Sunday Sounds: Another long playlist to give you ideas.

How does Nordic walking affect your walking?

I found this study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science that "analyzed the effects of Nordic walking and walking on spatiotemporal parameters and ground reaction force, so that it would be possible to suggest an efficient means of walking for people who walk for health." The researchers used a motion analysis system to compare a group of Nordic walkers with a group of regular walkers. The elements of walking studied were:
Gait

• Steps per minute
• Step time and length (step = starts when one foot is on the ground and ends when the other foot lands on the ground)
• Stride time and length (stride = when the foot leaves the ground and ends when the same foot lands on the ground)
• Ground reaction force (how much force you apply to the ground when you walk)

The Nordic walkers had higher steps per minute and longer step and stride length. They also had shorter step and stride times. That means Nordic walkers tended to walk faster and take longer steps.

The Nordic walkers also experienced greater force in stepping off and landing because of the stronger push-off but also experienced better load distribution because of using the poles.

Is there a role for Nordic walking in public health programs?

US News and World Report ran an article about something called value-based health care that is based on population health.

Main thing:

• "As rising health costs strain communities and institutions, improving population health has become a focal point for health professionals who say simply treating patients in the doctor's office doesn't cut it anymore."
• "A population health approach examines how medical care, genetics, individual behavior, public health interventions and social indicators such as education and employment all play a role in determining the health of a population. For population health directors, the patient is an entire community – not just those who make it to the doctor's office or emergency room."

Key points:

• "The trifecta of population health – dubbed the "triple aim" by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement – is to improve quality of care and health outcomes for groups while lowering per-capita costs." 
• "Such strategies are vital to improving health in communities with higher rates of chronic diseases and poverty and lower levels of health insurance coverage, particularly in areas where access to care is a challenge."
• "...shifting the entire health industry to a population health-centric model is a long process."

If you've read previous blog posts, you should understand by now that Nordic walking is an effective exercise-based approach to managing your health. There is much evidence-based research to make that point. How might it be part of a solution for managing population health?

Nordic walking as a health intervention makes sense because population health involves more than medical facilities and professionals and includes a wider range of factors. For example, a team approach involving health care providers and other community groups opens the door to a more proactive mindset and acceptance of a non-traditional health care workforce.

The focus on populations also means health care needs to scale (existing resources able to serve a larger population). If you check around, you'll see that community leaders concerned about health will be open to solutions that help them scale. One way to do that is to introduce activities like Nordic walking so people can have a form of exercise that's straightforward and quickly learned. The personal and social benefits of Nordic walking have shown up in a number of research journals, making Nordic walking a sensible solution to proactive community health management.