Access to free or low cost recreational
opportunities for physical activity

Leading Physical Activity Initiatives in Pierce County

The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department’s Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition Team (PAN) consists of seven public health professionals each of whom leads one or more initiatives to increase physical activity and healthy nutrition in the county. Current efforts to increase physical activity opportunities include:

• Working with city planners and school district personnel in Lakewood to develop an agreement that may increase use of school playground facilities by nearby residents.
• Through a new project with the City of Puyallup, PAN will conduct a Health Impact Assessment to evaluate potential health impacts of a proposed land use plan that would increase density and potentially encourage walking and bicycling. Work with the built environment is just beginning, but there is strong interest and support by community members and policy makers.

Evaluation: Evaluation plans for each initiative have been designed in collaboration with TPCHD’s epidemiologic staff. Methods include pre-post surveys and direct observations such as walking audits or pedestrian counts.

Partners: The coalition includes representatives from many organizations including parks, schools, health care, seniors, social services, county wellness, and bicycling and walking advocacy groups. Work directed toward the built environment involves city and county planning staff, elected officials, community advocates, and neighborhood associations.  

Lead Agency Role: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department seeks to improve the health and well-being of the citizens of Pierce County. The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department’s  Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition Team (PAN) leads initiatives to increase physical activity and healthy nutrition in the county.   

For more information:
John Britt
253-798-2881  
Web: Tacoma Pierce County Health Department

Walk Across Washington

With participation by 89 cities and 5000 walkers, the 2005 Walk Across Washington event held October 9th through 15th provided a unique opportunity for cities to showcase their trails, paths, and other walking routes. 3-mile segments in each city allow walkers to experience the communities’ resources, beauty, and personality. The Association of Washington Cities Wellness Works program organized the first Walk Across Washington event in 2002 to:

• Promote walking as a safe and inexpensive from of physical activity
• Foster continuing cooperation and partnerships for healthy communities
• Encourage safe walking routes as an important factor in creating livable communities

Evaluation: Local event coordinators completed a post-event evaluation form to document number of walkers and resources needed to plan the local events. Questions also measured the success of the event’s objectives to:

• Promote community and city support for physical activity
• Benefit or support city government
• Reflect the city government’s support for health and wellness

Partners: Association of Washington Cities, Washington State Department of Health, Washington Dairy Council, Washington Recreation and Parks Association, Providence St Peter Hospital, Vision Fitness, McDonalds  

Lead Agency Role: Association of Washington Cities provides insurance services to Washington cities and towns within an Employee Benefit Trust. AWC’s Wellness Works program is a health cost management program striving to lower health risks and impact healthcare costs.  The program staff works in partnership with member cities to provide employee wellness programs.  AWC provides support including wellness coordinator training, health awareness and education programs, resources, and financial assistance programs to assist cities in their efforts to strengthen their wellness programs. 

For more information:
Erin Swanson
360-753-4137  
Web: Association of Washington Cities Wellness Works, Walk Across Washington

Promoting Physical Activity Among Older Adults

The Southeast Senior Physical Activity Network (SE-SPAN) is using community organizing strategies to increase physical activity opportunities and reduce barriers to being physically active among older adults in Southeast Seattle. By networking with community partners, the University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) is identifying opportunities to expand and improve access to physical activity programs for seniors, particularly low-income and non-English speaking seniors. Strategies include creating and supporting walking groups, Enhance Fitness classes, and other exercise programs at senior housing buildings and senior meal program sites. HPRC has received a grant to support the project through 2009 and is working with partners to identify resources that will sustain the project after the grant period.

Evaluation: A goal of the project is to evaluate the effectiveness of the community organizing strategy. A log of daily activities, informal debriefing, and key informant interviews are being used to document the implementation process.  Participation in physical activity programs and environmental changes will be tracked to measure proximal outcomes.  Long-term population-level changes will be monitored using population and organization-based surveys.

Partners: South East Seattle Senior Center, Brighton Apartments, Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle Parks and Rec., King County STEPS to a HealthierUS, local business associations (e.g., Columbia City Business Association), Neighborhood House, Park Place Assisted Living, Feet First, Filipino Community of Seattle, International Community Health Services, Public Health – Seattle & King County, Peter Claver House, Gamelin House, Rainier Health and Fitness, SE Crime Prevention Council, Somali Community Services of Seattle, and Vietnamese Senior Association.

Lead Agency Role: The Health Promotion Research Center is a part of the University of Washington's School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Department of Health Services. It is funded by the Prevention Research Center Program of the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Center’s mission is to improve health by conducting high-quality prevention research that has an emphasis on healthy aging and can be incorporated into community practice.

For More Information:
Allen Cheadle
206- 543-3736
Web: Health Promotion Research Center