I found an article written by a few students at UC Davis, http://pubs.its.ucdavis.edu/publication_detail.php?id=1148. This article details the "Bike-to-Soccer" children's program in Davis, California. They determine that in 2002 the CDC report one third of teenagers are not active enough, and that this is in part associated with their travel behavior. According to the National Household Travel Survey, only 12% of trips to sports activities are done by bicycle. Davis being a bicycle friendly community set out to try and change this with their American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). The AYSO began a promotional program that encouraged the young soccer players and their families to bike to their soccer practices and games. This program included distribution of "Bike to AYSO" bumper stickers, online bike route maps of the Davis community, and regular emails to all AYSO members about the effort. The results of this program showed an increase in biking, though there is still room for increases in the program. Most people who did not bike to games or practices cited the reason of being more unwilling to bike than any constraints as to why they could not. And even among those families that bike regularly, a majority of them still drive to games. The program states that a more incentive driven promotional program might achieve additional increases in biking.
This seems crazy to me, because as I was growing up my family rode our bikes maybe not to practices but just around our neighborhood in general. It also seems ridiculous that the families in study require more "incentives" to get not only the parents but their children HEALTHY! But then again we are an incentive driven world. Bonuses at work are based on your "numbers" brought in or quotas met. Even many "volunteer" programs now a days are given recognition banquets or something comparable at a certain number of hours given. So why should anyone be surprised when our generations are requiring something in return for making themselves healthy human beings? Truth is, we shouldn't.
A website called "The CityFix", http://thecityfix.com/blog/new-report-bicycling-and-walking-in-the-united-states/ , is an online resource for sustainable transport news from around the world. When searching 'obesity' on their site I came across an article called "New Report: Bicycling and Walking in the United States." They state that while the obesity levels in the U.S. increased by 156% between 1960 and 2009, biking and walking levels fell by 66%. Statistics for this came from the Alliance for Biking and Walking report called "Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report." I think by far the most interesting fact presented by this report was that in 2009, 40% of trips in the US were shorter than 2 miles, however 87% of those trips were done by car.
This may not be as "green" of an idea as bicycling everywhere and may not eliminate obesity, but we also talked about the sustainable transportation idea of car sharing with Mr. Buehler. This was the idea of an organized short-term car rental. Where many people pay to share cars between the group when they need them. An idea that may be closer to home, http://www.facilities.vt.edu/tcs/alternative/ucarshare.asp , is an alternative to car ownership here at VT. It is a program called U Car Share. Students can join and pay only for what they use in a low hourly rate starting as low as $4.95/hr. You may have seen the designated parking spots located close to campus buildings and wondered what they were for...now you know.
So next time you need to get your gut busting 6 pack at your closest 7-eleven, think about burning off some of those calories before you even throw a cold one back. You could bike, walk, or even Buscycle to the next convenience store (:
5 comments:
I completely agree. I was born and raised in San Francisco, which is one of America's large cities, and I honestly believe that urban planners and designers set the tone, mood and functions of a city.
- Anani Mohamed
Very nice, informative post.
I agree that there needs to be some changes where cars are used less to save money and help you stay in shape. I will say that even though I do know about the VT ride, I did not learn about it until I was a junior last year. Tech needs to do a better job at promoting that.
Nancy Ramirez Group 7
I'm VERY surprised no one else referenced child obesity in our country. It's amazing how school's aren't enforcing better physical exerices, but then again many schools throughout the nation have faced budget. When I was in middle school and had P.E. class we would literally just sit and talk...No kind of physical exercise.
I spent my childhood in S.Korea and I was quite shocked when I first came to America. I was surprised by the number of people who owns a car and the number of car that each household owns. It was so different from Korea where most people use public transportation or choose to walk instead. I understand that America is a huge country, but there can be better things done to promote more environmentally friendly transportation.
-Hae Jin Kye
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