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Healthy, Well Nourished Population
Walk Across Arizona–Exercise Program for Seniors
Issue
With the US population over age 65 growing rapidly, public interest
in improving the quality of life for "seniors" is increasing.
Many of the diseases commonly thought to accompany aging can be prevented
and seniors are looking for ways to keep their remaining years healthy,
active, and enjoyable. In 1997 a statewide partnership was established
that combines the resources of the college of Public Health (COPH) and
Cooperative Extension (CE). An essential component of the community
Health Advancement Partnership (CHAPS) in Pima County is to help contain
health care cost through the development and evaluation of an effective
seniors lifestyle program that could be maintained in a community and
replicated in other communities in Arizona.
What has been done?
In 2000 the Health and Human Services Committee (HHSC) of Green Valley
Community Coordinating Council (GVCCC) formulated a set of visions for
a healthy Green Valley based upon a 1998 needs assessment. One specific
vision was to "Promote a Healthy Lifestyle" among residents
of the community. A forum was held as part of the HHSC community meetings
to focus on how to implement the vision of a healthy lifestyle. Task
members were identified, and regular meetings have been held since September
of 2000 with the CHAPS acting as the lead agency. This collaborative
effort with the retirement community led to the development of "Walk
Across Arizona" using formats and materials similar to programs
used in Michigan and Texas. The theoretical basis for the program was
to use social support networks to increase physical activity levels
within the community by developing and maintaining walking clubs.
The 16-week walking program is designed for teams of up to 10 people.
The teams have a friendly competition to see who can get their pals,
neighbors, co-workers, and family out to build a healthy habit and walk
for fitness. To evaluate the success and benefits of the benefits of
the walking program, entry, exit, and tracking forms were developed
to characterize the participants, and to track their physical activity
habits, levels of energy, social interaction, and satisfaction with
their community. The miles logged by teams are collected by team captains
each week and recorded on Arizona maps posted at various places around
the community, so everyone can see the progress. Participants pay a
$5.00 registration fee for cost recovery of materials and program incentives.
Additional sponsorship from community agencies and businesses were sought
to provide extra incentives at the program kick-off and culmination.
The 2002 –2003 16-week campaign is currently underway with the
expansion to 5 additional counties, Apache, Cochise, Maricopa, Santa
Cruz, and Yuma. Each county has a link from the Walk Across Arizona
site, www.walkacrossarizona.org,
where teams can register online and county leaders can update a calendar
of monthly activities.
Impact
In the first year of the campaign, 34 teams of 10 individuals walked
48,872 miles with 329 registered participants; the average number of
days walked by participants increased from 4.1 at entry to 4.6 upon
exit, and an average of 11.4 miles per person and 91.2 miles per team
were walked per week. The second year of the campaign started in mid-November
2002 with 35 teams registered, including 12 Cooperative Extension teams
that were part of the Family and Consumer Science Healthy Lifestyle
initiative in 6 counties: 355 individuals reported 23,287 miles walked
as of December 31, 2002.
"I enjoy being part of a team because it keeps me accountable.
Our captain constantly motivates us, which makes the program fun. I
have more energy than I did at the start of the program and I plan on
continuing even after Walk Across Arizona ends!" –participant.
Funding
Cooperative Extension - Community Health Advancement Partnership,
Participant fees
20 Community collaborators/sponsors
Contact
Linda Block, assistant agent
Pima County Cooperative Extension
The University of Arizona
4210 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719-1109
Tel.: (520) 626-5161, FAX (520) 626-5849
Email: lblock@ag.arizona.edu
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