Christopher Berger, PhD, CSCS, discusses some of the pros and cons to getting regular physical activity in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa. Berger also talks about an ACSM task force on healthy air travel on which he is involved.
Berger is currently an exercise physiologist with the Health and Physical Activity department at the University of Pittsburgh.
In this installment of AFI From the Field, Jacqueline (Jackie) Epping, M.Ed, discusses how the ACSM American Fitness Index evaluates behavior and policies. She also reflects on the appropriateness of the measures used to create the AFI data report. Epping comments on the state of health and fitness in the Atlanta area in which she lives and shares information about some of the efforts underway to promote healthier living.
Epping holds the position of lead public health scientist and team leader for the Guidelines and Recommendations Team of the Physical Activity and Health Branch, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has focused on both older adults and children as populations in which to promote physical activity, and has had a lead role in the development of resources and provision of physical activity guidance and technical assistance to a variety of activities, programs, and initiatives at national and state levels.
In this edition of AFI from the Field, Nicole Blaize, a graduate student at Miami University, talks about the active campus in Oxford, Ohio. As a small town, many points of interest are within walking distance. The campus features a popular recreation center, both walking and bike trails and nearby state park.
Steve Verba, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, talks about the state of health and fitness in Pittsburgh, Pa. Verba makes mention of Pittsburgh’s robust park system. On the other hand, he points out that the smoking rate in Pittsburgh is still high and presents a hurdle to improving health and community fitness. Pittsburgh ranked 25th in the 2010 AFI data report of the fittest cities.
NiCole Keith, PhD, FACSM, discusses the state of health and fitness in Indianapolis. Dr. Keith gives particular attention to the role of public transportation on health and fitness and a built environment that encourages physical activity. Indianapolis ranked 44th in the 2010 AFI data report.
Dr. Keith is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI) and an affiliated research scientist in the Indiana University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute.
Chad Asplund, MD, FACSM, comments on the state of health and fitness in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Asplund, a family physician and competitive cyclist, says the city is striving to be a more bike-friendly community. Columbus ranked 35th in the 2010 AFI data report. As a physician, Asplund advises his patients that exercise is good medicine.
Emily Aronson, a senior exercise physiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, shares her thoughts on the state of health and fitness in Boston.
Boston ranked 2nd in the 2010 AFI data report. Aronson makes mention of the many runners and sports clubs enthusiasts in and around Boston, but notes some hurdles to physical activity including the long, cold winters and a challenging biking environment.
Stella Volpe, PhD, FACSM, talks about the state of health and fitness in Philadelphia. Dr. Volpe says Philadelphia is not as active of a city as it could be. Philadelphia ranked 23d in the 2010 AFI data report and has one of the highest obesity rates in the country.
Dr. Volpe shares some findings from a study on the top barriers to physical activity among Philadelphia residents. She also mentions the problems with “supermarket deserts.”
Dr. Volpe, a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, is a nutritionist and exercise physiologist whose work on obesity prevention, body composition, bone mineral density, and mineral metabolism and exercise represent a ten-year track record of consistent funding.
Dr. Volpe is a core member of the Biobehavioral Research Center, an associated faculty member of the Center for Health Disparities in the School of Nursing, an associate scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, an associate faculty member in the Graduate Program in Public Health, a co-director in Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities, and Training (EXPORT), and a member of the Penn Diabetes Center, all in the School of Medicine. She is also a faculty associate in the Penn Institute for Urban Research, an interdisciplinary Center at Penn, and a senior fellow in the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at Penn.
Dr. Volpe’s research revolves around the effects of the environment on obesity – both how the environment can be changed to prevent obesity, and how the environment has resulted in a more obese nation and world. Her interventions include changing portion sizes in cafeterias and making physical activity more a part of a person’s day to implement changes in behavior. She has also conducted a number of studies on mineral metabolism and how it affects exercise, thyroid hormone function, bone mineral density, and body weight. Dr. Volpe is a faculty member of the Physiology of the Body Compartment Fellowship Program in the Department of Neuroscience, Human Nutrition and Food at the Universita Degli Studi “Tor Vergata”, Roma, Italia.
