文章基本信息

标题：Local Ordinances That Promote Physical Activity: A Survey of Municipal Policies
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作者：John J. Librett ; Michelle M. Yore ; Thomas L. Schmid 等
期刊名称：American journal of public health
印刷版ISSN：0090-0036
出版年度：2003
卷号：93
期号：9
页码：1399-1403
语种：English
出版社：American Public Health Association
摘要：In this Utah-based study, we sought to identify the types of municipal employees responsible for physical activity policies, identify municipal ordinances that may influence physical activity, and determine local governments’ intentions to implement policies. In 2001, we mailed a survey to all of the state’s municipalities with the goal of measuring 6 physical activity domains: sidewalks, bicycle lanes, shared-use paths, work sites, greenways, and recreational facilities. Data from 74 municipalities revealed that planners made up a small proportion of municipal staff. Relative to cities experiencing slow or medium growth, high growth cities reported more ordinances encouraging physical activity. Physical activity policies can be monitored across municipalities. Moreover, evidence-based public health practice provides direction for limited staff and funding resources. REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY is associated with decreased risks of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which are leading causes of disability and death in the United States. 1 Recently the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, which conducts evidence-based reviews of the state of public health, “strongly recommended” both the creation of areas for physical activity and the enhancement of access to such areas. 2 This recommendation was based on a growing body of research on how physical activity levels are influenced by policy and environmental conditions. 3– 5 Commensurate with this recommendation, state and local agencies are being encouraged by federal and nongovernmental organizations to use policy interventions to address the public health problem of physical inactivity. 6– 8 The measurement of policies related to physical activity is a new area of research, but in recent years several authors have set forth conceptual groundwork that should facilitate future investigations. 9 To date, the literature in this area has focused primarily on personal and environmental correlates of physical activity. 3, 5, 9– 15 Although important, there is a paucity of literature examining the correlates of effective policy interventions addressing physical activity behaviors. Although “policy as intervention” has been advocated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others for some time, 8, 16– 18 little progress has been made regarding how to determine which policies exist or even what kinds of policies are effective. Despite this situation, federal grants are encouraging states to implement policy-based interventions, as exemplified by CDC’s recent program announcement seeking the establishment of state-led programs in nutrition and physical activity designed to prevent obesity and related chronic diseases. 19 Available data suggest that such characteristics of our communities as proximity of facilities, street design, density of housing, public transit, and existence of pedestrian and bicycle facilities can play an important role in promoting physical activity. 20 Areas with favorable conditions in regard to these characteristics have been termed “active community environments” (ACEs). 21 The presence of ACEs can be measured as a community-level indicator 22 ; however, such indicators must be operationalized (e.g., ordinances for bike lanes). To support state initiatives in evidence-based public health practice, 23 we detail in this article an effort to collect and characterize existing policies on ACEs in the state of Utah. We analyzed ACE policies in that state to establish a baseline that can be used to formulate objectives as part of an intervention designed to increase physical activity. Our goal was to examine 3 policyrelated issues at the local level: (1) What kinds of municipal employees are responsible for planning ACEs? (2) How prevalent are policies on ACEs? and (3) What are local municipalities’ intentions in terms of implementing policies? Our results can be used to further evidence-based practice through program planning and evaluation that address policy interventions designed to promote ACEs and enhance appropriate use of limited resources within local governments.