Promoting Physical Activity During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity is important for improving and maintaining overall health across the life span, including during and after pregnancy. Achieving recommended levels of physical activity can be challenging during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The US Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion sought to promote physical activity during and after pregnancy through the development of health education materials for the Move Your Way campaign. Research was conducted with pregnant and postpartum people to learn what types of messages and materials would encourage physical activity in these populations. METHODS: Participants were recruited from 3 regions of the United States to participate in 90-minute virtual focus groups. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older and either pregnant or 6 weeks to 1 year postpartum. Participants were asked questions about their beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions about physical activity and prompted to provide feedback on health promotion messages and images. Sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for key themes. RESULTS: Twenty-four focus groups were conducted with 48 pregnant participants and 52 postpartum participants. Sixteen sessions were conducted in English and 8 were conducted in Spanish. Most participants had questions about how much physical activity is recommended, and many cited their health care provider as a trusted source of information. Participants responded positively to materials that acknowledged the uniqueness of each pregnant or postpartum experience, referenced gradually increasing physical activity levels, highlighted the benefits of physical activity, focused on safety, addressed common barriers, and displayed realistic representations of physical activity. DISCUSSION: There is an opportunity to improve messaging about physical activity during and after pregnancy. To better promote physical activity, perinatal health care providers and other health professionals can share information about recommended amounts of physical activity, communicate the benefits, and promote realistic and achievable physical activity messages that address common barriers in these populations.

Local Implementation of Move Your Way-A Federal Communications Campaign to Promote the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Background. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) developed the Move Your Way campaign to help more Americans increase their physical activity. The campaign includes more than 80 English and Spanish materials that can be used to promote physical activity. HHS also developed a community-based implementation strategy for the campaign. Methods. HHS collaborated with eight community-based organizations from across the United States to pilot campaign implementation in their communities. A mixed-methods process evaluation was conducted to assess events, partnership involvement, material distribution, and social media engagement. Results. More than 168,000 people participated in 55 campaign events, initiatives, and programs hosted by lead organizations and their 175 partners. More than 37,000 campaign materials were distributed, and there were over 72 million social media impressions. Conclusion. The community-based implementation strategy was effective at reaching the intended audience and driving traffic to Move Your Way resources. The flexibility of the Move Your Way materials and messages allowed communities to incorporate the campaign into diverse physical activity-promotion strategies. Findings demonstrate that the federal government and local community organizations can successfully work together to promote physical activity.

Understanding the Impact of Move Your Way Campaign Exposure on Key Physical Activity Outcomes - Results from a Multi-site Pilot Evaluation.

The Move Your Way® campaign was developed to encourage physical activity contemplators to get active. A pilot test of campaign implementation was conducted and evaluated in eight communities between March and October 2020. A web-based, cross-sectional survey of adults collected pilot campaign outcome data after campaign implementation. Differences in outcomes between exposed and unexposed groups across the communities were compared. A total of n = 5,140 responded to the survey. Across eight communities, those who reported campaign exposure had 7.2 (95% CI, 6.1-8.6) greater odds of being aware of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (Guidelines) compared to unexposed respondents. Additionally, they had greater odds of identifying the correct aerobic and muscle-strengthening dosages and had 1.4 (95% CI, 1.1-1.6) greater odds of reporting meeting both the aerobic and muscle-strengthening Guidelines. In this pilot evaluation, reported exposure to Move Your Way is associated with higher odds of being aware of the Guidelines, knowing recommended dosages, likelihood of becoming more active in the future, higher physical activity self-efficacy, making a recent physical activity behavior change, and higher physical activity levels. The Move Your Way campaign can be used in communities to promote physical activity.

The Physical Activity Messaging Framework (PAMF) and Checklist (PAMC): International consensus statement and user guide.

Effective physical activity messaging plays an important role in the pathway towards changing physical activity behaviour at a population level. The Physical Activity Messaging Framework (PAMF) and Checklist (PAMC) are outputs from a recent modified Delphi study. This sought consensus from an international expert panel on how to aid the creation and evaluation of physical activity messages. In this paper, we (1) present an overview of the various concepts within the PAMF and PAMC, (2) discuss in detail how the PAMF and PAMC can be used to create physical activity messages, plan evaluation of messages, and aid understanding and categorisation of existing messages, and (3) highlight areas for future development and research. If adopted, we propose that the PAMF and PAMC could improve physical activity messaging practice by encouraging evidence-based and target population-focused messages with clearly stated aims and consideration of potential working pathways. They could also enhance the physical activity messaging research base by harmonising key messaging terminologies, improving quality of reporting, and aiding collation and synthesis of the evidence.

Responses to the Physical Activity Guidelines and Dissemination Strategies for Behavior Change in a Representative Sample of US Adults.

BACKGROUND: Dissemination of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (Guidelines) is needed, but how individuals respond to the Guidelines is not well understood. This surveillance study describes US adults' reported responses to and information sources for hearing about the Guidelines and explores relationships between how respondents heard about the Guidelines and their reported response(s). METHODS: Data were analyzed from the population-based 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey 5 Cycle 3. Population-weighted proportions of response were calculated. Among those who had heard about the Guidelines, binary logistic regressions examined associations between the reported response(s) and the information source and number of sources reported. RESULTS: The analytical sample included 5047 adults. Nearly 65% of US adults reported hearing about the Guidelines, and 29% reported a behavioral response (eg, increased physical activity). Hearing about the Guidelines through health professionals (adjusted odds ratio = 2.30, 95% confidence interval, 1.45-3.65) or social media (adjusted odds ratio = 1.89, 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.96) (vs other sources) was associated with reporting increasing physical activity. Hearing from multiple sources (vs one source) was associated with reporting increasing physical activity (adjusted odds ratio = 1.97, 95% confidence interval, 1.18-3.31). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest dissemination of the Guidelines across multiple channels may promote greater changes in physical activity.

