The webinar “Activity Advocates: NCPPA” was hosted by the National Physical Activity Society in partnership with the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA) and is a bit different than many of their other webinars. While usually focusing on small policy changes to promote physical activity in our communities and worksites, this particular webinar was focused on federal policies that will impact physical activity at the national level.
The NCPPA is a group consisting of different associations, healthcare organizations, and private corporations that advocates for policies promoting physical activity. Currently, NCPPA is focusing on federal policies that are statutory and regulatory. To support such policies, members of NCPPA act as advocates in Washington. Representatives meet with members of Congress and other regulatory and federal partners, attend or lead legislative briefings about physical activity policy, and participate in lobbying efforts. The goal of the coalition is to keep members and partners informed of the work being done on physical activity policy at the federal level and advocate for key legislation regarding physical activity. In this way the coalition acts as a convener to help coordinate efforts across multiple groups.
The webinar focused on several key issues the NCPPA is currently engaged in. The first effort is related to physical education in schools. Recently, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed, which replaced the former No Child Left Behind Act. Under ESSA, physical education is designated as part of a well-rounded curriculum. This is vastly different than previous legislation which focused on devoting more time to “core subjects” such as math and science, often at the expense of PE. This policy will also make PE available for funding through the Title I mechanism which is aimed at providing resources for schools with economically disadvantaged students. NCPPA’s second initiative is related to the CDC’s newest framework, Active People, Healthy Nation. This framework aims to unify the different aspects of work being done at CDC to promote physical activity (surveillance of physical activity levels, media campaigns to promote the benefits of activity, etc). As part of this initiative, NCPPA will be the leading body advocating for funding to reach the goal of saving lives and protecting health by helping 25 million Americans become more physically active.
The final major initiative being led by NCPPA is the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act. This policy would expand the IRS tax-related definition of “medical expenses” to include “qualified sports and fitness expenses.” This would mean that individuals could use pre-tax funds, such as those in a health savings account, to pay for gym memberships, youth sport fees, and other costs related to participating in physical activity. Personally, I was extremely excited to hear this and think it will be a great tool in promoting physical activity.
In summary, the NCPPA plays a vital role in advocating for federal policies that promote physical activity in all sectors of society. Their achievements to date indicate that the future for physical activity on Capitol Hill is bright!
It is very exciting to hear about policy change that will impact physical activity at the national level! Cost is a huge barrier for many, so to hear about funding for opportunities, such as sports and other fitness expenses, to be included in the medical definition of “medical expenses” is great. I hope to hear more about this in the future.
I am so excited to hear about these promising policy updates at a national level! This was a very enlightening blog post. I hope that Every Student Succeeds Act will be an effective way of promoting physical activity in schools. I’m sure that these plans are in the works, but I hope that research is being planned to monitor physical activity outcomes and academic performance once this act is in place. More evidence to show that increasing physical education is not detrimental to test scores would be a positive step towards the sustainability of these initiatives. I also like the PHIT Act. I agree with Ginny that this would remove one of the common burdens to physical activity – cost.
One question that I thought of as I was reading this post was about funding. How is the NCPPA funded? It is my understanding that it takes a lot of resources to advocate for policies, particularly at the national level. Are the organizations that are part of NCPPA the sole supporters? I hope they are able to continue their efforts to promote physical activity policies!
Hi Emily. Thanks for your comment. I was really excited about these updates as well! The Every Student Succeeds Act was really surprising to me and you are absolutely correct that we need to capitalize on this as an opportunity to gather evidence on the importance of physical activity not just for health, but also for academic performance.
In terms of funding, the NCPPA was created and is currently supported by the following organizations: the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Heart Association, and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. It is now incorporated as a 501(c)4 organization and has an associated foundation. This makes it possible for NCPPA to accept charitable donations and grant funding to cover its operating costs. So in addition to those original founders, NCPPA now has a list of more than 20 member organizations that likely all play a part in sharing the cost of the advocacy activities.