A growing body of research suggests that an individual’s physical surroundings, or what scientists call “built environments,” have a large influence on his or her level of activity. [1]
People are more likely to be active if they live near parks and playgrounds, in neighborhoods that have sidewalks or bike paths, or close enough to work, school, or shopping that they can travel by bike or on foot. People are less likely to be active if they live in neighborhoods without recreation facilities or in sprawling suburbs designed for driving.
Moving to another neighborhood is not a viable option for most people. Instead, communities need to create built environments that make it easier for people to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives. [2, 3] Local and state leaders control budgets, zoning, and a variety of regulations that shape our physical surroundings, and there are many strategies communities can use to promote safe environments for activity: [2, 3]
- Improving access to parks, walking and biking paths, community gardens, and other outdoor recreation facilities
- Creating attractive sidewalks and so-called “cycle tracks,” barrier-protected and bicycle-exclusive facilities alongside sidewalks
- Curbing traffic so that people feel safer walking and cycling
- Building schools within easy walking distance of where people live
- Improving public transportation to encourage more people to use it
- Changing zoning rules to allow “mixed-use development”—if communities allowed homes, stores, schools, offices, and other buildings to be built close to each other, people would be more likely to walk or bike from place to place, rather than hop in the car
- Making neighborhoods safer to encourage people to be active outdoors
- Allowing community residents to use schools for recreation, after school hours
Individuals can help by becoming advocates for change, and also by pitching in. Volunteer to clean up a local park, join a neighborhood crime watch, start a petition to add crosswalks along a popular walking route, or to turn parking spaces into cycle tracks along busy streets.
Visit The Obesity Prevention Source to learn more about why the “built environment”—the actual physical structures that make up the places where we live, eat, work, play, and go to school—is a key component in the fight against obesity.
References
- Sallis, J.F. and K. Glanz, Physical activity and food environments: solutions to the obesity epidemic. Milbank Q, 2009. 87(1): p. 123-54.
- Khan, L.K., et al., Recommended community strategies and measurements to prevent obesity in the United States. MMWR Recomm Rep, 2009. 58(RR-7): p. 1-26.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation., Action Strategies Toolkit: A Guide for Local and State Leaders Working to Create Healthy Communities and Prevent Childhood Obesity. Accessed December 2, 2010.
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