The Move Your Way Campaign: Encouraging Contemplators and Families to Meet the Recommendations From the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

BACKGROUND: The Move Your Way campaign, developed by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, aims to improve Americans' adherence to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. This article describes the research that informed the campaign's products, messaging, and strategy. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was used to understand participants' preferences for physical activity messages and information seeking. Two rounds (round 1 [n = 95] and round 2 [n = 73]) of focus groups and an online survey (n = 2050) were conducted with adult physical activity contemplators. A third round (n = 84) of focus groups was conducted with children, teens, and parents of young children. RESULTS: Adults, parents, teens, and children preferred messages that reflected diverse examples of activities; most participants disliked "one-size-fits-all" recommendations. Adults and parents preferred messages that emphasized specific health benefits over generic messages about overall health. Although some participants preferred getting physical activity information from digital search tools and social media platforms, many preferred getting this information from family members and friends. CONCLUSION: The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion translated these findings into 3 themes used for Move Your Way implementation: (1) leverage social and community connections, (2) emphasize representation through inclusion and diversity, and (3) customize physical activity recommendations to make them more achievable.

Physical Activity and Brain Health: An Analysis of Messages From Organizations and Caregiver Perceptions.

Growing research suggests regular physical activity as a strategy for reducing risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, there is little research available regarding public messages about the connection between physical activity and brain health. This study aimed to (a) examine the volume and content of regular physical activity and brain health messages being distributed by national organizations, and (b) explore how informal caregivers perceive and comprehend brain health messages. Methods included (a) a content analysis of 155 online documents related to physical activity and aging that were located on national physical activity organizations' websites, and (b) a thematic analysis of transcripts and observer notes from two focus groups with 10 informal caregivers recruited at a support organization for AD caregivers in the southeastern United States. Content analysis results revealed limited information about the physical activity and brain health connection. Focus group results revealed that caregivers had limited exposure to information about the physical activity and brain health connection and were concerned about the credibility of this information. Further research is needed regarding brain health and physical activity messages and the potential benefits of collaboration among physical activity organizations, researchers, and health care professionals in delivering consistent and credible messages to the public.

Alzheimer's Disease in Social Media: Content Analysis of YouTube Videos.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 5.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in 2017. YouTube is a popular platform for disseminating health information; however, little is known about messages specifically regarding AD that are being communicated through YouTube. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine video characteristics, content, speaker characteristics, and mobilizing information (cues to action) of YouTube videos focused on AD. METHODS: Videos uploaded to YouTube from 2013 to 2015 were searched with the term "Alzheimer's disease" on April 30th, 2016. Two coders viewed the videos and coded video characteristics (the date when a video was posted, Uniform Resource Locator, video length, audience engagement, format, author), content, speaker characteristics (sex, race, age), and mobilizing information. Descriptive statistics were used to examine video characteristics, content, audience engagement (number of views), speaker appearances in the video, and mobilizing information. Associations between variables were examined using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: Among the 271 videos retrieved, 25.5% (69/271) were posted by nonprofit organizations or universities. Informal presentations comprised 25.8% (70/271) of all videos. Although AD symptoms (83/271, 30.6%), causes of AD (80/271, 29.5%), and treatment (76/271, 28.0%) were commonly addressed, quality of life of people with AD (34/271, 12.5%) had more views than those more commonly-covered content areas. Most videos featured white speakers (168/187, 89.8%) who were adults aged 20 years to their early 60s (164/187, 87.7%). Only 36.9% (100/271) of videos included mobilizing information. Videos about AD symptoms were significantly less likely to include mobilizing information compared to videos without AD symptoms (23/83, 27.7% vs 77/188, 41.0% respectively; P=.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes new knowledge regarding AD messages delivered through YouTube. Findings of the current study highlight a potential gap between available information and viewers' interests. YouTube videos on AD could be beneficial if the messages delivered meet users' needs and provide mobilizing information for further resources. Study findings will be useful to government agencies, researchers, nonprofit organizations that promote information about AD, and those responsible for social media to provide useful and accurate health information for the public.

Evaluating Community-Academic Partnerships of the South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network.

Community-academic partnerships have a long history of support from public health researchers and practitioners as an effective way to advance research and solutions to issues that are of concern to communities and their citizens. Data on the development and evaluation of partnerships focused on healthy aging and cognitive health were limited. The purpose of this article is to examine how community partners view the benefits and barriers of a community-academic partner group established to support activities of the South Carolina Healthy Brain Research Network (SC-HBRN). The SC-HBRN is part of the national Healthy Brain Research Network, a thematic research network funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is focused on improving the scientific and research translation agenda on cognitive health and healthy aging. Semistructured interviews, conducted at end of Year 2 of the 5-year partnership, were used to collect data from partners of the SC-HBRN. Reported benefits of the partnership were information sharing and networking, reaching a broader audience, and humanizing research. When asked to describe what they perceived as barriers to the collaborative, partners described some lack of clarity regarding goals of the network and opportunities to contribute to the partnership. Study results can guide and strengthen other public health-focused partnerships.