NP
Sli na Slainte (Path to Health) is an innovative physical activity (PA) promotion developed by the Irish Heart Foundation and brought to the USA by the Rhode Island Prevention Coalition, with the American Heart Association as the USA franchisee. The program features measured and marked walking routes in urban locations. Before the first path installation, it was recognized that a website would be appropriate for this project. While the signs are highly visible and communicate a clear health promotion message, seeing the signs is not enough to change behavior; other promotional methods are necessary.
As a non-profit coalition, the opportunities for marketing a message are challenging, thus the World Wide Web (www) is an attractive way to reach many people at a relatively low cost. For that reason, our website is displayed prominently on all signs and literature. The site includes (1) a description of the project and benefits of regular physical activity, (2) route maps (on-screen and in printable format),(3) a place to arrange walking groups, (4) a forum to interact with other walkers, (5) information on starting or sponsoring a Path in your community, (6) a method (email, phone or mail) to contact us with suggestions, comments, and more. The program goal is to install one Path in every Rhode Island community, and as that happens, additional sections outlining other physical activity resources in those communities will be added. Pragmatic information on website development will be presented, along with data collected from the Path to Health website.
Learning Objectives: 1) To understand the use of the world wide web in physical activity and other health promotions. 2) To assess the benefits and drawbacks of online health promotion. 3) To discuss processes of developing a health promotion website
Keywords: Communication Technology, Community-Based Health Promotion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.