Physical Activity Research and Guidelines Highlight of AAHPERD National Conference

Reston, VA (PRWEB) March 20, 2009 -- The Research Consortium of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) will feature approximately 250 research papers from disciplines such as health, physical education and sport management. Many of these focus on various aspects of physical activity research and guidelines, including the following highlighted sessions and studies:

•    The First National Physical Activity Guidelines--Research-based Development and Applications: This session will be facilitated by Science Board members of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. They will describe the scientific review process used in developing the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines released in October 2008, illustrate how the scientific evidence base was translated into the Guidelines, and provide recommendations for how professionals in physical activity-related fields can translate the Guidelines into approaches for promoting physical activity in school and community settings.

•    The Implosion of Neoliberalism--New Opportunities to Reclaim Physical Activity and Sports for the Common Good: In this annual Raymond A. Weiss endowed lecture, Dr. Jay Coakley, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, explains how physical activities and sports for the sake of joy and the common good have been replaced by a physical culture organized around the ethos of elite, organized, competitive, commercial sports. However, he contends that as commitment to neoliberal ideology wanes, those concerned with health and fitness will have opportunities to reclaim physical activities and sports as part of the public sphere.

•    Correlates of Physical Activity Among Asian and African Americans: Results from this study suggest that physical activity correlates may differ by race and therefore differing strategies should be considered when promoting physical activity to Asian and African-Americans. Creating supportive neighborhood environments appears to influence the meeting of physical activity guidelines among Asian-Americans, while safety and work status predicted meeting those criteria among African-Americans.

•    Children's Physical Activity on Physical Education and Nonphysical Education Days: Results from this study support that Physical Education provides increased opportunities for physical activity for all children, regardless of gender and body mass index. These findings also support the continued drive toward ensuring quality school Physical Education programming as a key factor for reducing physical inactivity and national obesity trends in children and youth.

In organizing the program, Research Consortium Past President Dr. Ellen J. Staurowsky of Ithaca College noted "With President Obama identifying the need to revamp our health care system so as to deal constructively with the financial drain on national resources and quality of life issues for every American, the work to be presented during this conference represents important and timely contributions to the national dialogue."

The 2009 AAHPERD National Convention and Exposition will be held March 31-April 4, 2009 in Tampa, Florida. This year's conference features more than 400 sessions focused on health, fitness, coaching, dance and physical education. Attendance is expected to exceed 5,500 participants. The Exposition will feature new products and services from more than 225 companies that include equipment and resources in the fields of health and physical activity. For full conference information, including the online program, visit: www.aahperd.org/convention.

AAHPERD is a non-profit professional membership organization comprised of five national associations, six district associations and a research consortium, serving more than 21,000 members in professions related to achieving a healthy lifestyle including health education and promotion, physical education, physical activity, sport and dance. The AAHPERD Research Consortium organizes many of the research-focused sessions and events at the national convention and serves as the coordinating organization within AAHPERD in support of research across the disciplines and the professions served by AAHPERD. For more information, visit www.aahperd.org.

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