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Driving
Ourselves Fat
Americans are a nation of drivers: we take only
1 percent of trips by bicycle and 9 percent on foot. Compare
this figure with the Netherlands, where 30 percent of residents
bike and 18 percent walk; or England, where 8 percent bike
and 12 percent walk; or Italy, where a whopping 54 percent
travel by foot or bike. In the United States, 75 percent of
trips shorter than one mile are taken by car. In addition
to Americans' love affair with their cars, the invention of
the drive-through restaurant and the exodus to the suburbs
have changed the landscape of our communities and the shape
of our bodies.
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Distinct
land use in the suburbs encourages the use of cars and
discourages physical activity.
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One
in two Americans lives in the suburbs. Suburban developments
are usually spread out, and many lack sidewalks. Residential,
retail and recreational areas are often located at considerable
distances from one another, making travel difficult without
a car. All of these factors combine to encourage a more sedentary
lifestyle.
Low
levels of physical activity can translate to higher risks
for cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, high cholesterol,
diabetes and obesity. A Harvard School of Public Health study
conducted from 1962 to 1993 on physical activity and cardiovascular
disease risk in middle-aged and older women showed that walking
10 blocks per day decreases the chance of developing cardiovascular
disease by 33 percent. Small changes in our activity level
have profound effects on our health.
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Walking
10 blocks per day decreases the chance of developing cardiovascular
disease by 33 percent.
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National
initiatives like Active Living by Design (ALBD) and local
programs like Shape Up Somerville in Massachusetts are working
to implement environmental changes that will help combat the
obesity problem. Christina Economos, a professor at the Gerald
J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and
Policy at Tufts University, is coordinating a program that
combines the resources of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, local activists, officials, community members,
parents and students.
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Safer
crosswalks for pedestrians may encourage people to be
more physically active. |
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Research
conducted in 2001 found that more than 40 percent of Somerville's
4th-graders are overweight or at risk of being overweight--twice
the national average. By creating "walking school buses,"
implementing school meal changes, offering a new health curriculum
and after-school cooking classes, providing equipment for
recess, informing parents through newsletters, and sponsoring
events that promote physical activity and nutrition, the program
aims to encourage new, healthier habits for children.
Historically,
weight loss has been an individual battle motivated by an
aesthetic ideal. More recently we understand that there are
many facets to the problem — some at a biological level
and some at a cultural level. A shift of focus away from individual
willpower to a coordinated effort within communities to support
a healthier lifestyle may result in more success.
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Photos: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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