1 minute read
Safe Places to Walk the Goal of State Effort
Safe, Accessible Places to Walk the Goal of State Effort
Mobridge and Keystone are the latest South Dakota communities to assess how pedestrian-friendly they are with the help of grant funds and assistance from the Department of Health.
Advertisement
“Getting regular physical activity is one of the most important ways we can improve our health, and walking is one of the easiest ways to get moving,” said Linda Ahrendt, administrator of chronic disease prevention and health promotion for the Department of Health. “An average of just 22 minutes a day of physical activity, such as brisk walking, can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.”
Ahrendt said the department regularly works with communities to encourage physical activity. The recent walk audit grants to Mobridge and Keystone represent the second year of grants to help communities assess their environments to see how walking friendly they are. Pierre, Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Burke received the grants in 2014. In partnership with SDSU’s Landscape Architecture Program, the department has also helped Huron, Mitchell, Salem and Volga take a more detailed look at streets, sidewalks and other parts of their built environments to see just how conducive they are to walking and biking.
Only half of American adults get enough physical activity to reduce the risk of chronic disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. In South Dakota, just 53.7 percent of adults get the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week. Data from the department’s behavioral risk factor survey shows walking is the most reported physical activity for 39 percent of South Dakotans and the second most-reported activity for another 10 percent.
Ahrendt said South Dakota’s efforts align with the U.S. Surgeon General recent call to action for communities to create safe, accessible places for people to walk and wheelchair roll. “Step It Up! Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities” was issued in September (www.surgeongeneral.gov).
Learn more about how all sectors – schools, worksite, healthcare, families – can support walkable communities on the department’s HealthySD.gov website.
