There are numerous mental and physical benefits to walking; however, many Americans live in nonwalkable communities and face barriers to this most basic form of physical activity. Although walking is an individual behavior, walking can be made easier by improvements to community walkability and by programs and policies that provide opportunities and encouragement for walking. In fact, this is exactly what the Surgeon General is calling for in the Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. Multiple sectors of society can contribute to a culture of walkability, including transportation, land use, and community design; parks, recreation, and fitness; education; business and industry; volunteer and nonprofit organizations; health care; media; and public ...
Walking the 606, students in the summer school program in the Belmont Cragin Community, learn how the city made more active spaces out of a retired elevated train line. Fo many of the students in the community this was the first time they had ever been on the 606 park trail, according to a recent article. Students in the month long trial summer program within the Prieto Math and Science Academy, walked every other day along parts of the trail, interviewing locals on the trail about various topics. The program was allowing students to study any topic related to the trail, some students chose to interview local police officers of the trail and make a video about the do's and don'ts of the trail. Staying to the right of those who are running or biking is a good rule, according to ...
According to a recent research review, the Safe Routes to School program has been successful in increasing the proportion of students that walk and bike to school. The Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program provides education, encouragement and road improvements to create safe conditions to increase rates of walking and biking. This is particularly important for low income and Latino populations who tend to experience greater rates of obesity and pedestrian injury and tend to live in areas with poor walking conditions. Participating schools were more likely to be in high-density areas and to serve a higher proportion of Latino students. These areas found fewer rates of child pedestrian injuries and increased rates of walking and biking compared to areas that did not participate ...
How do you get an entire city of people to get up and moving? Build them new trails and places to walk! That’s what happened when Angela Mora and other El Paso city officials teamed with community groups to gather a small budget and launch Move! El Paso Fitness Trails. The initiative created 13 new walking trails for the community, expanding the opportunities for people to walk, get moving, and reduce obesity!
The Struggle to Stay Active in El Paso Angela Mora, deputy director of the El Paso Public Health Department, was well aware of the city’s growing obesity problem. A lack of physical activity opportunities was a big reason for these obesity rates. A few years ago, about 29% of adults in El Paso County were physically inactive, compared to state and national averages ...
Public Health officials in Grand Rapids, MI, (15% Latino) are working to connect two parks by way of a new walking path, thanks to support from a $13,900 active living grant it recently received from the Michigan Department of Community Health. The trail project is just one component of the team's plan for chronic disease prevention among the population. The idea is to encourage trail usage in an area of the city where much of the population is comprised of high risk Hispanics and African Americans. “What we are basically doing is trying to connect Roosevelt Park and Garfield Park in terms of providing a walking path,” said Jill Myer, the supervisor of the health department’s obesity initiative, in an Mlive news article . “The goal is to provide some safe walking ...
Community members belonging to the Great Streets Mountain View group are working towards friendlier streets in Mountain View, CA. To raise community awareness of the initiative and to offer residents the opportunity to identify potential road improvements along California St., Escuela St., and Shoreline St., the group held walking tours on Saturday September 27, 2014. According to Great Streets Mountain View (GSMV), the streets that they hope to bring improvements to are part of a neighborhood that is already densely populated and has high traffic counts (26% of Mountain View's population lives there). Therefore, they make good candidates for lane reduction, improved lighting, street trees, and bike lanes---all important components of Complete Streets. The area also has a ...
Parents and students from Central Elementary, a predominantly Latino school in San Diego, CA, celebrated accomplishing their goal of walking or jogging over 100 miles in less than a year, according to a Mid-City Community Action Network (CAN) blog. According to the blog, the school's 100 mile club has over 50 students, and this year eleven of its members and some of their parents logged in over 100 miles. One student, 7 year old Alvaro Perez and his mother Margarita, walked a total of 214 miles. The group, which is primarily parent led, was started in fall 2013 by parent Jos Ramos in collaboration with the Central Health and Wellness Council. With the support of the school's principal, Liz Duvall, the team applied for and received a start up acceleration grant from Michelle ...
Residents living in the diverse community of Lonsdale in Knoxville, Tennessee, now have a safe place to walk and play thanks to the Knox County Health Department and local community organizations. On July 26, 2014, partners including Lonsdale United For Change, a Latino Task Force of Lonsdale Volunteers, the Knox County Health Department and the Grace Baptist Church, hosted a celebratory event to inaugurate the new one-mile path, which connects Lonsdale Elementary, Lonsdale Park, Sam E. Hill School, and a few other nearby playgrounds. According to a November 2013, Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory news bulletin community members painted the new L-shaped path, in order to promote walking and better health in the community. The news bulletin says that walking feet along with a ...
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of individuals biking to work increased by 60% between 2000-2010. See the May 2014 American Community Survey report: Modes Less Traveled—Bicycling and Walking to Work in the United States: 2008–2012 to learn more about recent pedestrian & biking trends among various cities, regions, and socioeconomic demographics. According to the report Hispanics/Latinos had some of the highest rates of bicycling to work at 0.8 ...
