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A
Compelling Case for Addressing Public Health in Transportation and
Land Use Policy
Thursday, October 2, 2003
1:00 - 2:30 pm
, 430
Dirksen
Senate
Office
Building
The
Environmental and Energy Study Institute held a
Congressional briefing to address the relationship between land use,
transportation, and health. Current research indicates that
improvements in land use and community design could help moderate
many of the chronic diseases of the 21st century –
heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma and depression – by
providing transportation options that increase physical activity and
reduce air pollution.
Choose
a speaker to view a presentation
Allen
Dearry, Ph.D., Associate
Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Reid
Ewing,
Ph.D.,
National Center for Smart Growth, University of Maryland;
principal author of the study, Relationship Between Urban
Sprawl and Physical Activity, Obesity and Morbidity
Jeff
Soule, FAICP, Policy Director, American Planning
Association (APA)
Patrick
Lenihan, Ph.D.,
President, National Association of County and City Health
Officials (NACCHO); and Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Department of
Public Health
This
briefing coincides with the recent release of a new study and
special issues of two prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals.
The American Journal of Public Health and the American
Journal of Health Promotion both published special issues in
September focusing on the effects of the built environment on public
health. Included among dozens of articles addressing sprawl
and public health is the study, Relationship between Urban Sprawl
and Physical Activity, Obesity and Morbidity, the first national
research to find a direct link between sprawl and obesity.
Since the August 28th release of this study, national and
international media have reported its findings, including USA
Today, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times
and the BBC. (You can access some of the articles online at http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org
by clicking the Measuring the Health Effects of Sprawl
link.) This briefing will provide the opportunity to hear first-hand
from public health experts about these pressing problems and how
they can be addressed through public policy.
Policymakers
face an important decision as they think about the direction of
transportation, housing, and land use initiatives (including transportation
enhancements, safe routes to school and public transportation
programs to be considered during the TEA-21 reauthorization
process). This briefing also recognizes the public health campaigns
of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to encourage greater
physical activity as a key way to combat the growing obesity problem
and its serious health ramifications.
For
more information please contact Ray Minjares at 202-662-1883 or
rminjares@eesi.org
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