Community Health Best Practices

2013 Arthritis Walk

Using the Arthritis Walk to help prevent and control arthritis

Adding a message about a healthy lifestyle through physical activity into your Arthritis Walk can be easy and fun and it makes a lot of sense. After all, walking is one of the simplest things we can do to promote health. Participating in the Arthritis Walk can be a first step toward a healthy lifestyle which can help prevent or control arthritis. Walking strengthens the muscles around our joints and this helps to protect them. Whether you have arthritis or are at risk for developing it, walking will make you feel better.

Walking is often overlooked as a way to keep fit and flexible because it’s so simple -- most of us have done it since infancy. The simplicity is part of what makes walking an ideal exercise for many people. People can walk anywhere, anytime and at any level. Walking increases flexibility, bone density and muscle mass. Research shows that walking decreases blood pressure, body fat, bone loss, depression, disability, and arthritis pain.

Why add a physical activity message? By adding a physical activity message to your Arthritis Walk and encouraging people to come out and walk, you will not only increase the number of people willing to support the Arthritis Foundation, but you will help improve the health of your community.

The Arthritis Walk is an excellent opportunity to reach thousands of people with the message that walking is good for their overall health, as well as for their arthritis. So, by participating in the Arthritis Walk, they are not only helping the Arthritis Foundation by raising money, but they are helping to prevent and control arthritis in themselves by being physically active. . Physical activity can help persons with arthritis do something themselves to improve their arthritis symptoms. . Most audience members prefer self-management techniques to manage their condition (such as physical activity) over pharmaceuticals. . Many people with arthritis feel that their condition interferes with work or their personal life. . In addition, many think there is not much they can do to improve the pain or disability associated with their symptoms - but this is not true. . Moderate physical activity has important and beneficial effects on arthritis pain and associated disability. At least 30 minutes a day, three or more

1 days a week, can help relieve arthritis pain and stiffness and provide more energy. If 30 minutes is too much, try 10 or 15 minutes at a time. . Regular moderate physical activity can help persons with arthritis do more activities, be more flexible, and feel more energetic and positive. . Walking, swimming, and biking are particularly good activities for people with arthritis. Everyday activities such as dancing, gardening, and washing the car are also beneficial. The specific activity you are doing isn’t as important as finding something that you enjoy! . Regular physical activity helps to control weight and contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints.

There are a number of ways that you can bring the health message into your Arthritis Walk. This packet of materials was designed to help you in three key areas: . Display - We will provide you with how-to information on setting up a display table or booth to promote physical activity at your Arthritis Walk. . Physical activity assessment - This tool will help you assess the opportunities for physical activity within your local community. The information you collect can be distributed to Arthritis Walk participants. . Health Communication Campaign - This campaign promotes physical activity among Caucasian and African American people who are 45 to 64 years old and have arthritis. You can use the materials both before and after the Arthritis Walk to get people moving.

Each of the above three key areas are presented in a series of steps. You will see that many of the activities suggested here are activities that you have done before at previous Arthritis Walk events. With the addition of a few activities, you will be on your way to using the Arthritis Walk to not only raise money, but also to help prevent and control arthritis.

Osteoarthritis Initiative/Ad Council Campaign In addition, there are a variety of ways to tie in the Osteoarthritis (OA) Initiative with your arthritis walk. The OA Initiative is an organization-wide program to meet the needs of our growing constituency of people who have OA. A key component of the Initiative is the Ad Council Campaign (2010-2013), which focuses on OA awareness and educating individuals that even though they have OA, there are simple steps they can take to improve their quality of life. You can incorporate the OA Initiative into your walk by talking about the programs and services the AF has to offer people with arthritis and the general approaches to prevent the progression of OA and to control it.

In Summary Chapters and their Arthritis Walk Committees, under the direction of the Mission Delivery Chair, are encouraged to participate in the prevention and control component of the Arthritis Walk by choosing one or more of the steps to implement in conjunction with the Arthritis Walk.

2 Step 1: Community Health Engage people in your community to participate in the Arthritis Walk and start to spread the Arthritis Walk’s prevention and control message. Involve people interested in physical activity, arthritis, or both, to include walkers, novices, people with arthritis, physical therapists, or fitness experts.

. Reach out to walking clubs, gyms, and health clubs. o Encourage them to make the Arthritis Walk their physical activity on [date of walk, 2013]. o Invite them to attend the walk and recruit members for their clubs. . Contact sporting good stores, shoes stores, and other places that sell sporting/exercise equipment and ask them to promote the Arthritis Walk or to donate items that could be used as giveaways in raffles. . Reach out to assisted living residences/retirement villages and invite those who are able to participate. . Reach out to all of your Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program, and Arthritis Foundation Self-help Program leaders and instructors to promote the Arthritis Walk and invite their class participants to form Arthritis Walk teams. . Reach out to attendees at your Chapter’s OA Town Halls/Educational Programs (part of the Ad Council Campaign) and invite them to participate in the Arthritis Walk. . Recruit an Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program instructor to lead the pre-event warm up—make sure they discuss the wonderful benefits of the program and promote any upcoming OA Town Halls/Educational Programs (part of the Ad Council Campaign) that are relevant to physical activity. . Include articles about the benefits of walking in your local Arthritis Walk newsletters. . Have the emcee of the event talk about the importance of physical activity and promote your upcoming OA Town Halls/Educational Programs (part of the Ad Council Campaign), especially those pertaining to physical activity. He or she can also discuss the programs and services the AF has to offer people with arthritis to assist them with their physical activity!

