Anahad O’Connor of the New York Times tests the claim that exposure to plants and parks can boost immunity. The finding: yes. According to the article: For those who can take the heat and cope with the pollen, spending more time in nature might have some surprising health benefits. In a series of studies, scientists [...]
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Diana DeRubertis has a nice post at Planetizen arguing that there’s been too much focus on providing trails in the wilderness and not enough where people can actually use them, inside parks on walking loops. The wilderness-like parks seem to be increasingly emphasized at the expense of smaller community parks that provide the right facilities [...]
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We just read a recently released report by the American Public Health Association on public health costs associated with transportation. The report documents the costs of poor transport policies, including the $142 billion the country pays in costs from obesity, the $50 billion from traffic-related air pollution and $180 billion from traffic crashes. The report [...]
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The American College of Sports Medicine is out with its annual list of the United States’ fittest cities. The top five are: 1) Washington, D.C.; 2) Boston; 3) Minneapolis; 4) Seattle and 5) Portland, Oregon. The ratings are based on 30 factors ranging from disease rates, mortality, physical attributes and lifestyle, fruit and vegetable consumption [...]
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Last week, the Childhood Obesity Task Force released the action plan for the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” initiative. The plan contains 70 recommendations, including greater availability of healthy food, clearer nutritional information, and increased recreational opportunities for children, including improved access to safe parks, playgrounds, and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities. The Washington Post reported [...]
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Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move task force is out with its “action plan” that includes 70 recommendations, with some very encouraging words related to the provision of and access to urban parks. The report is extensive and covers nearly all of the issues related to childhood obesity, grouping them into five categories as follows: Getting children [...]
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last month released recommendations for improving public health through transportation policy, saying that a concentration on motor vehicles has created an environment where physical activity is discouraged, air quality is poor and pedestrian deaths are all too likely. The report recommends that actions be taken [...]
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First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative kicked into gear last week with a summit of federal government leaders, researchers on childhood obesity and others. The Washington Post article on the event indicates some progress in making sure things like schoolyards and parks are part of the mix: Obama gathered about 100 suits, profs, politicos [...]
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A new report just released by AARP’s Public Policy Institute and authored by the Center for Housing Policy says that housing that is affordable, accessible and well-connected to services is essential to addressing the challenges older adults face. The report: Even if older adults cannot or choose not to remain in their homes as their [...]
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The now signed-into-law health care bill, the Affordable Care Act includes new “community transformation grants” that could provide funds for playgrounds, recreational programs and the like that encourage “active living” and access to healthy food. The details and exact nature of this effort are unclear, as the ink has barely dried on the President’s twenty-pen [...]
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