Minutes from the May 14, 2008 PCPFS Council meeting.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS)
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 800
Washington, DC 20201
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
MEETING SUMMARY
Table of Contents
1. Call to Order and Roll Call
John Burke, Chair, PCPFS
Mr. Burke called the meeting to order and welcomed the members of the Council. Ms. Jane Wargo, PCPFS Program Analyst, conducted the roll call.
1.1. Council Members in Attendance
John Burke, Chair
Denise Austin
Catherine M. Baase, M.D.
Kirk M. Bauer
William (Bill) Greer
Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, Ph.D.
Edward Laskowski, M.D.
T.L. (Tedd) Mitchell, M.D.
Charles Moore
Jerry V. Noyce
1.2. Council Members Absent
James (Nick) Baird Jr., M.D.
Steven Bornstein
Paul Carrozza
Susan Dell
Eli Manning
Mary Lou Retton-Kelly
Dorothy G. (Dot) Richardson, M.D., Vice Chair
Donna Richardson-Joyner
Andrew Roddick
1.3. Other Attendees and Presenters
Tynetta Dreher, PCPFS Program Specialist
Elizabeth Fassett, M.S., C.H.E.S., Account Supervisor, Hager Sharp
RADM Steven Galson, M.D., M.P.H., Acting Surgeon General
Melissa Johnson, PCPFS Executive Director
Joey King, PCPFS Public Affairs Specialist
Leslie Liff, PCPFS Clerical Assistant
Jeff McClaine, Associate Director, President’s Challenge, Amateur Athletic Union/Indiana University
Jacky Richards, Family Support Coordinator, Naval Special Warfare Group Two and Group Four
RADM USN (SEAL) Tom Richards (Ret.)
Debra Silimeo, Senior Vice President, Hager Sharp
CAPT Rick Troiano, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee
Jane Wargo, PCPFS Program Analyst
RADM Robert C. Williams, Acting Deputy Surgeon General
2. Chair’s Report
John Burke, Chair, PCPFS
Mr. Burke reviewed the accomplishments of the Council as it nears the end of its term, highlighting the establishment of the Lifetime Achievement Award. He commended Melissa Johnson for her excellent work in developing and implementing the Adult Fitness Test. He congratulated the Council members on successfully publicizing and providing leadership for the first National President’s Challenge, in which President George W. Bush was involved. Mr. Burke thanked the members for their hard work and said that all of their efforts, combined with the upgrade of the Council’s website, provided a good foundation on which future councils can build.
3. Executive Director’s Report
Melissa Johnson, Executive Director, PCPFS
Ms. Johnson thanked the Council members and the PCPFS staff for their efforts. She also welcomed presenter Jeff McClaine from the President’s Challenge. Ms. Johnson noted that the recently designated Assistant Secretary for Health, ADM Joxel Garcia, M.D., M.B.H., had planned to address the Council but was unable to do so.
Ms. Johnson highlighted a number of fitness events occurring in May, which is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, as designated by a White House Proclamation. The U.S. Senate recently passed a resolution, sponsored by Senators John Thune (R., SD) and Ron Wyden (D., OR), naming May 2008 as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and the week of May 1–7, 2008, as National Physical Education and Sports Week. The HHS Office of Women’s Health kicked off the ninth annual National Women’s Health Week on May 11. May 16 is Bike to Work Day, and May 21 is National Employee Health and Fitness Day.
The PCPFS launched the Adult Fitness Test on Wednesday, May 14, with an event at Results Gym, formerly an elementary school in Washington, DC, which represented how the Council’s fitness test, once aimed only at kids, had “grown up.” Ms. Johnson thanked the Science Board and PCPFS Program Analyst Jane Wargo for overseeing the development of the test, the Cooper Clinic for allowing the test to incorporate some of its norms, and the YMCA and the American College of Sports Medicine for participating in a survey about the test.
Alaska was in the lead for the National President’s Challenge as of May 14, with Wyoming in second place. Final results will be tallied at the end of May. Mr. Burke noted that Maryland and Minnesota are in the top ten largely because of efforts by Council members Lillian Greene Chamberlain and Jerry Noyce, respectively. He singled out members Tedd Mitchell, Ed Laskowski, and Denise Austin for their efforts to promote the challenge and thanked all those who worked to get the word out.
Ms. Johnson welcomed the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association as new PCPFS Science Partners. The list of President’s Challenge advocates has grown to over 200 organizations, thanks to efforts by Chris Spain, Director of Research, Planning, and Special Projects for PCPFS. Ms. Johnson noted that the first-ever national physical activity guidelines will be issued in the fall.