Step 2: Community Physical Activity Assessment Lead a team of volunteers to collect information about physical activity opportunities within your community. These listings include: locations of Arthritis Foundation classes; area walking clubs; and area walking and biking trails. This information should be passed out on the day of the Arthritis Walk and at other times throughout the year.

. Recruit motivated people willing to explore their community. Student interns often make ideal explorers.

3 . Review the attached templates and devise the best strategy for collecting this information. The internet is one of the best resources for collecting this information; other suggestions include phone books and newspapers. . Set a timeline for completing the assessment. . Begin the community assessment of physical activity opportunities in the local area by collecting and compiling the following information: o A listing of where the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, the Arthritis Foundation Aquatics Program, and Tai Chi from the Arthritis Foundation classes are offered. See Attachment 12I. Chart for Arthritis Foundation Classes. o A listing of all the walking clubs in the area. See Attachment 12J. Walking Classes. o A listing of all the places people can walk or bike for physical activity (parks, neighborhoods, etc). Include information on distances, terrain, and level of difficulty. See Attachment 12K. Biking and Walking Trails. . Input the data collected into the appropriate electronic excel spreadsheet document (use Attachments 1-3). . Save the data electronically and turn the completed excel document in to the Chapter Program Director and Mission Delivery Chair for use and distribution at the Arthritis Walk.

Step 3: Display Booth Create a table or booth to be displayed on the day of the Arthritis Walk to encourage people to continue walking to help prevent and control arthritis. . Develop a written outline or draw a sketch of what your display booth will look like. Make its appearance inviting for people to continue their walking experience. . Determine the dimensions of the table/booth that will be needed. . Work with the Logistics Chair to determine the best location for the Physical Activity display booth and to reserve table and chairs that can be used on the day of the Arthritis Walk. . Coordinate with staff to use physical activity route signs at your events to educate people about the benefits of physical activity: ○ Stay active today for an active future tomorrow ○ Physical activity: the arthritis pain reliever Keep on walking! ○ Walking uses almost all 650 muscles and 203 bones in the body Keep moving those muscles! ○ Walk your way to better health Lose 15 pounds and cut knee pain in half ○ Walking relieves arthritis pain and contributes to overall good health. Walk on! . Recruit an Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program or Arthritis Foundation Aquatics Program instructor to staff the display booth. Also consider

4 recruiting physical therapists, a rheumatologist, occupational therapists, or other arthritis professionals to staff the display booth to answer questions about physical activity for people with arthritis. . Gather the materials to be distributed on the day of the Arthritis Walk.  Be sure to keep track of how many materials you take to your walk so you can evaluate your reach. o At a minimum, the following handouts should be distributed to participants:  Photocopies of the charts compiled in the physical activity assessment (Arthritis Foundation class locations, local places for walking, walking clubs)  Arthritis Foundation Walking log (staff can obtain) “Exercise and your arthritis”  Listing of the Chapter’s upcoming OA Town Hall/Educational Programs (part of the Ad Council Campaign)

○ At a minimum, the following brochures should be available for supporters to take home if they choose:  Walking Guide  Walking and arthritis  Water exercise: pools, spas, and arthritis  Life Improvement Series brochure

○ Additional materials you may want to have available at your physical activity display booth: Easy to Read handouts  Keep moving  Protect your joints  ROM exercise  Strengthening exercises

o Other materials  Listing of all Arthritis Foundation pamphlets available  BMI Chart (available from public health department)  “Ways to increase your steps” (available from “Physical Activity and Arthritis: You can do it” materials)  “When to see your health care provider” (available from “Physical Activity and Arthritis: You can do it” materials)  Arthritis Today magazines  Just Diagnosed magazines . Arrange for all of the materials to be delivered to the event site. . Have a sign up sheet with clip board and pens that asks if people would like additional information about physical activity or would like someone from the Arthritis Foundation to come talk to their group about physical activity and arthritis. See Attachment 12G. Sign up Sheet.

5  Be sure to turn this information in to the appropriate chapter staff person so they can do the requested follow up.

. Keep track of how many people stopped by the booth, how many questions were asked, how many materials were distributed. See Attachment 12H. Material Distribution  This is an important step for measuring your reach. If you track how many materials you distribute, you can easily determine your success.

Tips from the Field: . Information collected in the community assessment can be quickly updated for use in future years. This information can also be distributed at other venues, such as health fairs. . Because a small breeze can cause a big problem, consider the following: ○ Bring rocks or other paperweights to hold down your handouts ○ Pre-stuff your goodie bags with the handouts described above . To encourage people to stop by the Public Health display booth, consider these locations for your display booth: ○ Next to the registration table ○ Next to the goodie bag station ○ Next to the t-shirt station . If you have the space and resources, consider having an “Arthritis Foundation Mission Tent” where public health, advocacy, and research can be showcased. Activities in the tent can include: o Exercise demonstrations (eg. Tai Chi) o Recruiting advocates to sign letters for congress o Mini-overviews/presentations about OA and some general approaches to prevent and control it, including topics from the list of OA Town Hall/Education Programs for the OA Ad Council Campaign . Because a lot of people don’t know what a pedometer is or how it works, be sure to have the people staffing your display booth explain the pedometer and demonstrate its use. . Encourage people to wear their pedometers during the Arthritis Walk to track how many steps they took to prevent and control arthritis.