Landmark Reports

Promoting Better Health for Young People through Physical Activity and Sports: A Report to the President
This report from the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education, and released by the White House, outlines ten strategies to promote health and reduce obesity through lifelong participation in enjoyable and safe physical activity and sports. Included is a bibliography and appendices of helpful materials.

Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence

Transportation Research Board of the National Academies

This report reviews the broad trends affecting the relationships among physical activity, health, transportation, and land use; summarizes what is known about these relationships, including the strength and magnitude of any causal connections; examines implications for policy; and recommends priorities for future research. 

Physical Activity and Good Nutrition:Essential Elements to Prevent Chronic Diseases and Obesity, 2004
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This report discusses physical inactivity and unhealthy eating as major health risk behaviors with critical impact on health, and CDC's programs that pursue changes to the community environment and encourage healthy lifestyles.

Physical Activity Fundamental To Preventing Disease
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, June 20, 2002.
Report provides statistics on the rates of overweight and obesity in America, the   physical activity trends of Americans, and the medical conditions resulting from those trends.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001
A compilation of results from the 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.  This on-line version allows the viewer to query results according to various criteria.

Encouraging Teens to Adopt a Safe and Healthy Lifestyle

Hatcher J, Scarpa J.  Child Trends, June 2002.

Report summarizes quasi-experimental and non-experimental studies of health related behaviors and the factors associated with improved health related behaviors and lower occurrences of injury.

Promoting Better Health for Young People Through Physical Activity and Sports: A Report to the President From the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000

Report focuses on ten strategies for promoting health and lessening the occurrence of or risks for obesity in young people. 

NIH Consensus Statement: Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health
Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health.  NIH Consensus Statement 1995 Dec. 18-20; 13(3): 1-33.

A NIH panel's assessment of the medical knowledge on physical activity and cardiovascular health available at the time of the document's development.

Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity and Health:

A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National

Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 1996.

Offers a comprehensive review of the scientifically based information available regarding physical activity and its impact on health status.

The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The Surgeon General's Call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity.  Rockville, MD:  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, 2001.

The report addresses the epidemic of overweight and obesity via five principles that will help in achieving the goal of preventing and treating the diseases and the resulting health conditions.  The website also offers pertinent fact sheets relating to overweight and obesity.

Healthy People 2010 Physical Activity and Fitness Goals
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health.  2nd ed. Washington, DC: U.S. GPO, Nov. 2000.  Document outlines the goals set by the government for reducing disease and disparity among Americans and objectives for achieving those goals by 2010.  Also listed are the leading health indicators of which PHYSICAL ACTIVITY is listed as #1.

STATISTICS AND OTHER RESOURCES

School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A tool to assist with implementation of CDC’s Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young People and Guidelines for School Health Programs to Promote Lifelong Healthy Eating.

Healthy People in Healthy Communities A Community Planning Guide Using Healthy People 2010
Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion; Office of Public Health & Science; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
A guide for building community coalitions, creating a vision, measuring results, and creating partnerships dedicated to improving the health of a community. Includes "Strategies for Success" to help in starting community activities.