Empowering Americans to Lead Physically Active Lives [Podcast Series]
[:54] Dr. Bantham introduces her guests, Dr. Katrina Piercy and Rachel Fisher
Dr. Katrina Piercy is Director of Prevention Science, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Rachel Fisher is Senior Advisor, President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.
[1:20] Empowering Americans to be physically active
“And so we see that as a big role to take kind of the science and take that translational piece so that Americans have that information, to be able to hopefully make a healthy life for themselves.”
“They really help give us advice at the federal government about how to reach these audiences, and to really meet them where they are, and to share messages that empower all Americans.”
[3:42] Making the science actionable
“I think that's the challenge with physical activity, is that for a lot of people, they look across the day and it's really hard to think about where it comes in. So we're trying to help people strategize if like, can you put in a few minutes here? Do you have five minutes? Can you multitask with this? Can you stand and do some squats while you're listening to a Zoom meeting?”
[6:34] Catalyzing change in physical activity
“And so how do you break through those barriers and communicate in a way that resonates. And I think, just, that really diverse perspective that they bring, and the platform that they have to kind of be that liaison between the federal government and all of these different populations is a really powerful role that they play.”
[8:01] Addressing barriers to engineer physical activity back into daily lives
“I think you hit it spot on that the barriers really vary. And so, and they vary by population, they vary by demographics, they vary by stage of life. And so part of what we tried to do with the Move Your Way communications campaign in developing those resources. So there's currently over 80, in English and Spanish, they're tailored to different audiences. So whether we're talking to parents, we're talking to providers, we're trying to…we do a lot of focus group testing to identify kind of what are the barriers for them?”
“Recognizing that it really is a whole of society approach to think about these barriers kind of from a systemic approach and how we can really address all of the challenges that we're facing so that we have a more active and healthier nation.”
[13:47] Linking physical activity and other aspects of health
“All of our messaging, all of the ways that we tackle this is based on evidence- based strategies and the best science to show that these do, that all of these activities really are critical to our overall health.”
“And that was also reflected in the White House Conference, which I know some see that as a nutrition heavy conference, but there was five pillars there. And one pillar solely focused on the physical activity piece and kind of that, that combination.”
[18:38] Taking a unified approach through partnerships and collaboration
“ And so part of our role is to kind of help partner and connect with other organizations within the communities that are closer to working with individuals that might be working to make some of these changes.”
“This really needs a unified approach to address many of these challenges, and to help share these really important scientifically based messages to resonate with a variety of sectors and populations. And so partnerships are integral to being successful.”
[21:33] Getting kids moving
“So if we can set kids up for success when they're young and help them to develop these kind of a lifelong passion themselves and healthy habits, we'll all be better off as a nation.”
“I just see such a tremendous potential to kind of normalize physical activity as a part of the routine so that kids are just, this is what we do.”
