Princess Health and Health department urges Kentuckians to walk regularly; state ranks high in obesity, low in physical activity.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Health department urges Kentuckians to walk regularly; state ranks high in obesity, low in physical activity.Princessiccia

health departments physical activity physical fitness physical inactivity walking

Gusty 14:56 Add Comment

With summer here, the state health department is urging Kentuckians to adopt a regular walking schedule to connect with friends and neighbors and improve health and fitness in a state that ranks high in obesity and low in physical activity.

�Summer is the perfect time to renew your commitment to get outdoors and take a walk,� Health Commissioner Stephanie Mayfield, said in a news release. �We all know walking is healthy, but it�s also fun, relaxing, and a great way to connect with others. You can invite a friend or loved one out for a nightly walk after dinner, take care of weekend errands on foot, or invite neighbors or co-workers to start a regular walking group. The more you walk, the more you�ll connect and be part of building a stronger, healthier community.�

In Kentucky, 31.3 percent of adults are obese. �Obesity is linked to multiple chronic conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke � and is one of the major chronic conditions affecting the health of Kentuckians,� said Elaine Russell, the Department for Public Health's obesity-prevention coordinator. �Regular walking could greatly reduce our state�s obesity burden.�

Russell's program and the Partnership for a Fit Kentucky have created a guide for obesity prevention and health policy for Kentucky communities, at http://www.fitky.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PA-Vision-Slidedoc.pdf. ). Kentucky is one of four states that will get technical assistance from America Walks to improve walkable community design, such as complete streets, lower traffic speeds, livable communities and economic benefits.

�We�re also working directly with communities and funding projects through a public health grant program to help cities and towns across Kentucky develop pedestrian plans,� Russell said. The department selected 11 communities for funding to start work on a pedestrian plan.

�We�re very excited about recent developments in obesity prevention and increasing physical activity in the commonwealth,� Russell said. �We hope everyone will not only become more physically active, but take some time to learn more about our vision and support our communities in their work to become more active, healthier places to live, work and play.�

Princess Health andMount Sterling follows lead of another KentuckyOne Health hospital, in Bardstown, to host monthly 'Walk With a Doc'.Princessiccia

Princess Health andMount Sterling follows lead of another KentuckyOne Health hospital, in Bardstown, to host monthly 'Walk With a Doc'.Princessiccia

exercise health literacy physical activity physical fitness physical inactivity physicians walking

Gusty 18:33 Add Comment

Saint Joseph Mount Sterling is the second KentuckyOne Health hospital to host monthly "Walk With a Doc" events as part of a nationwide program that promotes walking as a great way to improve your health, while at the same time offering a place to get to know your local physicians in an informal setting as you walk together. The program also offers a complimentary health screenings at the event, says a news release from KentuckyOne Health.

Flaget Memorial Hospital in Bardstown, also part of KentuckyOne Health, began its "Walk With a Doc" program in March.

"According to America Walks, brisk walking has been shown to reduce body fat, lower blood pressure, increase high-density lipoprotein and even reduce risks of bone fracture. Not only that, it is also associated with lower mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer," says the release.

The Mount Sterling walks begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 25 at Easy Walker Park, located at 1395 Osborne Rd. For more information call 859-497-5556.

Princess Health andResearchers discuss physical activity as a way of maintaining or improving health; daily walking is still the best exercise .Princessiccia

Princess Health andResearchers discuss physical activity as a way of maintaining or improving health; daily walking is still the best exercise .Princessiccia

child obesity childhood obesity children's health diet exercise nutrition physical activity physical inactivity research schools

Gusty 17:31 Add Comment

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Obesity worsens the damage that arthritis does to joints, but simply telling patients to go home and diet and exercise is not working, and health care providers must proactively monitor their patients and help them find affordable solutions to succeed. And daily walking is still the best exercise.

Those were examples of research findings discussed at the 10th annual Center for Clinical and Translational Science conference sponsored by the University of Kentucky on March 25. More than 700 researchers, students, policymakers and guests discussed research with a focus on physical activity across the lifespan.

