Physical Exercise

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California Could Develop Guidance to Reopen Youth Sports

There is growing evidence that long-term isolation from school closures has negative impacts on kids' physical and mental health and social development, with impacts potentially lasting for years. Youth sports can help to offset many of these negative impacts. California public health officials could prioritize the development of guidelines that would allow youth sports to reopen safely.

Shanthi Nataraj

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Veterans, Autonomous Vehicles, Digital Protests: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on preventing veteran suicide, who's responsible when a car is hacked, how digital protests can affect Fortune 500 companies, and more.

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White Supremacist Terrorism, Wildfires, the Dark Web: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on violent white supremacy, power outages to prevent wildfires, how to catch criminals on the dark web, and more.

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School Start Times, Streaming Apps, Brexit: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on later school start times, how streaming apps could help Americans be more active, the latest Brexit news, and more.

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Click and Exercise! Amazon, Netflix, Hulu—Are You Listening?

Most Americans spend their daily leisure time watching screens, devoting only a small fraction to physical activity. The explosion of streaming apps is likely contributing to this problem. Streaming services could consider adding a pop-up at the end of each episode that encourages viewers to get up and move.

Deborah A. Cohen

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Augmented Reality on the Playground

As children's screen time increases, their time spent outdoors decreases. How might new technologies merge with nature to help kids get outside and be more active?

Deborah A. Cohen

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The Right Kind of Incentive Can Help People to Stay Active

Having the motivation to keep exercising regularly can be challenging for many of us. So what will motivate people to keep heading out the door, whether it's for a swim or to the gym, for some much-needed activity?

Hans Pung, Marco Hafner

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Data Breaches, Marijuana, Turkey: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on consumer reactions to data breaches, understanding teen marijuana use after legalization, why the United States can't rely on Turkey to defeat ISIS, and more.

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Military Spouses, Exercise Incentives, Libraries: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on a scholarship program for military spouses, a wellness program that uses the Apple Watch, how libraries can improve public health, and more.

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Dockless Bikes Provide Urban Challenges, but China's Experience Shows They Can Work

By encouraging more people to cycle, bike-sharing platforms could provide many potential benefits through reduced congestion, reduced air pollution, and health benefits. But there are also challenges, including pressures on existing cycling infrastructure and the potential for theft and vandalism.

Julian Glenesk

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Using Wearable Fitness Devices to Monitor More Than Just Fitness

Manufacturers could reinvigorate the market for personal health devices by incorporating measures of health and well-being beyond step counts. Wearables could gauge a neighborhood's air quality, safety, or its level of social connectedness.

Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung, Astrid Stuth Cevallos

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Five Myths About American Obesity

Two in three Americans are overweight or obese. There are many popular theories about what's causing the obesity epidemic, but many are not supported by data. What's clear is that most U.S. adults eat too many calories.

Ruopeng An, Roland Sturm

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What 32 Million Tweets Tell Us About Health and the Twitterverse

Health-related posts and conversations on Twitter shed light on the public's views on obesity, exercise and fitness, safe sex, alcohol, and mental health. Will such discussion increase in communities where health and wellness programs are put in place?

Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung, Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay, et al.

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The Neighborhood Park: An Underused Oasis

Most neighborhood parks are underutilized, especially in the mornings and on weekdays. But with a modest amount of redesign, investment, and marketing, parks could lead more people to engage in routine physical activity.

Deborah A. Cohen, Catherine J. Nagel

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I'm Too Busy for Exercise I Just Don't Have the Time

As hard as it can be to make time for exercise, failing to do so isn't a time-saver. It might seem so for a day or two, but you will feel the result of not exercising in the reductions in your energy, ability to focus and cope, and in your quality of sleep.

Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD

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Take the Morality Out of Health Choices: Stop the Blame Game

Framing positive health behaviors as good or virtuous and less effective or harmful ones as bad trips most people up on a regular basis. People would do well to think of positive health behaviors—such as getting a good night's sleep or eating healthy foods—as doing what works, rather than as being virtuous.

Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD

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Improving Your Health: Small Steps Can Yield Big Benefits

It is worth making changes in your everyday choices and actions in order to improve your health. Real benefits in terms of increases in energy, improved sleep, and reduced cardiovascular disease risk are attainable.

Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD

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Have You Estimated Your Cardiovascular Risk?

Research suggests that setting a baseline by getting an estimate of your individual cardiovascular risk can help you see more clearly what you have at stake and what you can do to improve your chances of a long and healthy life.

Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD

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5 Steps to Decrease Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Five steps could help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, especially if you track your efforts: know your risk, increase physical activity, reduce sedentary time, improve nutrition, and get enough sleep.

Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD

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Michelle Obama Shouldn't Be the Only One Fighting Obesity

To identify the policies that will make a big fat dent in obesity rates, we first need an accurate diagnosis: Americans are overweight and obese because they are inundated with too much food. The use of impulse marketing strategies has skyrocketed, with invitations to indulge at every turn.

Deborah A. Cohen

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Five Myths About Obesity

The obesity epidemic is among the most critical health issues facing the United States. Although it has generated a lot of attention and calls for solutions, it also has served up a super-sized portion of myths and misunderstandings.

Deborah A. Cohen

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What's in a Name? Calling Obesity a Disease Could Help Improve Chronic Disease Outcomes

The American Medical Association officially designated obesity as a disease, hoping to help change the way doctors approach the issue with their patients, increase funding for research on effective treatments, spur insurers to cover prescription weight loss medications, and maybe even help de-stigmatize the condition.

Sydne J. Newberry