On the international front, Ms. Johnson said the PCPFS is working with Jordan’s royal court on education and health programs for its schools. The United States has hosted delegations from Jordan, South Africa, and Indonesia to foster information exchange on student health programs.
With the Executive Branch, PCPFS has been involved in two campaigns championed by First Lady Laura Bush that are celebrating their 5-year anniversaries: Helping America’s Youth and The Heart Truth.
Ms. Johnson added that she and Dr. Mitchell serve on a task force of the Exercise Is Medicine initiative, a joint effort by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Medical Association to encourage physicians to promote exercise to their patients.
The Council’s Corporate Fitness Subcommittee completed its toolkit for corporations, Ms. Johnson announced.
Action Item
PCPFS staff will post the Corporate Fitness Toolkit on its website.
A bill has been introduced in Congress to establish a foundation to raise money to support the PCPFS. Ms. Johnson is meeting with HHS leadership to discuss the agency’s response to the proposed legislation.
Action Item
PCPFS staff will consult the HHS Office of General Counsel to determine how Council members can express their opinions as private citizens regarding proposed legislation to create a foundation to support the PCPFS.
Ms. Johnson invited RADM Tom Richards, retired U.S. Navy SEAL, and his wife Jacky Richards, a family support coordinator for the Navy, to present their proposal for a cooperative effort between the Navy SEALs and the PCPFS. RADM Richards suggested that the Navy SEAL physical fitness challenge could tie in with Council activities, citing joint efforts with California’s fitness council that focused on youth. Mrs. Richards expressed her support for partnering with the Council to promote community fitness initiatives. Dr. Mitchell recommended reaching out to retired SEALs, and RADM and Mrs. Richard agreed, noting that two large annual events for retired SEALs and their families feature fitness events.
4. Remarks by Acting Surgeon General — Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future/Youth Obesity Prevention Initiative
RADM Steven Galson, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Galson described the Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future initiative, which promotes physical fitness, healthy diet, and community-level intervention to address rising levels of pediatric obesity. He feels that the need to address pediatric obesity is a message that is resonating among Americans, and he does not agree with the pessimistic view that obesity is an inevitable consequence of any overdeveloped society. The Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future initiative emphasizes the importance of healthy adult role models.
Dr. Galson pointed out that the President’s Challenge is one of several Federal government initiatives that HHS is highlighting to spread awareness about the range of programs across the department aimed at pediatric obesity. He noted that community intervention is facilitated by leadership from State departments of health and local officials. In response to complaints that the No Child Left Behind initiative has forced schools to cut physical education to make room for more academic programs, Dr. Galson countered that kids who get regular physical activity do better in school, so one should not preclude the other.
Council Member Catherine Baase, M.D., suggested Dr. Galson consider piggybacking on the efforts of stakeholder groups forming around the implementation of health information technology. Dr. Galson agreed that the central core of many stakeholder groups in any given field often remains the same, although specific areas of focus may differ, and he often finds regions where motivated stakeholders are eager for opportunities to work together. He cited a coalition in Oregon that came together to promote bicycling and has decided to stay together to tackle other health and fitness issues.
Council Member Kirk Bauer pointed out that improving communication and cooperation among government agencies facilitates community outreach efforts. He pointed to a law recently enacted in Maryland that enables more disabled students to take part in mainstream school sports. Dr. Galson said he has plans to accelerate the interaction between HHS and the Department of Education.
In response to a question from Mr. Burke, Dr. Galson stated that it’s important for people purchasing food to know what they’re getting, whether it’s at a grocery store or in a restaurant, but requiring nutrition labels in restaurants is a sensitive issue. He is skeptical about the need for regulations but emphasizes that the restaurant industry must step up to the plate with voluntary efforts. He pointed to Disney World’s move toward healthier boxed lunches for visitors as an example of success with voluntary steps.
5. Physical Activity Guidelines Update
CAPT Rick Troiano, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee
CAPT Troiano provided an historical perspective on how HHS came to establish a Federal advisory committee to develop evidence-based guidelines on physical activity modeled on the prominent dietary guidelines (a.k.a. the food pyramid) produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since June 2007, the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee has reviewed scientific evidence and existing guidelines in an effort to create a single set of Federal guidelines for all Americans that addresses cardiovascular fitness, strength, and balance, with additional attention to subpopulations, such as older people and people with disabilities. For the committee’s literature review, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiled a database of articles that includes abstracts and key words for each; the database eventually will be publicly available.
