title: A community-organizing approach to promoting physical activity in older adults: the southeast senior physical activity network.
abstract: This article describes a community organizing approach to promoting physical activity among underserved older adults in southeast Seattle: the Southeast Senior Physical Activity Network (SESPAN). The organizing strategy involves networking with a variety of community-based organizations, with two broad objectives: (a) program objective-to make connections between two (or more) community-based organizations to create senior physical activity programs where none existed before; and (b) coalition objective-to build a broader network or coalition of groups and organizations to assist in making larger scale environmental and policy changes. Networking among organizations led to the creation of a number of potentially sustainable walking and exercise programs that are reaching previously underserved communities within Southeast Seattle. In addition, a major community event led to the establishment of a health coalition that has the potential to continue to generate new broad-based programs and larger scale environmental changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cheadle
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: LoGerfo
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walwick
authors.forename: Sheryl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009043:Motor Activity; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014861:Washington