforts to improve health • Guide  not How-to Manual • Links to resources & tools

6. What’s In the Action Guide? • Executive Summary • Background about AFI • Leadership • Coalitions • Planning • Advocacy • Moving Forward

7. Available Online www.americanfitnessindex.org

8. Why Physical Activity? • 54% U.S. adults don’t get enough physical activity • Inactivity doubles risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes & obesity • Annual estimated cost of inactivity $24 to $76 billion • Modest increase in activity produces great health benefits

9. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel • National Physical Activity Plan identifies 12 states with plans www.physicalactivityplan.org • Governor’s Councils on Physical Fitness www.physicalfitness.org/state_councils.html • Councils of Government (COGs) • Health departments • Parks & recreation departments

10. AFI Community Action Guide Who Is the Guide For? People interested in: • Community health & wellness • Physical activity • Smart growth • Community planning • Parks, open space & recreation • Youth services • Aging services

11. Leadership • Catalysts • Engage the community • Help recruit coalition • Lead policy efforts • Help assure sustainability

12. Types of Leaders: Figurehead • High profile name • Spokesperson • Helpful with networking& opening doors • Usually limited time available • In-kind support

13. Types of Leaders: Active • Agenda setting • Recruiting others • Strategic planning • Facilitating • Resources • Presentations • Building sustainability

14. Types of Leaders: Staff • Fiscal management • Reporting • Monitoring • Operations • Communication • Follow-up • Primary point of contact

15. Leadership Game Plan • Be clear with what you are asking leaders to do • Indicate amount of time needed • Identify leaders who can share power • Identify leaders who can bring resources to the table

16. Coalitions • Work to achieve shared goals • Represent broad community interests • Provide unified direction • Work from defined objectives

17. Coalition Functions • Community awareness, education & strengthening knowledge • Educating policy makers • Influencing public & private policy issues • Building support for improvements in infrastructure • Changing organizational practices

18. Starting Your Coalition • Define goals & objectives • Determine who should be involved • Set up operational processes

19. Building Your Coalition • Communicate • Listen • Determine decision-making process • Determine how tasks will be assigned • Set processes for follow-up & reporting • Recognize & celebrate successes

20. Coalition Pitfalls • Competition or conflict • Meetings • Too many • Too long • Hard-to-get to • Too infrequent • Not enough funding • People turnover & burnout • Language & cultural barriers • Lack of clear leadership • No plan  unclear goals & objectives • Focus too broad • Poor decision-making process • Impatience • Poor follow-up • Inadequate communication • Imbalance in authority

21. Planning • Provides clear focus • Supports monitoring and assessment • Facilitates new program development

22. Planning Elements • Vision: Clear, broad, inspiring, easy to communicate • Mission statement: Easy to understand, outcome-oriented, inclusive • Objectives: Specific, measurable • Strategies: How objectives will be reached • Action plan: Detail –who does what, when

23. Needs Assessment • Obtaining & analyzing information • Determine the status and service needs

24. Asset Mapping What resources exist? • People • Relationships • Infrastructure • Financial resources

25. Developing Asset Maps • Identify community assets • Address • Category • Telephone number • Website • Develop spreadsheet listing assets • Map asset locations

26. Wants vs. Needs

27. Gap Analysis Review asset maps: • Determine strengths & weaknesses • What is missing? • What is poorly addressed?

28. Monitoring & Evaluation • Helps know progress made toward goals • Important to funders • Helps measure success • Builds trust

29. Considerations • Who will use the information? • What is being evaluated? • What are the evaluation methods? • How will information be gathered? • How will information be analyzed? • How will information be communicated?

30. Public Policy  Advocacy • Advocacy  Education • Public Policy  Addressing and influencing laws, codes & regulations

31. Rules of Advocacy From the American Public Health Association

32. Moving Forward Chronic diseases attributable to physical inactivity and unhealthy diets are a “clear and present danger” • Focus on prevention • Address underlying health risks • Focus on community interventions

33. QUESTIONS?