Executive summary and key messages

Abstract

In response to a desire from both federal and nonfederal stakeholders for the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to be updated on a regular basis, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed a federal steering group to discuss this issue. Although research and new findings in the realm of physical activity continue to emerge, the group believed that the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendations would change little if they were updated. Therefore, the steering group recommended a Midcourse Report, which would provide an opportunity for experts to review and highlight a specific topic of importance related to the Guidelines and to communicate findings to the public. The steering group identified “strategies to increase physical activity among youth” as a topic area that would help to inform current practice related to the Guidelines.