Strategies to Increase Physical Activity
Colee Foreman
Texas Christian University
October 7, 2013

The basis of a healthy life starts with a physical activity during childhood. Healthy Kids (2013) states that there are a myriad of benefits from being active during childhood such as maintaining normal weight, improving cardiovascular fitness, improving confidence and self-esteem, and building strong bones and muscle. Healthy People 2020 physical activity topic goal (2013) is to improve health, fitness, and quality of life through daily physical activity. HP2020 objective 8.2.2 is to increase the physical activity proportion of children and adolescents aged six to fourteen years who view television, videos, or play video games for a maximum amount of two hours per day. Currently the baseline is 78.9% and by 2020 the projected target should be 86.8%. Physical activity has declined tremendously in communities around America due to the lack of funding, access to available play areas, and cultural disparities.
Environmental factors related to physical activity
A child’s environment plays a significant role in his or her daily activity. According to Farley, Huhman, Trost, the limited amount of clean play grounds and the involvement in community physical activity organization has led to an increase in sedentary lifestyle. Since play and being active are integral parts of a child’s development there should be an increased advocacy for recreation centers, school based extracurricular activities, community based sports programs and the active fine arts. Urban area play grounds are plagued with unsanitary conditions as stated by Farely et al. (2007). Glass bottles, drug paraphernalia and trash litter these areas where children are supposed to enjoy themselves. Instead they are forced to sacrifice outside play time for inside play, which ultimately leads to the television. It is quite ironic that the majority of physical activity advertisements are shown after prime hours, while during the daytime, fast food and video game commercials flood television screens. Huhman et al (2012) stated that a national program called VERB™, a social marketing initiative, encourages and supports children and teenagers’ to become physically active. To excite kids to become more active extra emphasis can be placed in the community on: monthly races, community fairs and family night.

Socioeconomic Factors related to Physical Activity Not only are children impressionable, they can also be stubborn. Young children may believe that it is acceptable to “have it their way.” They are more likely to avoid exercise and refuse to eat fruits and vegetables. For many children living in certain communities, a common reality is frequent exposure to fast food. Sisson (2009) showed that socioeconomic background plays a major role in physical activity. Low income communities lack the financial resources to sponsor organized physical activities or build community playgrounds so that children can become more active. Organized sport programs frequently avoid low income communities because the residents face imminent financial hardships. Sisson (2009) also stated that low economic status of a community will not only lead to a decrease in physical activity but also an increase in the number of children diagnosed later in life with obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. According to Sisson (2009) lower household incomes grossing less than $25,000 annually had the highest prevalence of exceeding daily recommendations for screen time.

Cultural Factors related to Physical Activity These authors (Carlson, 2013; Farley, 2007; Huhman, 2012; Sirard, 2013; Sisson, 2009; Trost, 1999) frequently address ethnicity as a major concern. The articles suggest that minorities are at a greater risk of being less physical active than Caucasians. This is unfortunate because this society is made up mostly of minorities. Public health researchers agree a major focus of tackling physical activity will be correcting the variance among ethnic groups. In order to combat disparities between ethnic groups, communities need to implement changes such as reserving tax dollars to assist in the development of community-based physical activity programs and designated play areas for children.
Policy Development and Policy Enforcement Just as the legislative branch creates laws, policies, and rules for citizens to follow, local community leaders are influential in creating policies that affects people a community level. Children are becoming less physically active and are viewing television at greater lengths. This has led to obesity, diabetes and higher incidence of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Religious leaders, school districts, and community activists are persons who show an interest in the development of a policy that makes children more active. The strategy would include encouraging children to participate in daily aerobic exercise for a minimum of sixty minutes. This would include a variety of exercises such as jogging, jumping jacks, playing pick-up games of basketball, and any exercises that increases the heart rate past resting point. Hopefully increasing property taxes would create a surplus of money reserved for developing exercise programs within communities. The rules of the exercise program should include staff members supervising the children at all time while they exercise. Prior to starting an exercise program children should be seen by their own personal physician. The exercise program shall be monitored by a licensed personal trainer who can assist in the goals and correct techniques with different types of exercises. Whenever change comes about, there is usually resistance. Community members would need education about the significance of an exercise program and the benefits for their community. If the exercise program is not being utilized by a specific community, staff members will be reinforced about the HP 2020(2013) objective. If compliance is not reached, community leaders, school district administrators, and religious leaders will be called in to address the importance to those who are unprepared and non-compliant. To effectively evaluate the success rate of the exercise program, physical activity in children would increase, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes will drop from the baseline. If all community programs are follow the purposed strategies, the target goal of HP2020 would be met and possibly exceeded.
Conclusion
The major determinates to a community when dealing with physical activity includes environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural factors. HP2020 objective 8.2.2 has made it a priority to assist in increasing the awareness of decreasing television watching time and increasing physical activity. When these polices are set in place there will be a strong possibility that physical activity and childhood obesity will no longer be a critical issue.

References
Carlson, S., Fulton, J., Lee, S., Foley, J., Heitzler, C., & Huhman, M. (2010). Influence of limit-setting and participation in physical activity on youth screen time. Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 126(1), 89-96. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-3374 * Level 3 Non-Experimental Study
Farley, T., Meriwether, R., Baker, E., Watkins, L., Johnson, C., & Webber, L. (2007). Safe play spaces to promote physical activity in inner-city children: results from a pilot study of an environmental intervention. American Journal Of Public Health, 97(9), 1625-1631. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2006.092692 * Level 2 Quasi-Experimental Study
HealthyKids.org. (2013, March 13). Why is physical activity important in early childhood services for infants and young children?. Retrieved from http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/teachers-childcare/physical-activity.aspx * Level 3 Meta-Synthesis
HealthyPeople.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2013). Physical activity. Retrieved from website: www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/objectiveslist.aspx?topicId=33 * Level 3 Meta-Synthesis
Huhman, M., Lowry, R., Lee, S. M., Fulton, J. E., Carlson, S. A., & Patnode, C. D. (2012). Physical Activity and Screen Time: Trends in U.S. Children Aged 9 to 13 Years, 2002-2006. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 9(4), 508-515. * Level 3 Non-Experimental Study
Sisson, S., Church, T., Martin, C., Tudor-Locke, C., Smith, S., Bouchard, C., Earnest, C., & Rankinen, T. (2010). Profiles of sedentary behavior in children and adolescents: The u.s. national health and nutrition examination survey, 2001-2006. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 4(4), 353-359. doi: 10.3109/17477160902934777 * Level 3 Non-Experimental Study
Sirard, J., Bruening, M., Wall, M., Eisenberg, M., Kim, S., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2013). Physical activity and screen time in adolescents and their friends. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(1), 48-55. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.09.054 * Level 3 Non-Experimental
Trost, S., Pate, R., Ward, D., Saunders, R., & Riner, W. (1999). Research papers. Determinants of physical activity in active and low-active, sixth grade African-American youth. Journal of School Health, 69(1), 29-34. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.1999.tb02340.x * Level 1 Meta-Analysis