57th Annual American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting and the Inaugural World Congress on Exercise is Medicine

The above long title actually represents two meetings combined, held in Baltimore during the first week of June. Thank you, Roaring Fork Campus, for making it possible to attend. How does a meeting about sportsmedicine and exercise affect CMC? At CMC, the wellness requirement of at least two credits for graduation is a quiet, yet persistent program staffed by adjunct faculty. Are we addressing students’ lifestyles in a meaningful way through these efforts? What are current national fitness norms and trends? At this meeting, national and international health organizations were represented, to report the state of affairs, along with new developments and research are on the horizon. The meeting encompassed a large and diverse group ─ addressing health and fitness from all viewpoints, ranging from scientists and physicians, to national leaders and the Surgeon General, and even a consultant from reality TV.
During the keynote lecture, Jeffrey Koplan of the Emory Global Health Institute spoke about “Physical Activity, Health, Health Care Reform and Lifestyle Reform Revisited.” He set the stage by talking about how lifestyle reform begins with changing social norms. If we don’t take physical activity seriously, we won’t invest in it. New health care legislation is being enacted: translating it into practice is needed for us to find out the wellness and prevention services that will be reimbursed. He pointed out that a doctor’s personal habits are most influential factor in shaping patients’ habits.
Surgeon general Regina Benjamin also talked about behavior change in the context of a social and lifestyle network. In recognition of the importance of social support, she told the audience about her goal to hike the Grand Canyon within the coming year.
Dr. Miriam Nelson, a fellow of ACSM, spoke about the factors of both genetics and lifestyle in determining an individual’s health and fitness. With personal factors in the center of a sphere, other lifestyle influences surround an individual, with the outer layers successively including social environment, micro-environment, and macro-environment. A persistent theme is that we cannot look at health practices in isolation. Behavioral and health choices emanate from a complex system, in which one’s environmental setting is a key component.
Many Americans are not aware of the U.S. National Physical Activity Plan, from the National Coalition to Promote Physical Activity . Issued in 2008, it includes certain strategies that apply to schools. Most pertinent to CMC are Strategy 6, “Encourage post-secondary institutions to provide access to physical activity opportunities, including physical activity courses, robust club and intramural programs, and adequate physical activity and recreation facilities;” and Strategy 7, which reads, “Encourage post-secondary institutions to incorporate population-focused physical activity promotion training in a range of disciplinary degree and certificate programs.”
Another document that may not be well known is the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans issued by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. It addresses scientific evidence for the health benefits of physical activity, recognizes a dose-response curve of fitness improvement, and includes the minimum amounts of regular activity needed to obtain these benefits. For adults aged 18-64, the benefit threshold is 2 hours and 30 minutes per week of moderate intensity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes per week of vigorous intensity, aerobic exercise. Episodes should be at least 10 minutes long and dispersed throughout the week. Additional health benefits are gained by increasing up to 5 hours per week of aerobic exercise of moderate intensity, or up to 2 hours and 30 minutes of vigorous intensity, or some combination thereof. Adults also need two or more days per week of muscle strengthening activities. For those reaching these thresholds, strong evidence is available for improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, decreased risk of specific syndromes and chronic diseases, better weight control , fall prevention, and depression reduction.
Many speakers addressed the frustrating observation that fitness in the U.S. shows little or no improvement over the past ten years of concerted national effort, despite increased information and initiatives directed toward change. Among other things, speakers stated that 65% of American children have a television in their bedroom and that modern man spends more that 91% of waking hours sitting.
The purpose of the paired World Congress on Exercise is Fitness was to bring together representatives from major regions of the world to share information and dedicate their support for a global health forum, including the “science, policy, practice, and public health aspects of physical activity and its impact on disease prevention and health promotion.” The “Exercise is Medicine” charter encourages physicians and health care providers to include exercise in a patient’s treatment plan, as a part of regular medical care. It complements the World Health Organization’s global strategy on diet, physical activity, and health, and was endorsed by the international representatives.