This week, we share abstracts for a few soon-to-be-published (March 2010) studies on physical activity during various life stages:

• Social-Cognitive Correlates of Physical Activity in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort of Middle-School Girls: Two-year Prospective Study  (Source:  Journal of Pediatric Psychology)  Outcomes from the nationwide Trials of Activity for Adolescent Girls study.

• National trends in self-reported physical activity and sedentary behaviors among pregnant women: NHANES 1999-2006 (Source:  Preventive Medicine)  Researchers in North Carolina analyzed national physical activity trends among women during pregnancy.

• Interventions to achieve long-term weight loss in obese older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Source:  Age and Aging)  Researchers analyzed seven studies of older adults to ascertain characteristics of successful weight loss interventions.

Do you have recommendations for future research directions?  How should physical activity research resources be allocated?

This week, we introduce New York City’s Active Design Guidelines, and share a popular press description of research on sedentary behavior:

·        NY releases design guidelines to aid fitness  (Source:  Boston Globe) New York City recently unveiled Active Design Guidelines to increase physical activity in and around public buildings.  View the guidelines here:  http://www.nyc.gov/html/ddc/html/design/active_design.shtml

·        Your health:  Too much sitting puts the body on idle   (Source:  USA Today) Recent research out of Australia has led to a surge in media attention regarding the health effects of prolonged sitting (particularly in front of the television). View the original publication here:  http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/121/3/384?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=sedentary&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=date&resourcetype=HWCIT

What are your thoughts on NYC’s new guidelines – breadth, transferability, and public/private buy-in?  Share your comments and spark a discussion.

This week, we present expert commentary on recently published physical activity research, balanced by a light-hearted look at physical activity among older Americans.

• Physical activity: An investment that pays multiple health dividends (Source: Archives of Internal Medicine) Physical activity experts from the CDC and NHLBI weigh in on recently published studies.
• Seniors show they're game for athletics (Source: San Diego Union Tribune) Older adults with an inspiring dedication to physical fitness.