Better urban planning could help Americans fight obesity

Filed in archive Cases on June 16, 2006

According to James Sallis, a San Diego State University psychology professor, "virtually everything American society has done for the past 100 years has made it easier for us to be fatter." Sallis, who has been called an "obesity warrior" by Time magazine, recently gathered with some of his colleagues for the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting.

Sallis and his colleagues believe that it will take more than education and ad campaigns to get Americans to exercise more and eat right. According to a recent news article, Sallis thinks that real change will come when urban planners make our cities more walker friendly. That means more federal money for parks, sidewalks, and bike paths and more taxes on industries that encourage people to be sedentary. If Sallis has his way, at some point in time you could be paying an extra tax whenever you buy a video game, go see a movie, or even when you purchase a new television set.

Though right now, more federal money goes to highways than sidewalks, Sallis points out that people will walk if given a chance. He cites the success of Denver's Stapleton neighborhood, which exists where the city's old airport used to be. The neighborhood boasts wide sidewalks, plenty of bike paths and plenty of shops, offices, parks, mixed in with homes. The Stapleton community has been well-received, although getting other communities to sign on to the idea-- and sign checks to pay for implementing it-- could prove to be a challenge.

About the author: In her spare time, knotheadus writes for Epinions.com and maintains her own Web site, knot-heads.com.