Developing Effective Physical Activity Programs

Developing Effective Physical Activity Programs emphasizes the move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to physical activity interventions by providing evidence-based recommendations for designing, implementing, and evaluating more effective and appropriate physical activity interventions for diverse populations. Part of Human Kinetics' Physical Activity Intervention series, the book provides research, methods, techniques, and support to health professionals seeking ways to promote physical activity programs that meet the specific needs of women, overweight and obese populations, older adults, and ethnically diverse populations―those shown as most likely to be sedentary and in need of the benefits of physical activity interventions.

Developing Effective Physical Activity Programs offers background information to guide the planning process:

-Physical activity recommendations for adults from various federal agencies and professional organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, and the American College of Sports Medicine

-An overview of scientific literature, which serves as a foundation for the physical activity recommendations

-Detailed information regarding the four cornerstones of physical activity promotion: needs assessment, program planning, program implementation, and program evaluation

-Descriptions of various physical activity measurement techniques and factors to consider when choosing one of these techniques

The authors explain how careful consideration of the needs of specific populations can increase the success of physical activity interventions. They present evidence-based recommendations for working with various populations. Key considerations are discussed for each population, including the elements that make up the most successful interventions, unique barriers, and techniques for overcoming those barriers. Helpful tables summarize the barriers and solutions for each group, providing quick reference for designing programs.

The final section of the text examines how the built environment, setting, and technology can influence intervention planning. You'll look at the ways in which neighborhood and community design can affect a person's physical activity levels. You'll also consider the various settings in which a program can be held, including homes, churches, and worksites, and how those settings will affect your program. This section also shows you how technology, such as Web- and phone-based interventions and podcasts, can be used to expand the reach of your program and positively influence the physical activity levels of participants.

Throughout the book are summaries of current research studies examining physical activity interventions in various populations and settings along with descriptions and examples of successful programs and explanations for their success. In addition, each chapter concludes with helpful checklists that provide recommendations for developing and implementing physical activity interventions in various populations and settings.

Unique in its comprehensive coverage of special populations, Developing Effective Physical Activity Programs shows practitioners how to answer the physical activity needs of each client or client group, address issues relevant to sedentary populations, and offer viable physical activity programs to improve the lives of the unique individuals they serve.

Developing Effective Physical Activity Programs is part of the Physical Activity Intervention series. This timely series provides educational resources for professionals interested in promoting and implementing physical activity programs to a diverse and often resistant population.

Lynda B. Ransdell, PhD, is a professor in the department of kinesiology at Boise State University.

Ransdell has dedicated her career and research to helping sedentary people increase their levels of physical activity. Ransdell has designed, implemented, and evaluated numerous physical activity interventions and has worked as a consultant to help others develop interventions in community settings.

Known for her research of physical activity patterns of women, Ransdell has conducted two well-respected studies, Daughters and Mothers Exercising Together (DAMET) and Generations Exercising Together to Improve Fitness (GET FIT), which detail some of the only family-based interventions known to be successful in increasing physical activity in typically inactive women.

Ransdell has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and 14 book chapters, mostly related to increasing physical activity in sedentary individuals. She is also the author of Ensuring the Health of Active and Athletic Girls and Women, a popular text for courses examining the physiological and psychological implications of sport and physical activity participation for girls and women.

She is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Research Consortium of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Ransdell has also served as president of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, editor of the Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, and coeditor of Physical Activity Today. She is the recipient of the ACSM Visiting Scholar award from University of South Carolina (1998) and Outstanding Alumni awards from Arizona State University and Eastern Kentucky University.

Ransdell resides in Boise, Idaho, where she enjoys participating in ice hockey, cross-country skiing, running, and mountain biking.

Mary K. Dinger, PhD, is a professor in the department of health and exercise science at the University of Oklahoma at Norman, where her teaching and research focus on promoting physical activity.

Working in a research, consulting, or community service capacity, Dinger has designed, implemented, and evaluated several physical activity interventions. She has published her research in more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Dinger is a fellow of both the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Research Consortium of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). She currently serves as epidemiology section editor for Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and on the editorial board of the American Journal of Health Behavior. She was previously an editorial board member of the American Journal of Health Education and an executive board member of the American Academy of Health Behavior and the Research Consortium of AAHPERD.

Dinger resides in Norman, Oklahoma. She enjoys staying physically active by playing with her daughter, biking, and hiking.

Jennifer Huberty, PhD, is an assistant professor in the department of health, physical education, and recreation at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she manages the graduate curriculum for physical activity in health promotion.

Huberty has designed, implemented, and evaluated numerous research- and community-based physical activity interventions. She is the creator of Women Bound to Be Active, a physical activity book club aimed at increasing the number of women who maintain healthy physical activity behaviors. This nine-month intervention provides women with the skills and tools for initiating and maintaining a physically active lifestyle. The rationale for this program and details on its feasibility have been published in Research Quarterly and Women and Health.

Based on research gathered in Women Bound to Be Active, Huberty also created a locally implemented weight management program, Fit for Life, which provides a no-cost opportunity for underserved people to learn healthy behaviors and be active within their communities. Huberty directs the physical activity component for Club Possible, a physical activity and nutrition education afterschool program focusing on prevention of childhood obesity. The program has been implemented in 18 afterschool agencies, including CampFire USA, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and Girl Scouts.

Huberty is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. For outstanding research and community service, Huberty was awarded the Varner Professorship for 2007. In 1999, she received a graduate student research award from the Southern Academy for Women in Physical Activity, Sport, and Health.

Huberty resides in LaVista, Nebraska, with her husband, Rodger. She enjoys Spinning, running, weight training, and scrapbooking in her free time.

Kim H. Miller, PhD, is an associate professor of health promotion in the department of kinesiology and health promotion at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, where she works with undergraduate and graduate students to design and implement health promotion interventions.

Miller received her doctorate in health education from Southern Illinois University in 2000. For over eight years, she has conducted research in the area of health and physical activity, publishing numerous research papers and presenting her findings at international conferences. Miller has also served as a consultant in designing physical activity and health promotion interventions for employee wellness programs in a variety of settings. She is a member of the American Academy of Health Behavior and the American Association for Health Education.

In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, reading, and cooking. Miller resides in Lexington, Kentucky.