Active Options for Aging Americans

1
Active Options for Aging Americans

• A Census of Community Physical Activity Programs
  for Older Adults
• www.activeoptions.org
• February 28, 2007 Webinar
• Serena Sanker, MS
• Senior Program Associate

2
Introductions Partners

• National Council on Aging (NCOA)
• PRC Healthy Aging Research Network (PRC-HAN)
• University of Washington Website developers
• Comprehensive Health Education Foundation
  (C.H.E.F.)
• CDCs Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• National Blueprint

3
Goals of the Webinar

• Provide background on the development of Active
  Options and why the site is important
• Describe how the site works
• Describe how the site is being launched
• Review the role of the Community Champions
• Demonstrate what the site looks like
• QA

4
What is Active Options?

• A web-based survey AND searchable database of
  community physical activity (PA) programs for
  older adults.
• Overall goals Connect older adults to
  community-based PA programs AND improve
  accessibility to appropriate PA programs.

5
Why Active Options?

• Many older adults know they should increase their
  levels of PA, they just dont know where to go.
• This site helps them find the programs they want
  need by identifying programs and providing
  specific program information (e.g., location,
  contact info, cost, transportation).
• Active Options helps organizations reach more
  potential participants for free!
• The site allows PA program providers,
  researchers, and policy makers to identify gaps
  in PA programming in a community.

6
PA and Older Adults Making the Case

• About 28-34 of adults ages 65-74, and 35-44 of
  adults ages 75 and older are inactive, not
  exercising, and engaging in no leisure time
  physical activities (Bylina et al, 2006).
• Recent data comparing 2003 to 2004, show that
  there was an across-the-board decline in PA among
  people 50 and older (AARP, 2005).
• Women 50 and older are more than twice as likely
  as 50 men to frequently or occasionally miss
  activities due to a lack of transportation (AARP,
  2005).
• More women than men are physically inactive
  (BRFSS, 2004).

7
Why is Active Options and Important Tool?

• Findings from Exercise Attitudes and Behaviors A
  Survey of Midlife and Older Adults (AARP, 2002)
• 28 feel there are not many community-based PA
  programs in their areas
• 24 stopped taking part in community PA programs
  because they were in inconvenient locations
• 13 have never taken part in community PA
  programs because there are no facilities
  available.
• 15 believe that facilities that are more
  centrally located would make it easier to take
  part in PA programs

8
History of Active Options

• Based on the Healthy Aging Research Networks
  (HAN) paper survey, Get in SHAPE
• Developed in 02-03 by researchers, w/
  assistance from local advisory groups of
  community organizations and PA experts
• Conducted in 7 communities throughout 03 04
• S.L. Hughes, B. Williams, L.C. Molina, C.Bayles,
  L.L. Bryant, J.R. Harris, MD, R. Hunter, S. Ivey,
  K. Watkins. (2005) Characteristics of Physical
  Activity Programs for Older Adults Results of a
  Multisite Survey. The Gerontologist 45667-675.

9
History contd

• RWJF funded NCOA to conduct a census of PA
  programs
• NCOA partnered with the HAN (led by the
  University of Washington) CDC to adapt the
  SHAPE survey to a web-based format
• Inspiration for Active Options Get in SHAPE
  Chicago! Shape Up! King County
• www.shapeupkingcounty.org an early web-based
  inventory of PA programs for older adults,
  modeled on www.shapechicago.org

10
Roll-out of Active Options

• Beta testing by 2 HAN universities took place
  through the entire state of WV, and 6 rural
  counties in TX (Jan March, 2006)
• Systematic roll-out process
• Community Champions (CC) are being identified for
  geographic regions states, counties, or major
  metro areas
• CCs are leaders in aging, PA, and/or public
  health
• A team of CCs can be identified for a region
• Coordinate local activities for a geographic
  region
• Active Options includes a section for CCs

11
2 Main Functions of Active Options

• 1 Data entry Community organizations can
  complete the survey for their PA programs, and
  once the programs are approved they will be
  listed in the searchable database.
• 2 Data query Older adults, health care
  providers, IR specialists, researchers, and
  others can visit the Active Options site to find
  PA programs in their communities. They can
  search by type of program and zip code.

12
Database Entry Function

• Steps to data entry
• PA program provider
• makes sure his/her region is included
• creates an account and selects region
• enters information on all PA programs offered at
  a location, or multiple locations
• CC publishes data in the public database

13
Up-to-date Information

• PA program providers are required to update
  program info at least 1x/yr, but can update more
  frequently if they prefer.
• CCs will send an email notification of yearly
  deadline. In the future, this will be automated.
  
• Program will be temporarily removed from the
  searchable database after one year until the
  update is received.

14
Database Query Functions

• End users (older adults, IR, healthcare
  providers) can currently search the database by
  zip code
• Goals
• Geocoding program locations
• Search by county
• Advanced search function
• CCs will be able to download the information into
  a printable directory of PA programs
• Data can be analyzed to identify
• Areas with inadequate programming
• Types of programs that are available in a
  community

15
Community Champions Section

• Toolkit guidance, templates, resources, and
  examples
• View and publish program information
• Upload logo
• Download data (under construction)
• Goal Bulletin Board to encourage CCs to share
  their lessons learned and ask questions of their
  fellow CCs

16
Role of the Community Champions

• 3 Key Tasks
• Task 1 Coordinate local AO launch activities in
  their region
• Create a brief plan for the launch in their
  region
• Establish organizational and individual partners
• Identify PA program sites Search websites,
  yellow pages, white pages, etc.
• Create marketing materials May include
  working with local print, radio, and television
  media

17
Role of CC contd

• Task 1 contd
• Contact sites via postcards, letters, phone
  calls, etc.
• If necessary, provide assistance in completing
  the survey
• Follow-up with sites that do not respond to first
  contact
• Maintain database of sites those that have been
  contacted, those that have responded, those that
  have received follow-up contacts, due date for
  updating program information, etc.

18
Role of CC contd

• Task 2 Validate completed surveys
• Regularly (at least weekly) log onto the CC
  Section of the AO site to see if new surveys have
  been completed
• Briefly review the contact information for the
  programs to determine if they are legitimate
• Publish the program information (This will make
  the programs available in the public database.)

19
Role of CC contd

• Task 3 Send e-mail reminders to sites that have
  not updated their program information by the
  one-year deadline.
• Goal Become an automatic function of the site

20
What does Active Options look like?Website
demonstration
21
Home Page
22
New PA Program Providers
23
New PA Program Providers contd
24
New PA Program Providers contd
25
New PA Program Providers contd
26
New PA Program Providers contd
27
New PA Program Providers contd
28
New PA Program Providers contd
29
Returning PA Program Providers
30
Returning PA Program Providers contd
31
Returning PA Program Providers contd
32
Returning PA Program Providers contd
33
Returning PA Program Providers contd
34
Community Champions Home
35
CC Tools and Templates
36
CC - Publish Surveys
37
CC View Members
38
CC My Info
39
QUESTIONS?

• Serena.sanker_at_ncoa.org