James Sallis, 2012 prize winner

Q&A with James Sallis

Location, location, location
Where we live has an impact on our level of physical activity.

Professor James Sallis, a distinguished professor in Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, is a leading expert in the field of policy and environmental influences on physical activity, nutrition and obesity. His groundbreaking work and commitment to promoting active health through practical interventions and advocacy earned him the 2012 Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health. In advance of his visit to McGill to receive his award, we spoke with Prof. Sallis about his research and its impact.

(McGill) How did your background as a trained psychologist lead you to your current research?

(James Sallis) During the early years of my research, I was interested in understanding the role peoples’ motivations and other psychological factors play in an individual’s ability to adopt and maintain a physical activity regimen. These studies led me to conclude that a complex set of psychological and environmental factors are at play and that if we are to be successful in changing behaviour over the long term, we must modify how we plan and build our neighbourhoods. In recent years, I have focused my energies on studying how the design of our communities, transportation systems and parks can help people re-integrate fitness into their daily lives and have worked to gain buy-in for change from government agencies and industries. My goal is not to use my research to point the finger, but to point the direction to solutions.

(M) Why has our environment only recently been recognized as a contributing factor to physical inactivity?

(JS) As members of the human species, we are living the dream of our ancestors: to eliminate back-breaking work. The inventions we have made and the industries we have created have all been aimed at making our lives easier. Consider all the labour saving devices we have in our homes and the high-tech toys that provide us with entertainment. And the neighbourhoods we have built have been designed around the automobile, rather than around walking and other forms of physical activity. We have now reached a point where what we have created is literally killing us! Chronic disease related to physical activity is now a global pandemic that is responsible for about 5 million deaths every year. Since we are not going to reverse this trend by eliminating computers and washing machines, or by making other changes at our homes and workplaces, we must re-think our transportation and recreation infrastructures and make them more conducive to physical ativity.

(M) Are there communities that are successfully working to move in this direction?

(JS) Yes there are. Northern European countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Finland have been pioneers in developing alternatives to an automobile-centric urban infrastructure. In fact, there are now so many bicyclists that some cities are having problems with bike path congestion. Here in North America, New York City has made impressive headway. Its mayor convenes an annual summit, where various departments (Health, Parks etc.) outline initiatives that have included the creation of more parks and the introduction of protected bike paths. Even in car-dominated Los Angeles, neighbouring Long Beach has been named the most bicycle-friendly city in America.

(M) What can the average person do to help make their community more conducive to physical activity?

(JS) There are many things you can do. If your neighbourhood doesn’t have sidewalks or lacks park facilities, I encourage you to lobby your local government. And if you are a parent, you can find out what types of physical activities your children are involved in at school. If the school hasn’t already done so, suggest that it implement the SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids) program, which conducts a popular series of workshops for teachers and physical activity experts. There is no one solution to the problem of inactivity, but when many people make themselves heard, change does come.

(M) What does it mean to have been named the winner of the Bloomberg Manulife Prize?

(JS) For someone involved in research related to physical activity, I consider this award to be the equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

Top five (scientifically proven) reasons to get active

We're committed to keeping you up-to-date on the latest research in the field of active health, weight-loss strategies, nutrition and well-being - but let's take a minute this week to get back to basics. There are many, many reasons it's important to get active, but these five should be enough to convince you it's time to get moving:

1. Weight Control: This one is obvious. Even moderate exercise burns calories, calories which, unused, will turn into fat. There's no way around it, our body stores fat until it is needed as extra energy. When we get active, these fat stores are burned by the body. To maintain a healthy weight, American government guidelines advise 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week

2. Brain Power: It is now a generally accepted fact that exercise can improve cognitive function, including memory, attention, and thinking. Even gentle activities such as Tai Chi, which can be performed at any age, have been found to keep the mind sharp and protect against decline in brain function as we age. One study at the the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at the University of Pittsburgh found that older adults using relatively high amounts of energy in their daily activities have a significantly lower risk of becoming cognitively impaired compared to those who spend less energy. Similar studies in Toronto and Paris confirmed these findings.

3. Avoiding Ill-Health: Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce instances of many chronic diseases. Obesity is only the tip of the iceberg; physical activity has now been shown to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and high blood pressure. Regular exercise has also been shown to ease the pain of arthritis and aid those suffering from high stress levels and associated ill-health. A study published this month by leading medical journal The Lancet concluded that 15 minutes of physical activity per day reduces risk of death by 14% - that's almost one in six deaths postponed thanks to the minimum requirement for physical activity.

4. Emotional Well-being: Exercise is a key contributor when it comes to mental heath, offering not only the benefits of higher self esteem and body-image, but reducing risk of depression and anxiety. The feelings of achievement and success often felt after exercising are extremely positive, bolstered by the release of endorphins - the 'feel good hormones'. Regular exercise has also been found to improve sleep quality, which has a direct impact on mental and emotional clarity.

5. Speedy Recovery: Regular exercise and healthy living makes it much easier for your body to repair itself in the event of  injury or surgery. Physical activity increases muscle tissue and white blood cells, which help the body to reduce inflammation.