June 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 54

N R PA I n A c t i o n

National Physical Activity Plan is Off and Running
Parks and Recreation to Help Lead National Coalition Fight for Fitness and Health

52	 Parks & Recreation

JUNE 2010

fitness and sports in areas of high need. "
" Parks and recreation centers are essential to providing safe, close-to-home
opportunities for A mericans to stay
physically active and lead healthy lifestyles, " said Barbara Tulipane, CEO of
NRPA. " With the launch of the National
Physical Activity Plan, our communities
can harness our collective power and
provide both increased space and opportunities for physical activity and recreation. This will move our nation closer
to both the Administration's and NRPA's
goal of solving the problem of childhood
obesity within a generation and combating chronic disease in adults. "
Experts involved with the National
Physical Activity Plan said the initiative
goes well beyond just telling people to exercise. " We are encouraging a new way of
thinking about lifestyle, activity, mobility
and general physical fitness, " said Russell
Pate, Ph.D., chair of the National Physical
Activity Plan. " It's well established that
physical activity brings manifold health
benefits, but we need to change people's
behavior. The Plan provides a roadmap

www.NRPA .ORG

for change, addressing everything from
the education of health professionals to
zoning laws, school policies and workplace wellness programs. "
The plan is, in part, an answer to
America's alarming rates of adult and
childhood obesity and decreasing levels of physical activity. Research has
shown that physical activity and exercise can help prevent and treat obesity,
diabetes, coronary heart disease, depression, bone disease, cancer and other diseases. If implemented, measures
called for in the National Physical Activity Plan could significantly improve
public health, cut health care costs and
reduce health disparities.
The plan presents a call to action with
specific strategies for each sector, for
example:
■■  Education: Develop and implement poli-

cies requiring school accountability for
quality and quantity of physical education and physical activity
■■  Health Care: Make physical activity a
patient " vital sign " that all health care
providers assess and discuss with
patients
■■  Transportation/Planning: Local, state
and federal agencies will use routine
performance measures and set benchmarks for active travel (walking, biking,
public transit)
■■  Recreation: Enhance the existing parks
and recreation infrastructure with effective policy and environmental changes
to promote physical activity
■■  Business/Industry: Identify and disseminate best practice models for physical
activity in the work place
For more information about the role
of parks and recreation in the National
Physical Activity Plan, contact Stacey
Pine at 202.887.0290 or spine@nrpa.org.
For more information on the Plan, go to
www.physicalactivityplan.org.
✹

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L

eaders of the National Recreation
and Park Association (NR PA)
have joined a broad coalition of
experts to support the National Physical Activity Plan, a sweeping initiative to
improve public health. The plan outlines
strategies for motivating people in every
community to become and stay physically active and to remove the barriers that
may stand in their way.
The plan calls for policy, environmental, and cultural changes to help all
Americans enjoy the health benefits of
physical activity. The vision is that all
Americans are physically active and
live, work and play in environments that
facilitate regular physical activity. Supported by a wide range of public policy
recommendations, the Plan is the product of a 10-month, public/private collaboration of experts in diverse fields.
NRPA seeks to engage Americans in
healthy, active lifestyles through physical
activity, healthy habits, recreation, and
an appreciation for and connection to the
outdoors. NRPA co-chaired the Parks,
Recreation, Fitness and Sports section of
the National Physical Activity Plan, and
worked in collaboration with other national organizations for its drafting. In addition, NRPA is a member of the National
Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity
(NCPPA), which has been charged with
leading the implementation of the plan.
" Implementing the policy changes recommended by the plan will help
make the choice to be physically active
the easy choice, " said Barry Ford, the
NCPPA president. " The plan will inspire
and guide the decisions of policymakers
at every level and in every field, so that
being physically active becomes second
nature for most Americans. "
NRPA is co-leading Strategy Four of
the plan, which aims to " Increase funding and resources for parks, recreation,
June 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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