ALC2025: Active Living Conference Kansas State University Manhattan, KS, United States, March 17-20, 2025

Conference website	https://www.activenviro.org/activelivingconference
Submission link	https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=alc2025
Abstract registration deadline	September 23, 2024
Submission deadline	September 23, 2024

Research and Practice/Policy Presentation proposals related to increasing physical activity for all people are invited for submission. We especially encourage proposals focused on equity for racially and ethnically diverse populations, people with disabilities, and those living in lower-income urban and rural communities who are at the greatest risk for physical inactivity and its related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Proposals related to the conference theme – Bridging the Research to Practice Gap – are also welcomed, but it is not a requirement to address this topic. For more details about the conference theme, please visit the conference website. 

Progress towards creating more equitable, activity-friendly communities requires learning across many disciplines and regions. Therefore, proposals from all fields of research and practice are invited, including those 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 submission categories: 1) Practice/Policy; 2) Research; or 3) Workshop.

Practice/Policy Proposals

Proposals are encouraged that highlight successful programs, policies, and partnerships from those in practice. Proposals focused on practice and policy should describe programs, best practices, interventions, case studies, policy or advocacy impacts, or new resources that are related to the environmental and policy aspects of active living or obesity prevention. This includes how innovative ideas and/or evidence-based research were 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, Learning Objectives (2 – 4 suggested), Conclusions and Implications, References (optional), and Support/Funding Source (if applicable).

Research Proposals

Research Proposals describing statistical results, intervention efficacy and effectiveness, methodological advances, dissemination and implementation research, and other scientific innovations on all topics related to active living are appropriate. Research-focused proposals should describe research related to the policy and environmental aspects of active living or obesity prevention. We encourage proposals on methodological, correlational, intervention, natural experiment, economic, and policy studies. Innovative conceptual papers and reviews, including those focused on translating active living research into practice and policy, will also be considered. If your proposal does not include complete results, please note the timeline for finalizing data analysis for the reviewers.

Research proposals should include the following headings: Background and Purpose, Learning Objectives (2 – 4 suggested), Methods, Results, Conclusions and Implications, References (optional), and Support/Funding Source (if applicable).

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 strongly encouraged. Workshops will be 1.5 hours in duration and may be scheduled throughout the program. Proposed sessions must be interactive and include specific learning objectives. Your proposal should clearly outline the interactive components of your workshop. Note that a panel of presenters with a discussion session does not meet the criteria for an interactive workshop.

Workshop proposals should include the following headings: Workshop Description, Learning Objectives 2 – 4 suggested), Interactive Features, References (optional) and Support/Funding Source (if applicable).

Presentation Types

Proposals submitted to the Practice/Policy and Research categories will be considered for the following four presentation types:

1. Oral Presentation – Authors selected for an oral presentation will present during concurrent sessions. There will be up to three concurrent sessions scheduled in separate rooms with a session chair assigned to each room. Session assignments will be made based on topic, and each presenter will have a total of 15 minutes (12 minutes for presentation and 3 minutes for Q&A). There will be time for a group discussion at the conclusion of the session.
2. Speed Talk – Authors selected for a Speed Talk will deliver a brief presentation during concurrent sessions. There will be up to three concurrent sessions scheduled in separate rooms and a session chair assigned to each room. Session assignments will be made based on the proposal topic and each presenter will have a total of 7 minutes (5 minutes for presentation and 2 minutes for Q&A). There will be time for a group discussion at the conclusion of the session.
3. Poster - Presenters will display selected posters during a session devoted exclusively to poster viewing with no competing programming. The poster session will provide an effective mechanism for dissemination and networking.

You 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 presentations that address similar topics in the same session provided all proposals are accepted. If you would like your proposal to be grouped together with another presentation(s), you will be asked to list the proposal number(s), title(s), and/or author(s) in the online submission system. We cannot guarantee that all requests will be accommodated.

Remote Presentations

We are planning for the 2025 Active Living Conference to be a fully in-person meeting with the understanding that plans may change pending public health and organization guidelines. For each accepted proposal, at least one author is required to register for the conference and deliver the presentation in person. If you are not able to attend the conference in-person, but wish to present your work, there is an option to submit your proposal and indicate that you can only participate remotely in the submission form. We will explore the possibility of including recorded presentations in the program. There will be no live stream available.

Submission Guidelines

You must submit proposals electronically through the online submission system 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. Practice/Policy, Research, or Workshop).
• Proposals must use the provided template and follow the format instructions.
• The maximum proposal length is one single-spaced page. Do not change the font (Calibri, 11 point) or margins (Moderate) of the template.
• There is no limit on the number of proposals you may submit.
• At least one author must register for the conference to present an accepted proposal. Expenses associated with the submission, preparation, and presentation of the proposal are the responsibility of the presenters.
• The proposal deadline is September 16, 2024 at 11:59 pm PT. 

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. The presentation type for Research and Practice/Policy proposals will be determined by review score and reviewer recommendation.

Successfully submitted proposals will be acknowledged with an electronic receipt including a proposal reference number, which should be quoted in all correspondence. Decisions regarding acceptance will be made by the end of October and the submitting author will be notified via email.

Revisions or Questions

If you do not receive acknowledgement for your proposal submission or wish to make any essential revisions to a proposal already submitted, please do not resubmit your proposal, as this may lead to duplication. Please email the Conference Convening Coordinator with details of any revisions or queries. Please quote your reference number if you have one.

Conference Journal Special Issue

We are pleased to announce the Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living (JHEAL) as a partner journal for the 2025 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 23, 2025.

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. All articles will be indexed in both PubMed Central and CINAHL.

Program Co-Chairs

• Gina Besenyi, PhD, Associate Professor and Director, Physical Activity Research in Community Settings (PARCS) Lab, Kansas State University
• Peter Stoepker, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of the Active Schools Lab, Kansas State University
• Jessica Stroope, PhD, MPH, Research Associate & Physical Activity Specialist, LSU AgCenter

Venue

The 2025 Active Living Conference will be taking place March 17-20 on the Kansas State University Campus in Manhattan, Kansas.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to Amanda Walker at amandaw@activenviro.org.