Physical_Activity_Guidelines

Anytown, USA: A Community Working Together to
Increase Physical Activity for All
Recognizing the impact of physical activity on overall health, leaders of
Anytown, USA, have dedicated themselves to helping residents become
more physically active. Leaders wanted to ensure that the community
made it safe and convenient for people of all ages and abilities to be
physically active.
Officials began by forming a coalition of public health, transportation,
local business, parks and recreation, city planning, and community
residents to identify shared goals. The coalition also conducted a
baseline assessment to document physical activity levels of residents and to identify opportunities for
improvement related to community supports to promote physical activity.
Based on this assessment, and available skills and resources, the coalition developed a 10-year action plan
that included strategies organized by three areas of focus.
• Improve residents’ access to places to be active in the community.
• Offer free yoga classes for older adults at local senior centers.
• Work with local schools to share gyms, playgrounds, or sports facilities with residents.
• Convert an unused building to a community recreation center.
• Develop a multi-use path from a residential area to the town retail center.
• Construct wheelchair-accessible bus stops along transit routes to grocery stores.
• Improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.
• Create safe crossings within one mile of all schools.
• Construct protected bike lanes within the retail district and surrounding the city park.
• Increase the use of existing community resources for physical activity.
• Increase awareness of safe routes to parks and trails by adding signage.
• Add lights to local parks so they can be used at night.
The coalition then developed a plan to implement these strategies. The plan identified who would work on each
project, what resources would be needed, and the timeline. For example:
• The Anytown School District agreed to pay for an adult safety guard at the three major street crossings
within one mile of the local elementary school starting in the next school year.
• The Parks and Recreation Department will include money in their annual budget to add lights to one
different community park each year for the next three years.
• The Mayor’s Office will apply for a grant from a foundation next year to create the community center.
102 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans