Active for Life® Receives Award From Archstone Foundation

The Active for Life ® program, led by Marcia Ory, Ph.D., at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, was recognized by the 2005 Archstone Foundation Award of Excellence with an honorable mention. 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 plans to enroll at least 8,000 people by 2007. Earlier this year, the program had enrolled 2,700 people.
With retention rates hovering above 90 percent since the start of the program, 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, a highly successful program as evidenced by the retention rates of participants. Lessons learned from their study will then be used to start programs in other areas. The Active for Life program began in 2002, due to the generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
For more information, visit www.activeforlife.info.