Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living

Improving Access to the Transportation Alternatives Program for Rural Communities

Jessica Stroope — 2024-12-19

Rural small towns with small main streets and compact downtown development can be ideal locations to create walkable communities. The Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC)’s High Obesity Program (HOP) funds Cooperative Extension programs to implement strategies to improve food access and support active transportation in high obesity (often rural) counties. The Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter HOP program had previously partnered with rural low-income communities to create Complete Streets plans but was challenged to find ways to implement those plans. A technical assistance webinar through the CDC provided by Safe Routes Partnership made the LSU AgCenter HOP team aware of new flexibility in the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a primary source for federal formula funding for bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Through ongoing engagement with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the local cost responsibility for the TAP for towns under 5,000 decreased from a previous approximate 40% cost burden to 5%, making TAP an accessible program for many rural communities. This paper describes how public health partnerships can improve access to active transportation funding. Although each state follows federal guidelines for the TAP program, there is substantial variation in state processes and local match requirements, which creates an opportunity for public health professionals to engage with state department of transportations to improve equity in TAP.

Degree of implementation of a play-based curricular intervention affects children’s movement in afterschool settings

Allison Poulos — 2024-12-19

Programs implemented in afterschool settings can support children’s health; however, their effectiveness may depend on the degree of implementation which can vary by school. In this cluster-randomized controlled trial, we assessed the effect of a play-based curricular intervention on physical activity (PA) levels among children (N=133) attending seven intervention and seven comparison afterschool programs in Arizona (U.S.) using general linear mixed models, and examined how degree of intervention implementation impacted children’s PA using linear regression models. PA was measured using wrist-worn accelerometers and degree of implementation was measured using a researcher-developed a 100-point index with data from surveys and training attendance from each school. After the intervention, sedentary time among children receiving the curriculum was reduced by an average of 10.2 minutes daily. When degree of implementation was considered, we found variability between schools in children’s sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) after the intervention. Based on the average time spent in the afterschool programs (2.9 hours), children averaged 5.2 more MVPA minutes and 8.7 less sedentary minutes for every 10-point increase in implementation index score. Considering the 30-point variability in scores between schools, this translated to children spending up to 16 minutes more in MVPA and 26 minutes less being sedentary in afterschool programs with the highest level of implementation compared to the lowest. Degree of implementation matters when integrating curricula in afterschool settings that target children’s movement. Stronger implementation may reduce children’s sedentary behavior and increase MVPA.

Factors influencing likelihood of participation in green social prescriptions in an international sample

Nicole Odell — 2024-12-19

Green social prescriptions (GSPs) are interventions designed to combat sedentary behavior and preventable diseases by leveraging the benefits of nature-based physical activity. As these programs are still evolving, there is limited data regarding the likelihood of participation from an international perspective. This study examined factors influencing participation likelihood in GSPs across various geographic contexts, levels of greenness, nature-relatedness, well-being, and socio-demographic variables.

We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey with 2,467 participants from Australia, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States in September 2022. Participants reported their likelihood of participating in GSPs with four distinct outcomes, and we calculated an aggregate participation likelihood score. We used linear regression models to analyze associations between variables and participation likelihood, including models stratified by gender and country.

Results showed that nature-relatedness was the strongest predictor of participation likelihood. Positive associations were found with educational attainment, financial comfort, and time spent in greenspace, while male gender and better well-being were linked to lower participation likelihood. An interaction between urban setting and greenness indicated that individuals in greener urban areas, particularly males, were less likely to feel the need for GSPs.

These findings highlight the importance of considering nature-relatedness in GSPs and suggest that targeted interventions may be useful for individuals with lower connections to nature. Further research should explore cultural differences and the impact of health status on GSP participation. Understanding these factors can inform more equitable and effective GSP implementation, addressing health disparities and reaching diverse populations.

