Surgeon General Issues Call to Action to Promote Walkable Communities

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The Surgeon General’s Step it Up! Call To Action calls for communities to develop safe and convenient walking opportunities.

Walking is an excellent form of physical activity and is associated with numerous mental and physical health benefits. Conversely; physical inactivity is associated with numerous adverse health risks.

National guidelines recommend children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day and adults do 150 minutes or more of physical activity each week.

Unfortunately, fewer than half of the US participates in enough physical activity to obtain health benefits and prevent chronic disease. The number is lower for Latinos.

Rather than focus on the individual behavior of walking, the Surgeon General is calling attention to built environment factors that influence individual behavior, specifically accessibility issues of safety and convenience related to walking. Unfortunately, many Latino and disadvantaged communities across the county are disproportionately burdened by accessibility barriers to walking, resulting in increased obesity and health disparities.

In order to promote physical activity, such as walking, public health professionals need to provide access to safe and convenient places to walk, which often requires changes to the built environment.

In order to reduce obesity and health disparities among Latinos, it is important to provide strategies and resources to make Latino and disadvantaged communities more walkable.

The Surgeon General’s Step it Up! Call To Action offers built environment strategies to increase walking and walkable communities: Call to Action summary, video, partners guide and resources.

Everyone can work together to promote walking and walkable communities. Share these infographics with friends, colleagues, and partners to discuss how you can start or support pedestrian safety improvement projects in your community.