ALC2021: Active Living Conference Virtual April 6-9, 2021 |
Conference website | https://www.gpred.org/active-living-conference-2/ |
Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=alc2021 |
Abstract registration deadline | February 12, 2021 |
Submission deadline | February 12, 2021 |
The 2021 Active Living Conference will take place April 6 – 9 and will be a virtual learning and engagement event that will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to advance knowledge and action on how to evaluate, create and sustain active living environments. The conference theme, Now More than Ever – Active Living for All, implores us to embrace active living as a focal mechanism for overcoming the adversities in our lives. The past year has highlighted new and more complicated challenges related to public health policies, compounding health inequities, racial and political division, structural racism, and pandemic fatigue among others. Active living and active design can play important roles in treating and preventing these stressors, yet active living generally has been absent from public dialogue, and evidence-based active design principles have been ignored. The theme for this year’s conference challenges us to discuss and ensure that the positive effects that an active lifestyle and active design can provide are for everyone. Topics that address this theme could include: how to provide active living opportunities for all people, with a specific emphasis on the disenfranchised and underserved, creating innovative mechanisms to promote active living during a pandemic, understanding how active living can facilitate community cohesion, creating active living interventions to address long-term effects of COVID-19, or providing evidence to build more disease-resilient communities.
Research and practice/policy session proposals related to active living environments and policies that inform strategies for increasing physical activity for all people are invited for submission. In addition to research, we encourage proposals highlighting successful programs, policies, and partnerships from those in practice, especially related to equity for racially and ethnically diverse populations, people with disabilities, and those living in lower-income urban and rural communities who are at greatest risk for physical inactivity and its related diseases. Proposals related to the conference theme are also welcomed, but it is not a requirement to address this topic.
Proposals describing research results, program evaluations, methodological advances, translation of research to practice and policy, promising practices and policy innovations on all topics related to active living are appropriate. Progress towards creating more equitable activity-friendly communities requires learning across many disciplines and regions, so proposals from all fields of research and practice are invited, as are proposals with an international focus. Proposals focused solely on behavior change at the individual level and studies related to obesity treatments will not be accepted.
Submission Categories
Proposals can be submitted under the following three categories: 1) Workshop; 2) Research; or 3) Practice/Policy.
Workshop Proposals
Workshops for researchers (e.g., methods, statistics) and practitioners (e.g., use of measures or tools, dissemination, case studies of community change, translation or scalability of findings to inform policy and practice) are encouraged. Proposed sessions will be virtual, but should still interactive and include clear learning objectives. Virtual breakout rooms will be available to allow presenters to engage the audience in small groups if desired. Your proposal should explicitly describe the interactive features of your workshop. A panel of presenters with time for discussion does not qualify as an interactive workshop.
Workshops can be proposed for up to 90 minutes. In some cases, the review committee may suggest a shorter format and/or provide other input for consideration. Workshop proposals should include the following headings: Workshop Description, Learning Objectives (2-4 suggested), Interactive Features, and References (if applicable).
Research Proposals
Research-focused proposals should describe research that is related to policy and environmental aspects of active living or obesity prevention. Methodological, correlational, intervention, natural experiment, economic, and policy studies are encouraged. Proposals presenting innovative conceptual papers and reviews will also be considered, including those with a focus on translating active living research into practice and policy. If you do not have complete results to report in your proposal, please include a note to reviewers about the timeline for finalizing data analysis.
Research proposals should include the following headings: Background and Purpose, Learning Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Implications for Practice and Policy (‘So what?’), References (if applicable), and Support/Funding Source (if applicable).
Practice/Policy Proposals
Practice/Policy focused proposals should describe programs, best practices, interventions, case studies, policy or advocacy impacts, or new resources that are related to environmental and policy aspects of active living or obesity prevention (e.g., how innovative ideas and/or evidence-based research was translated into successful adoption or implementation of practice or policy). Efforts that resulted from multi-sector participation, applied previous research, or included evaluation are particularly encouraged.
Practice/policy focused proposals should include the following headings: Background and Purpose, Description (including how innovation or research was used to guide the program or policy, if applicable), Learning Objectives, Conclusions and Implications (including lessons learned), Next Steps (including how the program or policy could be informed by research and evaluation, if applicable), References (if applicable), and Support/Funding Source (if applicable).
Presentation Types
Proposals submitted to the Research and Practice/Policy categories will be considered for the following three presentation types:
- Oral Presentation – Authors selected for an oral presentation will present during concurrent sessions. There will be a total of three concurrent sessions scheduled in separate virtual rooms with four speakers and a session chair assigned to each room. Session assignments will be made based on proposal topic, and each presenter will have a total of 15 minutes (12 minutes for presentation and 3 minutes for Q&A). There will be a 15-minute group discussion at the conclusion of the session.
**NEW** Lightning Talks
To help us share as much good work as possible, some session proposals will be selected for a 5-minute Lightning Talk. Training sessions will be available to help you optimize your presentation for this brief presentation format.
- Live Lightning Talk – Authors selected for a live Lightning Talk will deliver a brief presentation during concurrent sessions. There will be a total of three concurrent sessions scheduled in separate virtual rooms with four speakers and a session chair assigned to each room. Session assignments will be made based on proposal topic and each presenter will have a total of 5 minutes for presentation. There will be a 20-minute group discussion at the conclusion of the session.
- On-demand Lightning Talk – Authors selected for an on-demand Lightning Talk will pre-record a 5-minute presentation that will be available for delegates to view before, during, and after the conference. Presenters will have the opportunity to respond to written questions and/or schedule meet-ups with participants.
