University of Florida researcher to discuss shared use concept, childhood obesity prevention

Published: May 16 2012

Category:Announcements, InsideUF, Top Stories

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida professor will participate in an interactive webinar discussion Thursday on how shared use could improve community health and combat childhood obesity.

J.O. Spengler, associate professor and researcher in the College of Health and Human Performance, will serve as one of five moderators for the event, hosted by PreventObesity.net.

Many schools and recreational facilities have playgrounds, gyms, fields and basketball courts that are closed after hours because of concerns over factors such as liability, operating costs and security. The concept of shared use seeks to alleviate these barriers by creating policies and agreements that ease access for community members. This 50-minute webinar session will explain shared-use agreements, how they can help address childhood obesity and how schools and communities can share their facilities to create more opportunities for residents to be active.

Spengler’s research focuses on policy issues relevant to community health and development through sport and physical activity. He has been funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to research existing policy on the shared use of school and park recreational facilities and has conducted funded research to measure physical activity in municipal parks in underserved communities.

Spengler serves as an American Heart Association volunteer informing state advocacy efforts and policy on shared use legislation. His research also informs national AHA Policy Guidance on shared use liability legislation and provides advice and support for AHA Obesity Fund grantees.

Other webinar moderators include Manal Aboelata, managing director at the Prevention Institute; Rebecca Frank, network analyst and coordinator for PreventObesity.net; Jamie Chriqui, director of policy surveillance and evaluation and a senior research scientist in the Health Policy Center in the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and Genoveva Islas-Hooker, regional director of the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program.

The webinar is free and open to the public. For more information or to register, visit http://ht.ly/aP1MZ.

Credits

Contact
Allison Vitt, avitt@hhp.ufl.edu, 352-294-1609

Category:Announcements, InsideUF, Top Stories