Posts Tagged "health"
American Lung Association: smart growth saves lives, improves health
Photo courtesy of Compass Blueprint There are many reasons smarter growth makes sense. By building more sustainably and closer to where people work and shop and plan, we reduce hours stuck in traffic and make it easier to reach life’s necessities. But there is something even more important at stake: our health. According to new […]
Increased traffic is hazardous to our health
Much of the discussion around health and transportation has zeroed in on how a lack of travel options and an unwalkable built environment in our communities reduces physical activity. But when traffic is the leading cause of death among children worldwide and the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 1 and […]
Helping kids get active and healthy by “keeping them moving”
We’re facing an epidemic of childhood obesity, and this could very well be a generation of children who live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. A healthier transportation system for America’s kids requires change in federal policy. But change will remain out of our grasp without a sense of urgency from everyday people on the ground. So where’s the meeting point between policymakers in Washington and citizens in their neighborhoods?
Active transportation, more walking and biking can help us confront obesity
Obesity is on the rise in 28 states and one of the biggest public health challenges facing America, but boosting walking and biking could help turn the tide. That is the conclusion of “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010.”
America’s veterans need more and better transportation options
As we celebrate the birth of our country this Fourth of July, we should also remember to honor the men and women who have served in uniform. Keeping our promise with America’s veterans mean giving them the resources they need when they return home, and that includes their transportation needs.
American Public Health Association outlines hidden health costs of transportation
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama earlier this year was a down payment on expanding health coverage and lowering costs. But the work does not stop there. A truly comprehensive approach to health must account for transportation’s role in how we move and our levels of physical activity. The American Public Health Association tackles just that in a new report titled “the Hidden Health Costs of Transportation.”
Nationwide reports identify transportation policy as essential to improving health
Two reports out this week highlight growing awareness of the integral link between health and transportation. The CDC report acknowledges what T4 America has stressed for months: not only is our nation’s approach to transportation outdated and inefficient, it also takes a toll on our health and quality of life.
Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign a positive step, but must emphasize transportation voices
In February, First Lady Michelle Obama announced her exciting “Let’s Move” campaign and the goal of seriously confronting childhood obesity in the United States within a generation. Now, the campaign – more formally known as the Presidential Task Force on Childhood Obesity – is getting to work on an action plan to influence federal policy. This is a great start, but there’s an omission: the task force does not include a representative from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
T4 America health fly-in participant meets Senator Barbara Boxer
Fourteen-year-old Julia Lopez, a childhood wellness advocate from Los Angeles, CA, met California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer in the Capitol yesterday. Lopez is in Washington, D.C. to participate in Transportation for America’s “health fly-in” to speak with Congressional representatives about the link between and health and transportation.
It’s time to make the link between health and transportation
Most of the news coverage about what is happening in Washington compartmentalizes health and transportation, missing key connections between the two. This week, Americans from around the country will speak to their representatives, seeking to emphasize those links. The “health fly-in” will commence Thursday and is sponsored by Transportation for America, the American Public Health […]
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