Authors will be asked to select a preferred presentation type in the online submission system. A selection committee will decide what presentation type each proposal will be invited for based on reviewer scores/recommendations.
Thematic Panels
We will consider grouping together up to four related presentations in the same session if all proposals are accepted for presentation. If you would like your proposal to be grouped together with another presentation(s), you will be asked to identify a coordinating author and list the proposal number(s) and/or proposal title(s). We cannot guarantee that all requests will be accommodated.
Submission Guidelines
Authors must submit proposals electronically through the online submission system by February 8, 2021 and are required to adhere to the following guidelines:
- All applicants will use the same link to access the online submission system and will be prompted to select the appropriate submission category (e.g. Workshop, Research, or Practice/Policy).
- Proposals must use the appropriate template in the online system and follow the required format.
- The maximum proposal length is one single-spaced page. Do not change the font (Calibri, 12 point) or margins (1 inch) of the template.
- There is no limit on the number of proposals an author may submit.
- At least one author must register for the conference to present an accepted proposal.
- The proposal deadline is February 12, 2021.
Review Process
Proposals will undergo blind review by a panel from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. Selection for presentation is based on the quality of the research or project, clarity of the proposal, relevance to the field of active living, and adherence to the guidelines. Presentation type for Research and Practice/Policy proposals will be determined by review score and reviewer recommendation.
Decisions regarding acceptance will be made by early March and the submitting author will be notified via email. Expenses associated with the submission, preparation, and presentation of the proposal are the responsibility of the presenters.
Conference Journal Special Issue
We are pleased to announce the Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living (JHEAL) as a partner journal for the 2021 Active Living Conference. As part of this partnership, we will work with the journal to produce a special issue devoted to research, practice, and policy on active living presented at the conference. Approximately 6 of the top scoring proposals selected for presentation at the conference will be invited to submit papers for inclusion in the special issue at no cost and an additional 6 - 9 papers will be invited to submit a paper at a reduced processing fee rate. Papers will be invited for a full manuscript or a brief report, depending on the complexity of the topic. Authors of both research and practice/policy focused abstracts will be asked whether they wish to be considered for the journal special issue. Abstracts that are related to the conference theme, as well as those that are not, are eligible for consideration in the journal. Authors who are invited to submit a paper will be asked to commit to develop and submit a manuscript no later than May 10, 2021.
About the Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living
JHEAL is an international, online, open-access, quarterly, peer-reviewed journal focused on publishing high-quality studies in the areas of active living and healthy eating. Of particular interest are studies of the interactional nature between active living and/or healthy eating and the “environment”, broadly defined to include social, cultural, economic, political, natural, virtual and built dimensions. Papers that report on multi-level studies and interventions are also welcome. We publish full length reports, brief communications, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, translational and practice-based research, policy and systems change evaluations, natural experiment studies, case studies, notes from the field, commentaries, and systematic reviews. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies are all encouraged. Because we value the application of research, we invite submissions from researchers as well as practice- and policy-oriented submissions from practitioners, policy makers, and advocates. Research and practice/policy papers will have separately-labeled sections, and reviewers with appropriate expertise will be selected. We are also open to publishing digital media files including maps, visualizations and other modern media.
Committees
Executive Program Committee
Co-Chairs
- Gina Besenyi, MPH, PhD, Kansas State University
- Nicholas Boér, PhD, University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Honorary Co-Chair
- Greg Heath, DHSc, University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Past Co-Chairs
- John Spengler, JD, PhD, Texas A&M University
- Deborah Salvo, PhD, Washington University St. Louis
Chair Emeritus
- Jim Sallis, PhD, Active Living Research
Community and Health Equity
- Scarlett Lin Gomez, MPH, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
- Jennifer Roberts, DrPh, MPH, University of Maryland
Parks and Recreation
- Courtney Schultz, PhD, Health & Technology Partners, Inc
- Janet Bartnik, CPRP, Mountain Recreation Metropolitan District
Practice and Policy
- Kevin Roth, PhD, National Recreation and Park Association
- Laurie Whitsel, PhD, FAHA, American Heart Association
Public Health
- Julian Reed, MPH, EdD, Furman University
- Selina Stasi, DrPh, MPH, Texas A&M University
- Gene Fitzhugh, PhD, The University of Tennessee Knoxville
Schools and After School
- Jayne Greenberg, PhD, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Peter Stoepker, PhD, University of West Georgia
Transportation, Planning, and Land Use
- Karin Valentine Goins, MPH, UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center
- Michael Lopez, MUP, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Business, Industry, and Innovation
- Chuck Flink, FASLA, Greenways, Inc
- Lisa Moore, MA, PlayCore
Early Career Professionals
- Deb Kellstedt, DrPh, MPH, University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Jillian Papa, MPH, Action for Healthy Kids
Student Leaders
- Tyler Prochnow, PhD Candidate, Baylor University
- Natalicio Serrano, PhD Candidate, Washington University in St. Louis
GP RED Conference Organizing and Support Team
- Amanda Walker, MSRS, Research and Education Manager
- Teresa Penbrooke, PhD, CPRE, Co-Founder and Director, Healthy Communities Research Group
- Donna Kleuth, CPRP, Executive Director
- Becky Dunlap, CPRP, Social Media, Virtual Meeting Coordinator
- Todd Humphrey, Virtual Meeting Assistant
- Alaina Brandenburger, MA, Marketing Manager
- John Rainey, Designer, Web Wrangler
Venue
The 2021 Active Living Conference will take place April 6 – 9 and will be a virtual learning and engagement event that will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to advance knowledge and action on how to evaluate, create and sustain active living environments.
Contact
All questions about submissions should be emailed to Amanda Walker at amandaw@gpred.org.