An overview of the "Positive Action for Today's Health" (PATH) trial for increasing walking in low income, ethnic minority communities.
BACKGROUND
Ethnic minorities and lower-income adults have among the highest rates of obesity and lowest levels of regular physical activity (PA). The Positive Action for Today's Health (PATH) trial compares three communities that are randomly assigned to different levels of an environmental intervention to improve safety and access for walking in low income communities.


METHODS
Three communities matched on census tract information (crime, PA, ethnic minorities, and income) were randomized to receive either: an intervention that combines a police-patrolled-walking program with social marketing strategies to promote PA, a police-patrolled-walking only intervention, or no-walking intervention (general health education only). Measures include PA (7-day accelerometer estimates), body composition, blood pressure, psychosocial measures, and perceptions of safety and access for PA at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.


METHODS
The police-patrolled walking plus social marketing intervention targets increasing safety (training community leaders as walking captains, hiring off-duty police officers to patrol the walking trail, and containing stray dogs), increasing access for PA (marking a walking route), and utilizes a social marketing campaign that targets psychosocial and environmental mediators for increasing PA. MAIN HYPOTHESES/OUTCOMES: It is hypothesized that the police-patrolled walking plus social marketing intervention will result in greater increases in moderate-to-vigorous PA as compared to the police-patrolled-walking only or the general health intervention after 12 months and that this effect will be maintained at 18 and 24 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Implications of this community-based trial are discussed.
Wilson
Dawn K
DK
Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States. wilsondk@mailbox.sc.edu
Trumpeter
Nevelyn N
NN
St George
Sara M
SM
Coulon
Sandra M
SM
Griffin
Sarah
S
Lee Van Horn
M
M
Lawman
Hannah G
HG
Wandersman
Abe
A
Egan
Brent
B
Forthofer
Melinda
M
Goodlett
Benjamin D
BD
Kitzman-Ulrich
Heather
H
Gadson
Barney
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003415:Crime; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D054525:Minority Health; D016495:Police; D012107:Research Design; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D040241:Social Marketing; D016138:Walking; D055815:Young Adult
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