BY TONI LAPP
In the year since Americans in Motion debuted at the 2003 AAFP Scientific Assembly, many FPs have watched in admiration as President Michael Fleming, M.D., of Shreveport, La., torqued up his activity level and shed 45 pounds. Fleming has been the spokesman for this AAFP program.
Now it's time for other FPs to take the next step in the AIM fitness initiative. Step two, "The Healthiest Family Medicine Office in America," will debut at the 2004 Assembly Oct. 13 - 17 in Orlando, Fla. This step involves encouraging and facilitating staff within FP offices to participate in successful health initiatives, including increased physical activity, balanced nutrition and improved emotional well-being.
You don't need to attend the Assembly to register, however. Beginning Oct. 14, go to the AIM Web site at http://www.aafp.org/aim.xml to register your office or institution in a six-week fitness program.
Prizes -- from microwaves to fitness equipment -- will be awarded for both groups and individuals meeting personal goals during the program. Winners will be announced May 18, coinciding with National Employee Health and Fitness Day.
Also in Orlando, AIM researchers will present results from the "How Fit Is Our Specialty" study, which collected health and fitness data from FPs at the 2003 Assembly.
In August, HFIOS researchers sent a survey to the original cohort of participants from 2003 who received pedometers and agreed to let their health data be collected. Of those who responded to the survey, 35 percent of the FPs said their patients had noticed or made reference to their improved level of fitness.
Even more gratifying to AIM organizers were some of the comments the survey takers offered. "It's been easier for me to talk about healthy lifestyle choices to my patients, and they seem more receptive because I have gone through it and been successful," said one participant, echoing the goal of AIM.
"Members are excited about ‘How Fit Is Our Specialty,' said AIM Director Sarah McMullen. "They want it repeated."
Thus, each FP attending the Assembly this month can have his or her body mass index plus two new measurements -- grip strength and waist circumference -- collected as part of the next HFIOS study, and will receive a pedometer.
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Copyright © 2004 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.