The committee hopes to complete its final report, which addresses research performed since 1995, by the end of May. In October 2008, HHS plans to publish the new physical activity guidelines and companion materials for consumers and partners. The committee has worked with the PCPFS staff to identify partners to help promote the guidelines, and Ms. Johnson will coordinate partner activities. CAPT Troiano said the new guidelines will help HHS set policy and ensure that government guidelines are consistent across agencies. He hoped that policymakers and community advocates would use the guidelines to inform and support their efforts at local levels.
The committee is discussing developing a logo to visually represent the guidelines and other ways to spread awareness to average Americans. Dr. Mitchell pointed out that coming to consensus on a single set of guidelines would in itself represent a great step forward. CAPT Troiano added that the committee is developing a survey to obtain a baseline measure of physical activity among Americans that could be used later to evaluate the effects of the guidelines.
6. Council Member Updates
Each member described his or her recent activities in support of the Council’s efforts.
Jerry Noyce is forging partnerships with the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), which studies effective means to improve health among employees and their families. He and Dr. Baase spoke at a meeting of the Institute for Health and Productivity Management, which would like to plan a joint event with the Council at a meeting in Arizona in the fall. Mr. Noyce has also discussed potential partnership opportunities with Humana, the U.S. Tennis Association, and the National Intramural Sports and Recreation Association.
Charlie Moore introduced the President’s Challenge to the Institute for International Sport, which brings together representatives from 200 countries and which is planning the 2001 World Youth Peace Summit. He recommended the Council take part in the summit.
Dr. Mitchell has been working with the Exercise Is Medicine initiative, which is publishing a textbook for physicians, and The Heart Truth initiative championed by First Lady Laura Bush. He recently spoke at a meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Dr. Mitchell announced that Texas now mandates physical education for all K–12 students, along with testing to measure how physical activity affects students’ academic performance.
Dr. Laskowski said the Mayo Clinic is working to provide a science-based approach to prescribing exercise. The organization's website, which Dr. Laskowski edits, posted videos on proper exercise techniques. The Mayo Clinic is also studying the functional effects of exercise on people with disease; for example, it is conducting research to assess whether Pilates improves posture and range of motion in breast cancer patients. Finally, the Mayo Clinic will host the 2008 Action on Obesity Summit in October with about 150 multidisciplinary State and national partners representing a variety of environments.
Mr. Burke said the kickoff of the National President’s Challenge with the governor of Wisconsin attracted a lot of media in that state. His organization, Trek Bicycle, created the Dream Bikes program about 1 year ago, partnering with the area Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs to open nonprofit used bicycle stores in low-income neighborhoods in Madison, WI. The initiative includes a microfinancing program. Trek Bicycles has instituted a number of health promotion activities for its employees, including a policy requiring workers to take part in a health risk assessment program to qualify for health insurance benefits.
Bill Greer said he is proposing a “mini” National President’s Challenge to an organization of young professionals. He recommended the Council seek more opportunities to partner with chambers of commerce.
Lillian Greene Chamberlain described her involvement with a number of efforts in the region, including the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness for Maryland, which persuaded the State to adopt walking as the official State exercise and to support equal opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in school sports programs. She is also working with numerous community fitness initiatives, such as Fit Arlington (VA), the Go Girl Go program of the Women’s Sports Foundation, and the Passport to Fitness program of New Jersey sponsored by a family of former Olympic athletes.
Denise Austin gave a slew of media interviews in support of the National President’s Challenge. In her daily online newsletter, she focuses on child obesity every Thursday. She received a 2008 Woman’s Day Red Dress Award, and the Council was prominently mentioned in the magazine.
Kirk Bauer called on 93 chapters of his organization, Disabled Sports USA, in 36 States to recruit participants for the National President’s Challenge. He also took part in a high-profile fitness event in New York City and the 26-mile Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico, both with wounded war veterans. Mr. Bauer pointed out that the U.S. Olympic Committee has a strong network of community-based organizations in place that the Council could partner with to promote community initiatives.
Dr. Baase worked to get the word out about the National President’s Challenge and the ongoing President’s Challenge through her work within the employer community, including the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce. Her company, Dow Chemical, supplied materials from its Access to Physical Activity initiative for the Council to use in its corporate fitness toolkit.
7. Awards Presentations
Melissa Johnson, Executive Director, PCPFS
Ms. Johnson presented a Presidential Champions Platinum Award to RADM Robert C. Williams, Acting Deputy Surgeon General, who reached the 500,000 point level in January 2008. RADM Williams has been tracking his exercise using the President’s Challenge website for over 3 years and has won 14 awards, including 3 gold awards. RADM Williams said the President’s Challenge is ideal for goal-oriented people like him and thanked the Council for all its efforts.
