The Promoting Active Communities Program: improvement of Michigan's self-assessment tool.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Urban Planning
• Transportation Science

Background:

• The Promoting Active Communities Program (PAC) is a web-based tool designed for community self-assessment of physical activity.
• The program aims to foster commitment and generate ideas for enhancing physical activity.
• Previous iterations of the PAC required updates to better serve community needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update and improve the Promoting Active Communities Program (PAC).
• To enhance the tool's ability to guide communities in creating active-living environments.
• To develop supplementary resources for technical assistance.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review of over 150 articles and audit measures.
• Qualitative data collection through focus groups with community representatives.
• Expert review to validate and refine program components and indicators.

Main Results:

• Identification, categorization, and evaluation of key indicators for physical activity environments.
• Understanding community motivations, processes, and barriers in using the PAC and action planning.
• Identification of a need for technical guidance to support the creation of active-living environments.

Conclusions:

• The PAC website has been significantly improved based on gathered information.
• A new technical assistance document, "Design Guidelines for Active Michigan Communities," has been developed.
• Both the updated PAC and the Design Guidelines are publicly accessible to support community initiatives.