New York Moves
Inspiring Movement, Building Healthier Communities
Watch the September 2025 New York State Physical Activity Coalition Meeting. See the recap summary below:
-
The Coalition welcomed Mike Stack, President of the Physical Activity Alliance and founder of the Michigan Moves Coalition, as guest speaker. Mike highlighted the importance of moving beyond written plans to implemented action at the state level.
-
Key Points:
-
National Goal: By 2050, 50% of Americans meeting activity guidelines, with all states having implemented plans by 2035.
-
The PAA’s Role: Leading national policy change and uniting organizations to speak with one voice.
-
State Plans in Action: Adapt national strategies to local needs, empower community organizations, and build cross-sector collaboration.
-
Best Practices: Build partnerships, develop a strategic plan, create a sustainable business model, and be patient—progress takes time.
-
Mike’s message was clear: “All health is local.” Real impact comes when strategies turn into action in the communities where people live, work, and play.
New York State Physical Activity Coalition Meeting
What is the New York Physical Activity Plan?
The NY-PAP is a state-level version of the National Physical Activity Plan. While the national plan is a robust document that focuses on broad national strategies and tactics, the NY-PAP refines those strategies and tactics to the unique needs in the State of New York. Importantly, the NY-PAP will focus on implementing programs within the ten societal sectors of the plan, measuring the impact and outcomes of those programs on population health.
Why is the New York Physical Activity Plan So Important?
Only 39.4% of New York State adults met the national Physical Activity Guidelines in 2019 (150 min/week of aerobic plus ≥2 days/week of muscle strengthening).
Nationwide, physical inactivity costs the U.S. an estimated $117 billion annually in health care expenses. To address this, the New York Moves Coalition is partnering with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive roadmap aimed at increasing physical activity levels across the state.
Current efforts in New York are fragmented and siloed, limiting their overall effectiveness. Although various organizations support physical activity, the lack of coordination prevents meaningful progress. The proposed NY Physical Activity Plan (NY‑PAP) will serve as a unified guiding framework to amplify impact, foster collective action, and drive sustainable policy and systems change.
When and How is this Happening?
The New York Moves Coalition is working with its partner organizations and the State’s esteemed academic institutions to develop the plan using frameworks provided by the Physical Activity Alliance.
High-Level Timeline:
-
2025–2026: Build organizational capacity and expand coalition partnerships
-
2027: Secure funding, formalize organizational structure, and author the NY-PAP
-
2027–2028: Launch targeted sector-specific programs (e.g., healthcare, education, worksites)
-
2028: Conduct surveillance and data collection to assess early program implementation
-
2029 and beyond: Scale implementation across all sectors, with ongoing surveillance, data evaluation, and iterative improvement
Working Priorities of the New York State Physical Activity Coalition
The following are provisional priorities guiding the early stages of the New York Moves initiative. These reflect widely accepted principles shared across current national and state-level physical activity coalitions and will serve as a foundation for future development. Once the Coalition’s Board of Directors and sector committees are established in 2026, this list will be updated to reflect New York-specific priorities based on leadership consensus, community input, and evolving public health needs.
1. Building Implementable Strategies
We aim to support all sectors—healthcare, education, community organizations, business, and more—with simple, actionable tools that help turn recommendations into programs. Implementation guides, training resources, and sector-specific support will be central to our work.
2. Shared Evaluation and Accountability
Tracking impact matters. We support transparent program evaluation, use of surveillance tools, and accessible reporting systems to improve effectiveness and promote trust across sectors and communities.
3. Strengthening Partnerships
We believe in collective effort. The coalition will work to unite leaders from healthcare, education, transportation, business, and beyond—aligning physical activity with broader social and public health goals.
4. Laying the Groundwork for Policy
Though policy development will be shaped by future leadership, we support the long-term goal of advocating for equitable access to safe, inclusive environments that promote physical activity across New York’s diverse communities.
5. Promoting Equity and Access
Every New Yorker should have the opportunity to move. Our work will emphasize reducing barriers to physical activity in underserved populations through community-informed program design, infrastructure support, and inclusive engagement.
6. Planning for Sustainability
The Coalition is committed to long-term impact. We’ll seek stable funding, promote scalable models, and encourage community ownership to ensure sector physical activity initiatives remain effective and resilient over time.