Ms. Johnson announced the 2008 Community Leadership Award winners (see the appendix).
Ms. Johnson presented the only 2008 PCPFS Lifetime Achievement Award to Richard Keelor, Ph.D., whom the Council selected unanimously from among the nominees. The award honors Dr. Keelor’s 50 years of creating change in health promotion and physical fitness and improving lives around the world. Dr. Keelor is CEO of Health Designs International, served as PCPFS director of program development for 10 years, and has promoted health and fitness as a coach, consultant, and speaker throughout his career.
Dr. Keelor thanked the Council and the people who nominated him. He said his first experience with the PCPFS at a conference in San Diego motivated him to broaden his perspective from simply coaching sports to making high-quality physical education for all students a priority in his school. He described his pride in the success of North Carolina’s Statewide Be Active program, in which he was instrumental. Dr. Keelor acknowledged many friends and family who came to see him receive the award and stressed the importance of broadening opportunities to help people heal themselves.
Ms. Johnson encouraged the Council members and others to provide PCPFS with nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Community Leadership Awards.
8. Recreation and Public Health Memorandum of Understanding Update
Jane Wargo, Staff, PCPFS
Ms. Wargo explained that one product of the strategic partnership between HHS and the National Recreation and Park Association (outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding) is an interagency Call to Activity fact sheet to get kids involved in outdoor exercise. She underscored that collaboration among Federal agencies can be difficult, so this effort is particularly noteworthy. Ms. Wargo pointed out that June is Great Outdoors Month and June 7 is National Trails Day. Ms. Johnson added that the President’s Challenge has a great outdoors list of activities. Dr. Baase recommended partnering with environmental advocacy organizations such as the Conservation Fund that recognize the need for young people to develop connections with their environment through outdoor activities. Ms. Wargo and Ms. Johnson agreed and said the Conservation Fund and Federal land management agencies are pursuing that line of thinking.
9. National President’s Challenge — Hager Sharp Media Update
Debra Silimeo and Elizabeth Fassett
Ms. Silimeo and Ms. Fassett presented slides and videos from numerous interviews featuring Council members promoting the National President’s Challenge. Ms. Silimeo noted that the history and prestige of the Council, the availability of celebrity athlete Council members, and the support of the Acting Surgeon General helped draw media attention. The coverage resulted in 250 million media impressions. In addition to media interviews coordinated by Hager Sharp, some Council members arranged their own local media efforts. Outreach to governors and mayors spurred some healthy competition among localities to take part in the National President’s Challenge. The launch event at the National Press Club with Eli Manning received wide national coverage, as did a White House Rose Garden ceremony with President Bush that followed.
Ms. Silimeo identified some lessons learned that may inform a future effort:
Start planning for and promoting the event earlier, enabling schools and businesses to include the event on their calendars 6–12 months in advance and allowing the Council to take advantage of media opportunities that require a long lead time.
Coordinate schedules with celebrity athlete Council members to ensure their availability during the height of the media campaign.
Be aware of competing efforts.
10. Other Media
Joey King, PCPFS Public Affairs Specialist
Mr. King presented an updated list of events at which Council members had participated or planned to participate.
Action Item
Council members should submit notices about events at which they promote PCPFS activities to Mr. King via telephone or e-mail.
The PCPFS was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame and received a Public Service Award from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
11. President’s Challenge — Amateur Athletic Union/Indiana University
Jeff McClaine, Associate Director, President’s Challenge
Mr. McClaine demonstrated how the National President’s Challenge had dramatically increased the number of active participants for the President’s Challenge (from 23,130 in 2007 to 86,456 as of May 12, 2008) and boosted total registration to over 600,000 participants. In 2007, 6,306 people won President’s Challenge awards, compared with 8,183 so far in 2008.
Analysis of the President’s Challenge website indicates that people who visit the site tend to stay for several minutes and delve deep into the site, whether they are seeking information or logging in their activity. Mr. McClaine said his office anticipated increased use of the website during the National President’s Challenge and worked to ensure that high traffic did not slow down the user experience too much.
Mr. McClaine pointed out that, for the first time, children’s games made the top-10 list of activities, and Nintendo Wii games are moving up the list. The most impressive growth on the website has been the increase in subscribers to the e-mail network, including the monthly newsletter and the research digest; the e-mail list now numbers more than 100,000 people.