Stephen Messier, professor and director of a biomechanics laboratory at Wake Forest University, said obesity has a significant effect on joint health, particularly osteoarthritis, which he said is quite painful. He called for closer attention to obese patients with arthritis.

He said a study found that a combination of diet and exercise over an extended period of time offers the best results for less pain and less disability. He said that a separate study found those who lost 10 percent of their body weight had the most "significant outcomes" related to function, which included walking speed.

The conference featured 31 oral presentations and 270 poster presentations, addressing a vast array of topics including physical inactivity in children, physical inactivity in chronic disease and biomedical informatics.

"The conference was designed to raise awareness of the science behind the benefits of exercise and the dangers of physical inactivity," Charlotte Petterson, professor and associate dean of research in the College of Health Sciences, who chaired this year's conference, said in a UK press release.

The keynote speaker, Duke University medicine professor William E. Kraus, encouraged walking as a proven and simple activity that can improve health and actually extend life. "Fitness always trumps fatness," he said, noting that a "culture of convenience" and conditions of built environments, such as absence of sidewalks, deter people from physical activity.

Research on fourth and fifth graders in two Clay County schools, while in the early stages of analysis, found that obesity and inactivity begins early.

Karyn Esser, professor of physiology at the UK College of Medicine, said her research was examining the circadian rhythms and physical activities of students because changes in natural circadian rhythms "can create pre-cursors to disease" in just seven days, even in healthy young people. She said her study is intended to help schools improve students' health by adjusting meal times and offering physical activities to best coincide with circadian rhythms.

The data for Esser's study was gathered through electronic devices that the 136 students wore for seven days to measure activity, heart rate and skin temperature. The students also kept a daily journal to record their activities. So far, Esser said, the data show 33 percent of the students are considered obese, their initial blood pressure measurements are on the high end of normal, and the students are less active on weekends and nights than during the school week.

Another UK study found that students who are more active during the school day do better in mathematics.

Alicia Fedewa and Heather Erwin of the College of Education said they found that increased physical activity levels "significantly improved" math scores and slightly improved reading scores of the students who got an extra 20 minutes of movement on each school day. They recommended two short 15-minute recesses per day, rather than one long one. They also said that classroom "energizers" and stability balls also help students with these behaviors.

The researchers said many studies show that students who participate in recess and physical education during the school day are more focused and less fidgety, show less listlessness, and have better overall classroom behavior. They said more controlled studies need to be conducted, but said most studies to date have found that fit kids have less anxiety and better overall well-being. Also, a regimen of consistent physical activity is best for kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Princess Health and Princess Health andPoll: Kentuckians who report excellent or very good sidewalks and road shoulders are more likely to be physically active.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andPoll: Kentuckians who report excellent or very good sidewalks and road shoulders are more likely to be physically active.Princessiccia

physical activity physical inactivity poll road safety walking

Gusty 19:17 Add Comment

Kentucky adults who ranked their neighborhood sidewalks and road shoulders as excellent or very good are more likely to be physically active, but only 26 percent of Kentuckians rank them that highly, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll.

"Adults who report excellent or very good neighborhood sidewalks/shoulders are more likely to report being very or somewhat physically active (84 percent) than residents who report fair to poor sidewalk/shoulder conditions (74 percent)," says a press release from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which sponsors the poll with Interact for Health, formerly the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati.

"This finding stresses the impact of environment on activity choices," Susan Zepeda, president and CEO of the foundation, said in the release.

Despite the relatively poor rating for sidewalks and shoulders, more than half of those surveyed said their neighborhoods are excellent or very good locations to walk, jog, or bike.

Of those whose incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold, 74 percent said they feel somewhat or very safe being physically active outside in their neighborhoods, but only 45 percent reported walking, jogging, and biking conditions as excellent or very good.

Only 11.9 percent of Appalachian Kentuckians rated their sidewalks and shoulders as excellent or very good. The poll defines Appalachian Kentucky as the 46 counties in the Big Sandy, Buffalo Trace, Cumberland Valley, Fivco, Gateway, Kentucky River and Lake Cumberland area development districts. Just 18.9 percent of Western Kentucky residents rated their sidewalks and shoulders as excellent or very good.

