(College Station)—The Active for Life ® program, led by Marcia Ory, Ph.D., at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, received an honorable mention in the 2005 Archstone Foundation Award of Excellence program.
In conjunction with the Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association, the award was created to recognize the best practice models in gerontology and geriatrics.
The Active for Life program seeks to increase the number of mid-life and older adults who are physically active. Working with the aging services sector, public health departments, health care systems, faith-based organizations, social service agencies and adult learning centers, Active for Life coordinators plan to enroll at least 8,000 people by 2007. About 2,700 had enrolled in 2005.
Participants have shown significant increases in physical activity levels and significant decreases in reported depression and perceived stress.
Active for Life studies the translation of research about physical activity into best practices for adults and is highly successful based on the retention rates of participants, which is above 90 percent. Lessons learned from the study will be used to start programs in other areas.
The Active for Life program began in 2002 with generous support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Texas A&M Health Science Center provides the state with health education, outreach and research. Its five components located in communities throughout Texas are Baylor College of Dentistry, the College of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology and the School of Rural Public Health.