Active Living Program News


Behavior Change Programs Strongly Recommended to Increase Physical Activity

The Task Force on Community Preventive Services strongly recommends that employers and community groups implement behavior change programs adapted for individual needs to increase physical activity. The task force, appointed by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based its recommendation on a review of previously published studies.

Behavior change programs that are tailored to people’s individual needs, such as Active Living Every Day, teach skills to help participants fit physical activity into their daily lives. The programs match appropriate lessons and activities with people’s interests, preferences for activity, and readiness to change their inactive behavior.

Instead of simply prescribing exercise to increase physical activity, successful behavior change programs teach skills such as the following:

  • Goal setting and self-monitoring of progress toward those goals
  • Building social support for new behaviors
  • Behavior reinforcement through rewards and positive messages
  • Structured problem solving to maintain a behavior change
  • Preventing relapse into inactive behavior
Programs that teach these skills can greatly improve the chances that participants will become more active, and stay active, after they complete the program. This is true for programs taught in a group setting, by mail, or by telephone. The task force found that the behavior change programs they reviewed led to a 35% increase in the amount of time people spent being physically active and a 64% increase in energy expenditure. The programs were effective for both men and women and could be taught in a variety of settings including community centers, worksites, and schools.

Active Living Every Day provides the framework for improving the health of sedentary adults. Sessions such as “Setting Goals,” “Enlisting Support,” and “Rewarding Yourself” teach the skills necessary for a lifestyle change. Program providers receive comprehensive training, Web support, and course materials. To learn more about becoming an Active Living provider or taking the Active Living Every Day course, contact Michelle Maloney at 217-351-5076, extension 2522, or by e-mail at michellem@hkusa.com.

Source

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. December 2002. Health behavior change programs adapted for individual needs are strongly recommended to increase physical activity.The Guide to Community Preventive Service. www.thecommunityguide.org

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