The American Public Health Association (APHA) Physical Activity Section invites students, educators, researchers, health professionals, and community members to submit abstracts for the APHA 143rd Annual Meeting. We are seeking abstracts that address issues of physical activity and public health with particular emphasis on research, practice, and policy. 

The theme of the 2015 APHA Annual Meeting is “Health in All Policies”. The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies that impact physical activity and sedentary behavior in communities, worksites, schools, and other important settings. Policies that affect physical activity and sedentary behavior can include formal governmental laws and regulations (e.g., school physical education standards, sidewalk construction mandates for real estate developers) as well as informal guidelines and codes of conduct specific to particular contexts and groups (e.g., employee wellness incentives, smoke-free park policies). Both academics/researchers and practitioners in a variety of disciplines continue to search for ways to implement and evaluate policy actions and strategies to facilitate physical activity and health in diverse populations and settings. Abstracts should be submitted to the Physical Activity Section through APHA’s online abstract submission system. We welcome all submissions related to physical activity and public health; however, abstracts with outcomes and results are preferred and topics of particular interest for 2015 include:

• 1. Impacts and outcomes of policies that promote or discourage physical activity and sedentary behavior in diverse settings (e.g., schools, communities, worksites, faith-based, etc.)
  
• 2. Use of policies to address health inequities and disparities in physical activity participation at all levels of implementation (local, state, national, etc.)
  
• 3. Factors influencing the development, adoption, implementation, and/or acceptance of policies that promote physical activity or discourage sedentary behavior
  
• 4. Perceptions of and adherence to policies and policy actions among diverse stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, policy implementers, those affected by policies, etc.).
  
• 5. Development and/or implementation of physical activity-related policies that positively impact outcomes other than physical activity and health (e.g., economic development, environmental impacts, vehicle traffic calming, etc.)
  

Abstract Format:

Abstracts should be no less than 200 words and no more than 250 words. Please include in your submission the type of presentation preferred (oral or poster) as well as 3 measurable objectives. Please include the following elements in each abstract:

1) Introduction or Background: Study objectives, hypothesis, or a description of the problem;

2) Methods: Study design, including a description of participants, procedures, measures, and appropriate analyses (for both quantitative and qualitative research);

3) Results: Specific results in summary form; and

4) Conclusion/Discussion: Description of the main outcome of the study and importance/significance of the work.

Submission and Review:

All Abstracts must be submitted electronically using the APHA Meeting website by the date published on the APHA website for the Physical Activity Section. Late, faxed, and email submissions cannot be accepted. APHA will send email notices of acceptance to abstract authors in early June 2015. All Abstracts are subject to masked peer review by at least three reviewers. Please remove any references to a specific institution in the body of the abstract to permit masked review and ensure fairness. By submitting an abstract proposal, the author(s) agree that, if accepted, the paper will be presented as scheduled.

APHA Physical Activity Section 2015 Student Presentation Award

An award will be given for the most outstanding student oral and poster presentations that are related to at least one of the PA Section topics of interest in the Call for Abstracts.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Student member (undergraduate, masters, doctoral) of the APHA Physical Activity Section at the time of submission.

2. Student should be the first author on the abstract.

3. Abstract should be based on independent research of the student. The awards committee will select up to 3 nominees for each for the oral and poster presentation award. A panel of PA Section Leadership Team members will attend the poster sessions to judge those students.

The presentations will be rated on a set of criteria including: Presentation style, content, quality of contribution to the literature/impact, quality of data and methodology. The nominees will be recognized at the PA Section social event at the annual meeting. The award winners will be announced online at the end of the conference.

All student  submissions will be considered for these awards. No separate submission is necessary.

APHA Physical Activity Section 2015 Steven P. Hooker Research Award

An award will be given for the most outstanding research abstract that is related to at least one of the PA Section topics of interest in the Call for Abstracts.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Member (Regular, Student, Early Career Professional, Retired, Special Health Worker) of the APHA Physical Activity Section at the time of submission.

2. Applicant should be the first author on the abstract.

The awards committee will rate the abstracts on a set of criteria including: content, quality of contribution to the literature/impact, quality of data and methodology. The award winner will be announced prior to the annual meeting and recognized at the PA Section social event at the annual meeting.

All submissions to the PA section will be considered and will be based upon both abstract scores and the above noted judging criteria.

Invited or Special Sessions

The Physical Activity Section invites the submission of proposals for Invited or Special Sessions (i.e., sessions with invited speakers) related to the theme of the Annual Meeting. An abstract submitted as part of an Invited or Special session should not be submitted as an individual contributed abstract. For more information about submitting an invited or special session, please contact the APHA Physical Activity Section program planning committee chair prior to March 1, 2015.

Continuing Education Credit

APHA values the ability to provide continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, health educators, and those certified in public health at its annual meeting. Please complete all required information when submitting an abstract so members can claim credit for attending your session. These credits are necessary for members to keep their licenses and credentials.

For a session to be eligible for Continuing Education Credit, each presenter, panelist, discussant, and/or faculty must provide:

1) an abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names;

2)  At least one measurable objective, which must include one of the following action words: explain, demonstrate, analyze, formulate, discuss, compare, differentiate, describe, name, assess, evaluate, identify, design, define, or list. Note: ‘to understand’ or ‘to learn’ are not measurable objectives.

3) A signed Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form with a relevant qualification statement; Example of Acceptable Biographical Qualification Statement: (I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on the epidemiology of drug abuse, HIV prevention and co-occurring mental and drug use disorders. Among my scientific interests has been the development of strategies for preventing HIV and STDs in out-of-treatment drug users.)

4) All continuing education learning content must be of sound science or professional practice and serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills and professional competence of the health professional. Learning content should be evidence-based if available. A list of over 30 areas will be provided online for you to choose from. You will be asked to choose at least one or up to 6 areas that your presentation will address.

Thank you for your assistance in making your session credit worthy. Contact Annette Ferebee at annette.ferebee@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education. For program questions, contact the program planner below.

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Ready?

Program Planner Contact Information:

Andrew T. Kaczynski, Ph.D.
Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior
Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina
915 Greene Street, Room 529
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: 803-777-7063
atkaczyn@mailbox.sc.edu

and
Nina Bell, PhD, MPH
College of Health, Human Services, and Science
Ashford University
1515 Arapahoe Street
Tower 3, Room 1108
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 814-337-3070
nina.bell@ashford.edu