12. Lessons Learned — National President’s Challenge, Adult Fitness Test, and Other Initiatives
John Burke, Chair, PCPFS
Melissa Johnson, Executive Director, PCPFS
Mr. Burke asked members to summarize lessons learned and make suggestions about what the Council could do differently in the future, particularly regarding the National President’s Challenge. The following suggestions were offered:
Involve celebrity Council members more to gain more media attention.
Create a mechanism to engage celebrity athletes in promoting initiatives that does not require them to be full-time Council members (e.g., ambassadors, advocates).
Increase the lead time for promoting initiatives.
Use the President’s Challenge e-mail network for promotion; increase the e-mail network by encouraging people to sign up their friends.
Carve out a distinct space for the National President’s Challenge that sets it apart from competing initiatives. Establish a specific time each year for the event so that it builds a consistent following.
Dovetail promotional efforts with those of other organizations.
Institute incentives to participate.
Simplify communication, particularly on the website, making it as easy as possible for people to understand the goal and sign up.
Emphasize the national economic and health consequences of not increasing physical activity.
Seek out local advocates to spread the message in their own communities.
Work more closely with large corporations and groups that reach corporations (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange) to promote the initiative.
Address potential concerns about privacy and security on the website by ensuring that only the group administrator sees the participant logs.
Establish a scoring system that encourages people to sign up for the ongoing President’s Challenge but sets apart the National President’s Challenge at the same time.
Increase awareness about the availability of paper logs for those who are not able to log in their activity within the 2-week limit.
Reach out to health plans more aggressively.
Increase outreach using the e-mail and membership lists of associations, States, sports organizations, etc.
Ensure that the message of the Council remains consistent, is repeated frequently, and includes a personal component.
Action Items
On the basis of the suggestions provided, the PCPFS staff will compile a list of recommendations from the Council regarding the National President’s Challenge and provide them to the next Council.
Ms. Johnson will investigate the feasibility of setting a date by the end of June for a 2009 National President’s Challenge.
Recognizing that the PCPFS staff cannot guarantee that the next Council will agree to hold a 2009 National President’s Challenge, the current Council recommends setting a date for a 2009 National President’s Challenge and will proceed over the remainder of its term as if the event were scheduled to occur.
13. Other Business/Wrap Up
John Burke, Chair, PCPFS
The minutes of the November 7, 2007, meeting of the Council were approved. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the first week of October 2007 and may take place during the release of the Physical Activity Guidelines.
14. Adjournment
John Burke, Chair, PCPFS
Mr. Burke thanked the Council and PCPFS staff and adjourned the meeting.
—Report prepared by Dana Trevas (dtrevas@aol.com)
APPENDIX
2008 Community Leadership Award Winners
Charleton “Charlie” Anderson — Thomasville, AL — Retired
Arlington County, VA — Mr. Walter Tajada, County Board Member
Jan Braaten — Minneapolis, MN — Minneapolis Public School District
Kriss Brooks — Oakland, CA — Options Wellness Resource Program
Robert J. Coomber, Jr. — Livermore, CA — Wheelchair hiker
Loretta Donnelly — Sussex, NJ — Internal Gardens School of Classical Taijiquan
Allison Flatley — Falls Church, VA — L & T Health and Fitness
Sally Gadola — Oak Ridge, TN — Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
Paul Granda — Van Nuys, CA — StoneSoldiers
Lollie Guiney — Hoffman Estates, IL — Hoffman Estates Park District Board of Commissioners
Tom Harmon — Wayne, WV — Wayne High School
Kathy Iorio — Erie, PA — WellFit, Inc.
Dean Karnazes — San Francisco, CA — KARNOKIDS
Debbie Klingeisen — Reedsville, WI — Jazzercise Franchise Owner/Instructor
CAPT Darryl Long — Patuxent River, MD — United States Navy
Brenda Loube — Montgomery Village, MD— Corporate Fitness Works, Inc.
Brenda Murray — Charleston, SC — Fitness For All
Tony Novelli — Naperville, IL — Hyperfit, Inc.
Kat Oot-Coffey — Syracuse, NY — b.i.k.e. Syracuse
Dave Powell — Tucson, AZ — Tucson Metropolitan YMCA
Mikki Prater — Oak Ridge, TN — Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
Robert Sallis, MD — Rancho Cucamonga, CA — Kaiser Permanente
Jim Sayih — Miami, FL — Fitness Commitment Institute
Cheryl Ann Silich — Carmel, IN — Ozsome Enterprises, LLC
Margaret Spearman — Stamford, CT — St. Cecilia School
Hal Williams — Tenino, WA — City University
Arthur & Jan Wittkamp — Hoffman Estates, IL — 50+ Senior Consortium Hoffman Estates Park District
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