Dr. Peter Gott offers sound medical answers to reader questions in the new Lifestyles section...
ELIZABETHTOWN — Mark Fenton says this might be the first generation where the kids have a shorter lifespan than their parents.
Speaking in Essex County recently, Fenton, a recognized authority on public-health issues, addressed the need for community, environmental and public-policy initiatives to encourage more walking and bicycling.
"We have to restore a world in which kids are free range," he asserted.
ACTIVITY CRUCIAL
The lack today of youngsters who arrange their own activities, with "pick-up games" and the like, was discussed.
Fenton downplayed assertions that children live in a more dangerous world and cannot be left alone.
Physical activity should be the main focus of overcoming the rise in childhood diabetes and the obesity epidemic, said Fenton, who cited studies in which activity was more successful than medication.
The average person should take about 10,000 steps a day.
"Any activity is better than none," said Fenton, who reiterated the U.S. Surgeon General's report that young people should have at least 300 minutes of exercise per week.
"Exercise needs to become part of your life," he told the adults at the health event.
"We need communities in which people are intrinsically active."
GOVERNMENT ROLE
He said planning boards directly impact local environmental factors. An example would be the construction of a sidewalk when a new store is planned, even though at the time it is not connected to another section.
Residents should be part of any planning process, he said.
Among the suggestions offered were encouraging more farmers markets and community gardens, regulating fast foods and creating social environments.
Fenton cited statistics that show 40,000 people die from motor-vehicle accidents, while 400,000 deaths are related to sedentary lifestyles, which also results in more than $40 billion in unnecessary medical costs.
Having events like health fairs will not create long-lasting results, Fenton said. There needs to be comprehensive plans that involve elected officials, schools, planning and zoning boards and others with a long-term vision.
The success of programs such as the national no-smoking campaign is a result of more than education, Fenton said. The fact that cigarettes are heavily taxed and the inconvenience of limited places to buy them has had a big effect in reducing smoking.
The same approach should hold true in our communities to promote activities such as walking, he said.
The seminar participants walked with Fenton through the hamlet of Elizabethtown as he pointed out positive and negative attributes in creating a walker-friendly environment.
"It pains me that we know this stuff but do nothing," he said.
LOCAL FOOD
The program also focused on nutrition, with an emphasis on locally grown products.
Adirondack Harvest Coordinator Laurie Davis relayed facts: that the average American annually ingests 14 pounds of chemical additives, that about 10 percent of our food costs are due to packaging and that 75 percent of our food comes from just 12 plants and five animals.
"We need to keep farming as a viable option in our communities," she said. "By purchasing locally grown food, you know what you are getting and it puts faith in your food."
Darcy Pray explained wholesale grocery buying, as well as farms like his, which grow 20 or more crops.
He has coordinated efforts with the AuSable Valley School District to bring more fresh produce into the cafeterias.
"It has to start at the school level," Pray said. "It is not a money issue. Kids are now looking for the fresh broccoli, celery and carrots, and not the canned green beans.
"Having fresh fruit snacks being brought to the classroom and having the kids see the teacher also eating them really helps."
GARDENS
Master Gardener Bunny Goodwin gave a presentation on container gardening.
"Families can easily do this in a limited space," she said. "Too many kids think food comes from grocery stores."
Keene Central School's garden was explained by Julie Holbrook. The composting of cafeteria waste through the serving of the school's harvest brings the program full circle. The school plans on having a geodesic greenhouse in the future.
Cornell Cooperative Extension's Mike Ferrell reported on the creation of a community garden in Lake Placid.
"You need many partners to get it going," he said.
Ferrell felt the first year was a success, with about 100 participants.
E-mail Alvin Reiner at: rondackrambler@yahoo.com
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