The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Mid-Course Report is now available for public comment until December 10th.

The Physical Activity Guidelines Mid-Course Report: Strategies for Increasing Physical Activity Among Youth summarizes evidence-based intervention strategies for increasing physical activity in youth ages 3 to 17.

The report describes interventions for increasing activity in several key settings where youth live, play, and learn, including:

• Schools
• Preschool and Childcare Programs
  
• Communities
• Families and Homes
• Primary Care

We'd love your feedback! For more information on the PAG Mid-Course Report public comment period and to download the draft report, visit: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/midcourse.

Ready to teach the Eat Healthy * Be Active Community Workshops in your own community? Join us for a one-hour Webinar to learn how you can best implement the workshop series.

Date: Wednesday, September 12

Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Register now!

The Webinar will provide:

• Tips on how you can use the workshops to motivate individuals in your community to eat healthier and engage in regular physical activity
• Firsthand experiences from one pilot site instructor who shares ways she made the workshop a success in her community
• Ideas for planning a successful workshop series, improving attendance, and boosting group participation

For more information and to download the workshops visit www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that physical activity is good for you. The list of health benefits regular physical activity can bring seems endless. During childhood in particular, being active is just plain fun. Today, America’s youngest generations are met with frequent obstacles to being physically active during a time when running, jumping, and playing is a natural – and crucial – part of growth and development. 

Across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we're teaming up to tackle these challenges. Today we are excited to share with you the latest happening on the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAG). The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) convened a subcommittee to review the evidence on strategies to increase physical activity among youth. The subcommittee is chaired by President's Council member Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey and comprised of experts in physical activity.

PAG Mid-course Review Subcommittee Members

• Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA (Chair), President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, Council Member, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
• Joan M. Dorn, PhD, CDC, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
• Janet E. Fulton, PhD CDC, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
• Kathleen F. Janz, EdD University of Iowa
• Sarah M. Lee, PhD CDC, Division of Population Health
• Robin McKinnon, PhD, MPA NIH, National Cancer Institute
• Russell R. Pate, PhD University of South Carolina 
• Karin A. Pfeiffer, PhD Michigan State University 
• Deborah Rohm Young, PhD Kaiser Permanente Southern California  
• Richard P. Troiano, PhD, CAPT NIH, National Cancer Institute 

The subcommittee will present their findings in a Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Mid-Course Review Report. The report is scheduled for release in 2013, and the topic is "Strategies for increasing physical activity in youth (3-17 years)."

We want to hear from you. A federal register notice will be released this fall, announcing an opportunity for you to provide public comments on the draft report.