To see the full geographic breakouts, click here.

Princess Health and National effort to combat Alzheimer's disease begins; as research continues, there are preventive steps you can take.Princessiccia

Princess Health and National effort to combat Alzheimer's disease begins; as research continues, there are preventive steps you can take.Princessiccia

Alzheimer's disease dementia elderly mental health physical inactivity research

Gusty 07:27 Add Comment

Country singer Glen Campbell, who has Alzheimer's disease,
stands with wife Kim during a national conference Tuesday.
Associated Press photo by Charles Dharapak.

With numbers expected to jump to 16 million Americans by 2050, research is being conducted in earnest to find a way to ward off Alzheimer's disease.

One plan of attack is testing therapies before people show symptoms of memory loss, since the disease starts attacking the brain at least 10 years before memory problems appear. An international study will see if an experimental drug can halt the disease in "people who appear healthy but are genetically destined to get a type of Alzheimer's that runs in the family," reports Lauran Neergaard for The Associated Press. In another study, researchers will see if a nasal spray that shoots insulin to the brain can help patients with early memory problems.

Part of the challenge in combatting the disease is researchers are still not sure what causes it. "The chief suspects are a sticky gunk called bata-amyloid, which makes up the disease's hallmark brain plaques, and tangles of a protein named tau that clogs up dying brain cells. One theory: "Amyloid may kick off the disease while tau speeds up the brain destruction," Neergaard reports.

Given the expected increase in the number of people with Alzheimer's, the Obama administration has adopted a national strategy to fight the disease, part of which is a website that is a "one-stop shop for families" to offer information about dementia and links to community resources. Today, there are 5.4 Americans with Alzheimer's or related dementias.

There are steps people can take to protect their brains from the disease, including intellectual and social stimulation to help build "cognitive reserve." Doing crossword puzzles, for example, can help. So can physical activity. "Any time your heart is healthier, your brain is healthier," said Dr. Elizabeth head of the University of Kentucky. Diet is another consideration, since foods that are heart healthy are brain healthy, including omega-3 fatty acids found in fish. (Read more)

Princess Health and Where you live can affect your weight, studies find.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Where you live can affect your weight, studies find.Princessiccia

child obesity fast food physical inactivity

Gusty 17:52 Add Comment

A child's weight can be determined in part by what neighborhood he or she grows up in, a new series of studies indicate. (Photo by Getty Images)

In one of the studies, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers examined neighborhoods in King County, Wash., and San Diego County, Calif., and rated them in terms of physical activity and nutrition for kids ages 6 to through 11. A neighborhood received a high rating if its residents could easily walk to places like stores, libraries and parks. They also got a good grade if they had several grocery stores where healthy foods are sold, reports Kim Carollo for ABC News.

Poor-rated neighborhoods had few grocery stores or had lots of fast food restaurants. They also had few parks. "The biggest difference we found in rates of obesity were in the places where the environment was good for both nutrition and physical activity, the rates were less than 8 percent, but if the nutrition and physical activity were not good, the rates went up to 16 percent," said Brian Saelens, a co-author and professor of pediatrics at Seattle Children's Research Institute. (Read more)

The findings, explored using geographic information systems, are in keeping with an op-ed piece by Susan Blumenthal, public-health editor for the Huffington Post. Making the link between poverty and obesity, she points out the difference an affordable housing project has made in Greenbridge in King County, an immigrant community where more than 54 percent of adults are overweight or obese and more than 85 percent of children in grades 8, 10 and 12 do not meet federal physical activity recommendations.

The neighborhood is "being designed and built as models for creating an environment that promotes healthy diets and active lifestyles for their residents," she explains. The neighborhood now boasts an elementary school, a Head Start program, a Boys and Girls Club, community gardens to grown fresh fruits and vegetables, a library, play areas, walking path, a food bank, a community center and a public health clinic.

"This integrative approach has turned a trouble neighborhood into a welcoming place to live," she writes. "Initiatives like this one that involve not only individuals but the entire family and community provide a model for how to improve the health of cities across our nation." (Read more)