Intersections -- Transportation
and your health 

Part 4 -- Keep moving to stay healthy

OK couch potatoes, hit those Complete Streets! 

Over the last few weeks we've described how the pollution and traffic accidents caused by our car-centric transportation system impact our health and our environment.

But our over-reliance on the automobile also prevents people from getting something they desperately need -- physical activity.  

A major contributor to our health crisis
Declining levels of physical activity in this country are contributing to the steady rise in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic conditions, according to many medical authorities. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 12.5 million children and teens (17% of that population) and nearly 73 million (34%) of adults are obese.

Obesity in children can lead to psychosocial problems and to cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and abnormal glucose tolerance or diabetes. 

Obese adults are at increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. Government reports point out that "increasing energy output through increased physical activity plays an important role in preventing and reducing obesity-related illnesses and conditions such as hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and elevated blood pressure, even if weight is not reduced."   

Small changes in how active you are can make a big difference in controlling weight, improving mood, maintaining strength and mobility, and reducing the risk or impact of chronic conditions, according to the CDC.

Getting out of the car can make a difference
A study of Atlanta commuters found that people traveling by public transit were more likely to meet their daily target of 30 minutes of walking a day.

A study from the University of Illinois found lower rates of obesity in areas of the U.S. where there was less automobile use.

Another study published in the Oct. 19, 2010 edition of Neurobiology looked at the relationship between physical activity and brain gray matter volume in late adulthood. The study examined adults (mean age 78 years) who walked from 0 to 300 blocks a day. It found that people who walked 72 blocks or more had increased gray matter with a 2-fold reduced risk of cognitive impairment.

A new study from the University of Illinois that was published in May 2011 in the online journal Transport Policy pointed to lower rates of obesity in areas of the U.S. with less automobile use. 

"You can think of obesity as an energy imbalance," said lead study author Sheldon Jacobson, a professor of computer science and the director of the simulation and optimization laboratory at the University of Illinois. "People consume food, which is a form of energy, and then they expend it in their activities. But if you look over the last 60-plus years, the automobile has become our primary mode of transportation -- so much so, in fact, we have literally designed our way of life around it. It is that energy imbalance that ultimately may lead to obesity." He noted that obesity rates in China and India are on the rise as use of cars increases versus walking or cycling.

Many Americans view walking or bicycling in their communities as unsafe due to traffic, and the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bicycle facilities. Such fears also influence whether parents even allow, much less encourage, their children to walk or bike to school or recreation. Studies of bicycle use in U.S. urban areas show that cycling goes up when routes are not only safe but meet the everyday errand needs of households.
 

Recommendations from the CDC for preventing obesity in children specifically call for making it safer to walk or bike to schools, and set a priority of providing a safe environment for physical activity and establishing habits (e.g., regular physical activity) that will lead to activity into and throughout adulthood.

Encouraging activity in Rhode Island 

Recognizing the benefits, Rhode Island has many programs that encourage physical activity. They include:

* The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in partnership with the Dept of Health Initiative for Healthy Weight has been encouraging outdoor recreation through the Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit.
 
* Rhode Island State Parks also has a new state park app for smart phones to help people find parks and stay up to date on park activities.  
 
* Rhode Island has miles of hiking trails, greenways, bike paths and water available for recreation and transportation. You can use the links to the left of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (EDC) What to Do web page to find out about biking, paddling, hiking, nature trails and more.
 
* ExploreRI.org is the best portal to information on paddling.  

These programs help, but until communities start to implement strategies that provide people with more safe, reliable options for getting from here to there we'll continue to see the enormous health care costs caused in part by our inactivity. 

The cost to our health care system  

Overall government estimates that reduced opportunities for physical activity leads to between $130-$170 billion per year in health care costs and lost productivity. 

With national health care expenditures surpassing $2 trillion annually in 2006 (about 16% GDP), and projected to constitute 17% of GDP by 2011, transportation and land use strategies that improve, not harm health, can be an important part of the solution to the health care crisis.

Policies that benefit and improve health will help to alleviate the increasingly high demands on an already overextended health care system.   

Our transportation choices help shape our health. Join CTC in working for sustainable, safe, and healthful communities.