Title: The Built Environment and Health (Frank et al. Chapters 1 and 3)
1The Built Environment and Health(Frank et al.
Chapters 1 and 3)
Geography 361aEnvironment and Health
- Discussion
- Frank et al. Model
- Physical activity and health
- Suburbanization and design
2Exercise
- How does the built environment effect health?
- What specifically is the focus of Frank et al.?
3Frank et al.s Framework
4Elaboration of Framework
- Built environment where we live and work
- Public health outcomes, e.g., obesity, heart
disease, stress - Activity patterns esp. walking bicycling
- Land use e.g., proximity home, work school
- Design small scale features that influence how
people feel about an urban environment - Transportation systems esp. for walking,
biking, driving, public transit
5Health Patterns
- Premature death (e.g. cardiovascular disease)
and disability (e.g., osteoporosis) from
preventable diseases - Obesity increasing
- risk factor for all sorts of illness/disease
- Many health risks decrease with increased
physical activity
6Causes of Death
- note the causes that disappear in later period
7Obesity
- Overweight
- 1 category above normal Body Mass Index (based
on heightweight ratio) - Obese
- 2 categories above
- Prevalence
- 1999-2000 CDC study US 31 obese, 34
overweight 65 above normal
8- Obesity Patterns
- increasing over time
- Causes of Obesity
- diet
- activity
9Moderate Activity Benefits
- Muscle strength
- Blood pressure
- e.g., Reduction risk coronary heart disease on
par with stopping smoking! - Depression and anxiety
- Obesity
- Skeletal development of kids
- Bone density adults
- Independence (esp. elderly)
10No Pain No Gain?
- 80s early 90s 20 minutes vigorous exercise
- 1996 US Surgeon General report
- 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days
11Guideline Active
- moderate-intensity physical activity for at least
30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week or - OR
- vigorous-intensity physical activity 3 or more
days of the week for 20 or more minutes
12Sedentary Reap New Benefits Quickest
13Modifiable Behaviours and Mortality
14Improve How Much?
- If half sedentary population became irregularly
active (not quite guideline) total deaths from - CHD drop 3.9
- Colon cancer drop 2.5
- Diabetes 1.5
- If same population met activity guidelines
- CHD drop 7.1
- Colon cancer drop 7.4
- Diabetes 5.2
15Genetics or physical activity
- Maybe premature death/disability is mostly
genetic?
16Genetics or physical activity
17Improvements in Physical Activity Over Time?
18Discussion
- What explains low physical activity in North
America?
19Interconnected Causes of Sedentary Lifestyles
- Behavioural
- victim blaming
- choice available, e.g., transportation
- Suburbanization
- landuse
- design
- Time
- what happened to the 35hr work week?
- Wealth
- very much so
20Physical Activity and Wealth
21Is suburbanization is bad for your health?
- Garden Cities
- reaction to overcrowded and dirty large cities
- access to nature (healthy)
- best aspects of rural and urban living
22Full Circle
- Olmstead designer (Central Park), architect,
writer - advocate for residential outside CBD space,
greenery - CBD too crowed, stressful and generally unhealthy
- Levittown PA post war American (and Canadian)
dream
23Transportation Modal Choice
24TransportationChildren and Modal Choice
25TransportationChildren and Modal Choice
26(No Transcript)
27Discussion
- How can we increase physical activity (not
personally per se, but as a public health
problem)?
28Design Barriers
29Design Barriers
30Designing for Pedestrians
31Exercise/Conclusion
- Do we need to sacrafice the American/Canadian
dream to achieve walkable/cyclable cities?