Kane Co. urging communities to grow with health in mind
Remember the good old days when buying a gallon of milk didn't require driving? Dr. Richard Jackson does. And if he and Kane County officials have their way, getting fuel for your Cheerios might soon become a short jaunt down the block once again.
Jackson was the key speaker among a series of experts at a Kane County workshop Friday promoting the idea that the current design of suburban communities is a key contributor to the growing trend of obesity. Jackson is a pediatrician, a professor at UCLA and a former director of the National Center for Environmental Health.
"Since 1945, we have built America not around people, but around cars," Jackson said. Just having the ability to walk or bike to recurring destinations, such as a food store, school or workplace, makes it more likely people will be more active, he said. But subdivisions, cul de sacs and a general lack of sidewalks and public transportation have all helped create a fatter, more inactive America.
Kane County officials from the county board, public health department and development office all took turns agreeing with Jackson and pledged to reverse the trend.
First up for the new way of thinking is probably future development along Randall Road. Prime for future development as one of the county's busiest roads, county officials are eyeing a much better bus rapid transit system. Better would mean sidewalks at bus stops, bus routes that interconnect with each other and traffic lighting that helps ensure buses stay on schedule.
The county might also look toward promoting the growth of local farming that provides fresh meat and produce to local residents and bike trails as a healthier alternative to driving everywhere.
Jackson told officials that every major decision they make likely impacts the health of residents in some way.
"We've got to ensure that America understands that transportation is health policy, agriculture is health policy, energy is health policy, etc." Jackson said.
About obesity
Six noteworthy facts about the increase of obesity:
• 20 years ago, about 10 percent of the nation's population was obese. By the mid-1990s, 20 percent of the population was obese. Today, 24 percent of Illinois residents are obese. Another 33 percent of people are overweight.
• 66 percent of children walked to school in 1973. Today only one child out of six walks to school.
• Women today drive, on average, twice as much as their mothers did. That includes driving 88 percent farther to shop and 137 percent farther for errands.
• The leading cause of death for people aged 3 to 33 in the U.S. is car crashes.
• 17 cents of every dollar in the U.S. goes toward medical care.
• 40 percent of new jobs created between 2000 and 2005 were in health care
Source: Dr. Richard Jackson, professor and chair of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA's School of Public Health, and a former director of the National Center for Environmental Health.