PAPREN Grand Rounds April 2023: Christiaan Abildso, West Virginia University

Advance registration is required for this event. Click the button below to access the registration form.

Physical Activity in Rural America –

Prevalence, Promise, and Partnerships

Christiaan Abildso, PhD; Co-Lead, PAPREN Rural Active Living Workgroup

Associate Professor, West Virginia University School of Public Health

This presentation will cover the results from multiple studies of rural physical activity in the U.S. conducted by Christiaan with colleagues from the Rural Active Living Workgroup. Through these studies, physical activity “Prevalence, Promise, and Partnerships” are being revealed. The recently published analyses of NHIS data showing significant disparities in prevalence of adults meeting physical activity guidelines in rural areas will be described. Research highlighting the promising environmental factors associated with greater amounts of physical activity in rural counties will be presented. Lastly, the partnerships and other structural capacity factors identified using a positive deviance approach in rural counties with greater prevalence of physical activity relative to rural peers will be presented. The discussion will conclude with a focus on rural-centered work of Rural Active Living Workgroup members and ideas for further study.

As always, there will be a moderated Q&A session following the presentation. You can send us your questions in advance or enter them in the Q&A box during the presentation.