Build a healthier environment for children
As clinicians and health care practitioners, we are confronted
every day with ailments and conditions, which can be attributable
at least in part to the environments in which we live.
One of the most troubling trends we face today is the
inclination of our youth and adolescents toward being overweight
and obese. Of course, like any chronic medical condition, there are
many factors involved in the development of these problems. There
are familial and genetics factors, cultural and lifestyle
influences and the environment in which these multiple factors play
out.
Build a healthier environment for children
As clinicians and health care practitioners, we are confronted every day with ailments and conditions, which can be attributable at least in part to the environments in which we live.
One of the most troubling trends we face today is the inclination of our youth and adolescents toward being overweight and obese. Of course, like any chronic medical condition, there are many factors involved in the development of these problems. There are familial and genetics factors, cultural and lifestyle influences and the environment in which these multiple factors play out.
In the case of childhood overweight and obesity, there are no easy answers. We need to modify this trend, which if unchecked, could lead to a shorter overall life expectancy for our children than for our generation. As concerned citizens, health care professionals and trusted health educators, it is imperative that we take action.
We can start or continue asking relevant lifestyle questions of our patients and giving health advice in the exam room, modeling healthy behaviors in the community, and encouraging our families and friends to adopt an active lifestyle.
However, the time has come for all of us to become stronger advocates for a community in which healthy lifestyle choices are readily available to one and all.
In the June issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) journal Pediatrics, the AAP has taken a strong position on the importance of the health effects that our “built environment,” or the overarching design of our communities, has on children growing up in them. Entitled “The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children,” it is a must read for anyone interested in how community planning and land-use policy impact health.
The “built environment” refers to the structure of the community around us, such as the siting of homes, roads, businesses and schools and provision of adequate public spaces for recreation and relaxation. When homes are situated far from schools and businesses, people seldom engage in “incidental” exercise whose purpose is not the activity itself but rather a means of transportation. Fewer and fewer families are encouraging their children to walk or ride their bikes to school as was often done before the advent of urban sprawl and “leapfrogging” residential developments. As we become more and more of a motorized transport nation, the sedentary lifestyle is becoming the norm. This development is at the very least a poor predictor of physical fitness.
Our children deserve a community in which they can feel safe walking or biking to school, participating in after school physical activities and playing in a well-tended park or playground. It seems that these opportunities are becoming less and less widely available.
The AAP position statement gives many illustrations of how community design has evolved over the years and how it has impacted health through accompanying lifestyle modifications. The article ends with several suggestions for pediatric health care providers and government entities on how to make a positive impact on lifestyle choices.
Of course, improvements will take time and will require pre-planning, and in many cases funding for parks, sidewalks, traffic calming interventions and public transportation to decrease traffic. However, there are things that we should all consider right now, whether we are practicing medicine or deciding in which neighborhood to raise our families.
AAP recommendations include:
– As physicians, we should be asking our patients and families about the availability of local opportunities for recreational and incidental physical activity in accessing nearby parks, playgrounds or open spaces and identifying barriers that may be preventing children from using community locations.
– Families should be encouraged to advocate on behalf of their children and schools for relevant environmental improvements such as safe routes to school or “walking school buses” where parents escort groups of children from their neighborhoods to school, installation of traffic calming measures on neighborhood streets, and prioritization of space for public parks and playgrounds which are attended, well maintained and affording safe access.
– We should all advocate for laws and regulations that promote active living through planning and zoning efforts which ensure access to recreational and incidental physical activities and we should take an active role in influencing government and institutional land use decisions.
Let us join together in building and fostering a healthy outdoor lifestyle in our spectacular San Benito County surroundings. Be aware that the clock is ticking on our children’s future.
San Benito County Medical Society Executive Board
Dr. Ralph Armstrong, President
Dr. Liz Falade, Vice President
Dr. Hue Nguyen, Secretary/Treasurer
