Federal Government

Through transportation, education and health care policies, federal elected and appointed officials are well-positioned to help create environments in which children and families can be physically active.  

• Connect roadways to complementary systems of trails and bike paths that provide safe places to walk and bike.
• Through the Safe Routes to School program, support the development of bike paths, sidewalks and other infrastructure to enable children to walk or bike to school, and encourage families to walk or bike to school.  
• Fully fund and deploy proven strategies that increase physical activity among youth, such as refunding the VERB campaign developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Incorporate a health impact assessment for individual and community effects in all federally funded transportation projects prior to approval for funding.
• Incorporate a physical fitness outcome indicator in federal school-performance ratings to better balance academic and health goals.
• Develop incentives for public and private partnerships that reduce dependence on motorized transportation.
• Health care policy should support and encourage the maintenance of health and appropriate levels of physical activity to prevent illness and premature death.

State Governments

States have authority over many relevant policy areas—including education, health, transportation, parks and recreation, and economic development—that significantly impact local activity environments. By taking strong action, state policy-makers can help children and families increase their levels of physical activity and improve their health.  

• Adopt state standards for physical activity in schools that include minimum requirements for recess, physical education and activity throughout the school day and adopt similar standards for pre-school, after-school and child-care programs.
• Adopt a quality physical education curriculum to engage all students in moderate-to-vigorous activity during classes.
• Incorporate a physical fitness outcome indicator in state school-performance ratings to better balance academic and health goals.
• Connect roadways to complementary systems of trails and bike paths that provide safe places to walk and bike.
• Through the Safe Routes to School program support the development of bike paths, sidewalks and other infrastructure needed to enable children to walk or bike to school, and encourage families to walk or bike. 
• Through economic development policy, support strategies for new developments and the revitalization of communities, including compact and mixed-use zoning, affordable housing, thriving retail, transit-oriented development, urban infill, walkable and bikable street design, and green building practices.
• Develop incentives for public and private partnerships that reduce dependence on motorized transportation.
• Incorporate a health impact assessment for individual and community effects in all state-funded transportation projects prior to approval for funding.
• Health care policy should support and encourage the maintenance of health and appropriate levels of physical activity to prevent illness and premature death.

Local Governments

Local policy-makers have direct control over decisions that shape neighborhood activity environments. Choices like where to place a school, what kinds of businesses to welcome and how much to invest in public transit can have a significant impact on community health.  

• Connect roadways to complementary systems of trails and bike paths that provide safe places to walk and bike.
• Support smart growth strategies and zoning for new developments and the revitalization of communities, including compact and mixed-use zoning, affordable housing, thriving retail, transit-oriented development, urban infill, walkable and bikable street design, and green building practices.
• Support the creation, rehabilitation and maintenance of safe and crime-free parks, playgrounds, trails, greenways and recreation facilities, especially in underserved residential areas.
• Encourage residential development that is pedestrian- and transit-friendly, with easy access to recreational facilities and equipment.
• Require appropriate integration of sidewalks, bike lanes and safe crossing opportunities in all major transportation projects.
• Incorporate a health impact assessment for individual and community effects in all locally funded transportation projects prior to approval for funding.
• Incorporate strategies that support non-motorized pedestrian transportation in the design and procurement of contracts and governmental building projects.
• Locate, build and renovate schools to support walking and biking as safe and convenient ways to get to and from school.
• Establish joint-use agreements for the use of playgrounds and other school-based recreational facilities before and after school and on weekends to provide additional opportunities for students and community members to be physically active. 
• Work with state and local governments, private developers and community groups to ensure that planning and capital improvement projects prioritize opportunities for physical activity.

Leaders

Business leaders—especially leaders in the entertainment, sports, transportation, development and construction industries—are extremely well-positioned to improve local activity environments and promote healthy, physically active lifestyles. These leaders can be agents of change, especially when working in partnership with community and government leaders.   

• Develop strategies in partnership with local government officials to connect roadways to complementary systems of trails and bike paths that provide safe places to walk and bike.
• Include dedicated space for parks and playgrounds in all new major development projects.
• Ensure that new residential developments are pedestrian- and mass-transit friendly.
• The architectural and construction industry should optimize non-mechanized pedestrian transit in both new development and renovation projects.
• The entertainment and sports industries should promote role models for healthy lifestyles and emphasize the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Schools and Child-Care Settings

Action by schools and child-care providers is absolutely crucial to any comprehensive effort to improve activity environments. These institutions can have a significant impact by encouraging physical activity throughout the school day and teaching healthy habits that can last a lifetime.   

• Through the Safe Routes to School program, support the development of bike paths, sidewalks, and other infrastructure needed to enable children and families to walk or bike to school or for recreation. 
• Locate, build and renovate schools to support walking and biking as safe and convenient ways to get to and from school.
• Ensure that schools have adequate indoor and outdoor facilities for physical activity.
• Increase the intensity, duration and quality of physical activity in schools, and adopt and implement minimum physical education standards.
• Develop and implement physical education programs that engage all students, regardless of fitness level and athletic ability. Use this early introduction to physical activity as a goal to inspire lifelong healthy habits.
• Incorporate a physical fitness assessment for children to reinforce the importance of physical fitness. Additionally, support those at greatest risk through targeted programs and assistance.
• Support school personnel working to increase their physical activity levels, both to improve their health and to help them model optimal behavior for their students.
• Encourage the use of playgrounds and other school-based recreational facilities before and after school and on weekends to provide additional activity opportunities for students and community members. 
   

Community- and Faith-based Organizations

Community organizations have a significant role to play by working to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity and promoting strategies to achieve appropriate levels of physical activity.

• Organize and work with local policy-makers to ensure that planning and capital improvement projects prioritize opportunities for physical activity.  
• Limit the use of television, video, video games and computers for non-educational purposes in after-school, pre-school and childcare programs managed by community- and faith-based organizations.
• Include appropriate physical activity in after-school, pre-school, and child-care programs managed by community- and faith-based organizations.
• Increase the number and quality of community physical activity programs—for example, soccer and baseball leagues—that encourage and support physical activity.
• Work with schools to ensure that opportunities for physical activity are maintained when school is not in session, for example, by extending the use of playgrounds and facilities before and after school hours and through the summer or during vacation breaks.

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