The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #63776

Marcia Ory, PhD, MPH, School of Rural Public Health - Department of Social and Behavioral Health, Texas A & M University System Health Science Center, 3000 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 310, Bryan, TX 77802, (979) 845-2387, mory@srph.tamu.edu, Diane Dowdy, PhD, CHES, Active for Life, Texas A&M University System School of Rural Public Health, 1103 University Drive East, College Station, TX 77840, Brigid Sanner, Sanner and Company, 7930 Fair Oaks Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231, and Robin Mockenhaupt, PhD, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, College Road East and Route 1, Princeton, NJ 08543.

Physical inactivity is associated with many different health outcomes across the entire life-course. Although older adults can benefit from being more active, they are among the least active Americans. Active for Life, a RWJF National Program, administered by the School of Rural Public Health at The Texas A&M University System, is designed to bring efficacy-based programs to the community in order to increase physical activity in adults age 50 and older from diverse backgrounds and settings. The program is being implemented in nine communities. This presentation will discuss problems in long-term maintenance of physical activity at both the individual and community level. It will describe how Active for Life recognizes these problems and addresses the potential for sustainability beyond the original grant. Sustainability is not automatic but must be planned for, beginning early in the grants process. Successful applicants were those who were able to demonstrate cost sharing throughout the demonstration period and articulate mechanisms for achieving sustainability without initial grant funds. Criteria for selection success included: being able to demonstrate the ability to generate additional dollars or in-kind contributions throughout the entire grant period, but especially in the last two years; building coalitions to support different program elements; and identifying sustainability strategies such as use of train-the-trainer models and/or volunteers. This presentation will end with a discussion of the realities of raising matching funds in tight economic times, and how documentation of successes are needed in order to generate a stable funding stream.

Learning Objectives:

• After attending this session, the participant will be able to:
• describe the basic goals of the Active for Life program;
• identify challenges in long-term maintenance of community-based activity programs; and
• list three different ways that sustainability can be built into community-based programs from the beginning

Keywords: Sustainability, Physical Activity

Related Web page: www.activeforlife.info

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.