Obesity

The links between transportation, development patterns, and people's access to healthy food are under increasing scrutiny from policy makers trying to address America's obesity epidemic.

Those who commute by car are piling on the pounds faster than people who ride bikes -- and take transit -- to work, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal.

At St. Terese Academy in Seattle last week, students held relay races on 35th Avenue. It was field day at the Madrona neighborhood school, and thanks to a new initiative from the city of Seattle, the kids had some extra space to stretch their legs.

New data from the Alliance for Biking and Walking's 2014 Benchmarking report bears out the notion that people tend to be healthier in cities where walking and biking are more prevalent.

A study published this month in the American Journal of Preventive Health finds that children who live in walkable places -- "smart growth neighborhoods," to use the authors' phrase -- get significantly more exercise than their peers who live in suburban environments designed for driving.

For a time, a few years back, my friends and I used to play pick-up soccer every Sunday at a high school in my neighborhood. As many as 30 people, mostly adults in their twenties and thirties, would show up for a match on a particularly nice day. New moms would bring their babies to cheer on their husbands. It was good, clean fun. But then one Sunday in August we showed up at the soccer field and found the gate locked. Apparently, there had been an instance of vandalism -- and that was it, we were locked out. And that was the end of our soccer matches.

Happy Bike to Work Week, everybody! It's a great time to give a gentle nudge to someone who you think would benefit from biking. In that vein, personal trainer and fitness coach Stephanie Averkamp of San Diego posted this infographic to her personal health website. She says she especially hopes to convince overweight and obese people to bike more.

Going to the gym may not be enough to keep off the pounds if you drive to work. That's the result of a study published recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.