Benefits of Physical Activity and Costs of Inactivity

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Benefits of Physical Activity and Costs of
Inactivity

• Regular physical activity reduces
• risk of coronary heart disease,
• risk for stroke,
• colon cancer,
• diabetes, and high blood pressure
• by 30-50

Source CDC
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Engineering Walking Back into our Lives

• Walking and jogging trails most important
  amenity for older adults when buying a home
• Source National Association of Homebuilders

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Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging

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Supporters of BHCAA

• AARP
• Active for Life
• America Walks
• Administration on Aging
• American Medical Association
• American Public Health Association
• Atlanta Regional Commission
• American Society on Aging
• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
• Generations United
• Gerontological Society of America
• Healthy Aging Network
• International City/County Management Association
• International Council of Active on Active Living
  
• Local Government Commission
• Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc
• National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
• National Blueprint Initiative
• National Council on Aging

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Smart Growth can Build Healthy Communities that
promote Active Aging

• Provide environmental benefits
• Less air pollution
• Less water pollution
• Less sprawl
• Less traffic
• More open space

• Promote physical activity
• More opportunities to walk
• More bike lanes
• Better access to parks, trails, and
  recreational areas

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Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging

• Raise awareness in communities about the
  importance of Smart Growth and active lifestyle
  for older adults.
• Communities will have the opportunity to assess
  themselves.

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Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging

• Our community has defined goals or a mission for
  advancing or applying smart growth principles.
• ? Not at all
• ? Partially Completed
• ? Fully Completed

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Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging

• 2. Our communitys governing body has conducted
  or commissioned a community assessment for
  applying smart growth principles.
• ? Not at all
• ? Partially Completed
• ? Fully Completed

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Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging

• 20. Our community has an existing model program
  integrating active aging/physical activity and
  smart growth for older adults and we can provide
  technical assistance and a contact person to
  share information with other communities.

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Transportation Choice

• New Urbanism is designing a community from the
  perspective of a child on a bicycle

• Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging is
  designing a community from the perspective of a
  flower child on a bicycle

Peter Calthorpe, Cofounder, Congress of the New
Urbanism
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www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/awards/2007/index.html
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Achievement Award Winner

• City of Kirkland, Washington
• The Ped Flag Program
• Picture Courtesy of Betsy Maxwell

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Commitment Award Winner

• Carver County Public Health Division and Carver
  County Health Partnership, MN
• Communities for a Lifetime
• Photo Courtesy of Tracy Bade

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Commitment Award Winner

• Queen Annes County Housing Authority, MD
• Terrapin Grove
• Photo Courtesy of Candice Darling

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Can your community pass the Beatles Test?
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Would the Beatles feel comfortable crossing here?
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Would the Beatles feel comfortable crossing here?
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The Zimmers My Generation
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Assessing Walkability

• www.walkscore.com
• Calculates score for address based on
  availability of goods and services (grocery
  stores, pharmacies, libraries, restaurants)
• www.feetfirst.org Walking audits

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Walk Score

• What does my score mean?
• 90 - 100 Walkers' Paradise Most errands can be
  accomplished on foot. Can get by without owning a
  car.
• 70 - 90 Very Walkable It's possible to get by
  without owning a car.
• 50 - 70 Some Walkable Locations Some stores
  and amenities are within walking distance, but
  many everyday trips still require a bike, public
  transportation, or car.
• 25 - 50 Not Walkable Only a few destinations
  are within easy walking range. For most errands,
  driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0 - 25 Driving Only Virtually no neighborhood
  destinations within walking range. You can walk
  from your house to your car!
• SBCCOG 34 Getty Museum 35
• UCLA 66 Convention Center 82

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Aging Initiative Resources Monthly List Serve

• EPA Aging Initiative
• www.epa.gov/aging
• Building Healthy Communities
• for Active Aging
• www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/awards/
• Kathy Sykes [phone]
• sykes.kathy_at_epa.gov

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Fact Sheets Environmental Health and Older
Adults www.epa.gov/aging

• Age Healthier, Breathe Easier
• Effective Control of Household Pests
• Its Too Darn Hot--Planning for Excessive Heat
  Events
• Environmental Hazards Weigh Heavy on the Heart
• Water Works
• Diabetes and Environmental Hazards
• Women and Environmental Health
• Translations Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese,
  Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Italian, French,
  Japanese, Tagalong, Thai, Polish, Armenian, and
  Haitian Creole
• Low Vision, Large Font on Website

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Other Resources

• Global Age-friendly Cities A Guide
• WHO, Oct. 2007
• http//www.who.int/ageing/publications/Global_age_
  friendly_cities_Guide_English.pdf
• Growing Cooler Evidence on Urban Development and
  Climate Change http//sgusa.convio.net/site/DocSer
  ver/Executive_Summary.pdf?docID4021

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Environmental Wisdom

• "Life is like a sewer
• what you get out of it depends
• on what you put into it."
• Tom Lehrer

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Healthy Communities

• It takes a Council of Governments to raise and
  maintain healthy citizens.

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One Hour later.

• U.S. 303,442,078
• World 6,650,751,622
• Population Growth
• U.S. 272
• World 8,719