Nancy Brown
Chief Executive Officer
American Heart Association
Which of the 8 Sectors
are you involved in and why did you choose that particular
sector?
The AHA is co-leading the Business/Industry Sector but is also supporting strategies in several other sectors: parks, recreation, fitness and sport, education, non-profit, transportation, and we will help prioritize and implement the state and federal policy recommendations that are outlined in the Plan along with our implementation partners. We can contribute our expertise and resources across multiple sectors, but we are excited to help lead the business and industry sector to provide model worksite wellness strategies and promote these model programs to employers across the country. We also want to evaluate successes in the worksite environment where a majority of adults spend a large part of their day. If we want to reverse the obesity epidemic and improve cardiovascular health, we have to create healthier environments where Americans live, learn, work, and play and the worksite is one of those key environments.
What's most
exciting to you about the U.S. having a National Physical
Activity Plan?
The most exciting thing about the U.S. having a National Physical Activity Plan is the impact that I know this plan can make on the health of all Americans. This first ever Plan translates the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and provides a roadmap to get people moving, reversing the predominant sedentary behavior we have in our population. Regular exercise has been shown in studies time and time again to be one of the best things a person can do for his or her cardiovascular health. The NPAP raises the level of national dialogue on the benefits of physical activity and, as a result, it is an initiative that is essential for the AHA to be part of to achieve our mission of building healthier lives, free from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
What will success
of the NPAP look like to you in 3 years, 5 years? 10 years?
To me, the success of the National Physical Activity Plan will look very different in the short-term (3-5 year timeframe) than in the long-term (10 years+). In the short-term, success means a raised national awareness of the importance of integrating physical activity into everyday life and spreading the tools and solutions that Americans need to really make this change. Longer-term success comes in the form of a positive movement that changes behaviors and lifestyles and impacts key health metrics such as obesity and cardiovascular health. The NPAP is just a plan until it is acted on by the general public. Therefore, long-term success can really only be measured by improvements in health and lives saved.