Exploring the relationship between wellness behaviors and burnout amongst university faculty and staff

Lilliana Taylor — 2024-12-19

Abstract Higher education has recently experienced unprecedented faculty exodus, largely due to burnout. Burnout is associated with poor health outcomes. Active lifestyles contribute to health and reduced burnout, but research investigating wellness behaviors and burnout amongst university faculty and staff is lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess wellness behaviors including physical activity, nutrition and sleep in university faculty and staff and their associations with burnout. This mixed methods study included two phases. First phase was a quantitative survey assessing burnout total burnout, self-reported physical activity, nutrition and sleep behaviors. Phase II was a qualitative open-ended questionnaire assessing perceptions of workplace factors associated with burnout and campus resources to support wellness. A total of 294 faculty and staff participated in phase I. The majority of respondents identified as female (n= 158, 53.7%) and in faculty roles, n=150 (53.6%). The majority of participants, n=169 (57.5%) reported moderate or high levels of burnout. The majority of participants were inactive or minimally active, n=174 (59.2%). There was a statistically significant, positive, correlation between physical activity status and personal burnout, r(252)=0.21, p <0.001. Of 48 participants in phase II, access to wellness resources and organizational factors emerged as factors associated with burnout. Participants expressed desires for improved access to exercise and wellness resources and described disparities between student resources and those for faculty. This research might be used to inform practice through the development of support programs, wellness initiatives, or facilities for physical activity on campus for faculty and staff.

Leadership Characteristics of Extension Educators Facilitating a Healthy Communities, Civic-Engagement Randomized Trial in Rural Towns

Meredith L Graham — 2024-12-19

Leadership styles and skills are associated with group dynamics, creativity, and project implementation in community change initiatives; specifically, collaborative leadership skills can lead to a greater likelihood of effective, sustainable improvement in the health of communities. This study sought to examine the leadership styles and skills of Extension program educators engaged in leading a community policy, system, and environmental change initiative. Our aim was to describe how collaborative the leadership style of these leaders was and how high they scored in collaborative leadership skills. Data were collected among Extension educators at baseline (n=7), prior to program training or implementation, focused on leadership style and collaborative leadership skills. A 16-item leadership styles survey was used to assess educators’ scores for four leadership styles: 1) authoritative; 2) democratic; 3) facilitative; 4) situational. Collaborative leadership skills were measured using the Turning Point Collaborative Leadership Questionnaire, which evaluates key behaviors within the six skills of effective collaborative leaders: assessing the environment, creating clarity, building trust, sharing power and influence, developing people, and self-reflection. Educators were most often authoritative in their leadership style, although four out of seven educators had tied highest scores for styles. Most educators scored as excellent in assessing the environment (n=4), sharing power and influence (n=5), and developing people (n=5). The highest proportions were in the strong category for creating clarity (n=4), building trust (n=4), and self-reflection (n=4). While educators demonstrated variety across the characteristics, there were consistencies both in leadership type and collaborative skills. Clinical Trial #: NCT05002660. ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered 4 August 2021.

Factors Preventing Walking to Near-Home Destinations by Transportation Walking Status, U.S. Adults, 2022

Tiffany Chen — 2024-12-19

Increasing transportation walking (i.e., walking to get to and from destinations) is a key strategy for increasing physical activity, but what is not well understood are factors preventing people who do not walk for transportation from initiating that practice and current transportation walkers from maintaining or increasing this behavior. This study describes factors preventing adults who report walking or not walking for transportation from regularly walking to destinations near home. National data from the 2022 SummerStyles survey included 3,955 U.S. adults who indicated factors preventing them from regularly walking to places within a 10-minute walk of their home, selecting all that apply from 11 environmental, access, or individual factors, or “None of the above.” We estimated weighted prevalence for each factor and conducted pairwise t-tests to identify significant differences (p<.05) by transportation walking status. About 31% of adults not walking for transportation in the past 7 days reported having no places to walk to within a 10-minute walk, more than double the prevalence among transportation walkers (14%). Compared to transportation walkers, more adults not walking for transportation reported individual factors (i.e., 24% preferred driving or being driven, vs. 19%; 23% reported inconvenience, vs. 19%), while more transportation walkers reported environmental factors (e.g., 40% reported hot or humid conditions, vs. 34%) or none of the factors. These findings suggest those not walking for transportation may need varied interventions, such as mixed land use for near-home destinations and individual supports, to meet their needs for transportation walking.

Nature Contact as an Aspect of Active Living

Jay Maddock — 2024-12-19