Physical activity
NSW Centre for Physical Activity and Health
What is the Centre for Physical Activity and Health?
The Centre for Physical Activity and Health (CPAH) is a team of research
experts in the field of physical activity and public health.
CPAH is an initiative of NSW Health for the period 2002-2005.
Why do we need the Centre for Physical Activity and Health?
There are clear indications that physical activity is of benefit in five
of the six current national health priorities. Physical activity ranks
second (to tobacco control) as the most important factor in disease prevention
in Australia. Physical inactivity is responsible for between 8,000 and
13,000 deaths per year in Australia, and costs the health system at least
$400 million in direct health care costs.
Only around half the adult population are sufficiently active for general
health and well-being.
Public Health initiatives to address a problem of this magnitude require
effective, coordinated approaches, based on the best available evidence.
However, recent evaluations of physical activity programs have identified
that several critical needs have not been met. This include:
- Effective systems to monitor and evaluation physical activity
- Standardised performance measures
- Clearinghouse for reviewing scientific evidence
- Advice on 'best buys' in intervention
CPAH will work to address these kinds of needs in NSW.
What does the Centre for Physical Activity and Health do?
The purpose of the Centre for Physical Activity and Health is to provide
a centre of excellence for physical activity research, training, evaluation,
advocacy and monitoring in NSW, and in doing so, support NSW and the NSW
Premier's Council for Active Living's objectives. It aims to contribute
to efforts to increase population wide levels of physical activity.
There are four main functions of CPAH. These are:
- Monitoring physical activity for NSW. This will include providing
complex analyses of statewide data, assisting with measurement tasks,
and acting as a clearinghouse for information.
- Providing technical advice and support for the monitoring and evaluation
of NSW Health or Area Health Service projects related to physical activity
- Providing evidence based work, identifying effective approaches to
physical activity promoting interventions, and updating the evidence
on the health benefits of being physically active
- Providing policy advice, in order to contribute to the development
of systems and structures that better promote and monitor physical activity
in NSW.
In addition to CPAH's 3-year workplan, there will also be collaborative
initiatives with other groups, researching ways of getting Australians
to become more physically active.
CPAH also works in partnership with NSW Health's other related research
centres - the NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition and the NSW Centre
for Overweight and Obesity. This collaborative work ensures that the most
effective and efficient research possible is undertaken in NSW.
People
CPAH has physical activity epidemiologists, research and policy scientists
and a range of project officers. A director oversees this work.
Visit the NSW Centre for Physical
Activity and Health's website for more information.
|
