*New* Quarterly Feature:

In a continued effort to provide pertinent and interesting information to trail advocates, builders and users, the California Trails Publication Group is adding a quarterly feature article to our site. Topics will range from trail design and accessibility issues to youth programs, and we want your feedback.  The idea is that after a few initial features, you can submit your ideas, and we will publish features based on your suggestions.  Please send your feature ideas, questions, comments to: Enjoy!

Trails for Public Health

For years, studies have shown that regular exercise improves a person’s overall health and can lead to a longer life. Yet, inactivity remains a serious national problem despite a seeming increase in our society’s health consciousness. A 1996 U.S. Surgeon General report warned that more than 60 percent of adults do not achieve the recommended amount of regular physical activity, and 25 percent are not active at all. This landmark report sounded an alarm to both private and public health professionals to the importance of active living—meriting a national campaign to restore daily physical activity into the lives of every American.

"Inactivity is one of the leading causes of death in this country, second only to tobacco use. It is the underlying cause of death for at least 300,000 people every year. We are extremely excited about the potential health benefits that this new partnership will foster" explains Anne Seeley, coordinator of the California Department of Health Services’ Active Communities Program. "Inactivity results in huge health care costs in addition to the loss of life. Heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, all associated with inactivity, are largely preventable by lifestyle choices." One-quarter of all health-related spending goes towards visits and procedures that might have been prevented if people had adopted healthier lifestyles.

The reasons for today’s trends in physical inactivity are understandable. The ever-accelerating pace of life makes it increasingly difficult for many of us to find time for regular exercise. A lack of extended periods of free time makes long recreational excursions difficult and unrealistic, and nearby health clubs can be expensive and intimidating to newcomers.

On the other hand, trails close to home and work provide opportunities for frequent outdoor escapes when limited time is available. Trails also support many different types of activities so anyone - novice to expert - can share and benefit from trails. Charlie Willard of the California Department of Parks and Recreation adds, "This partnership with the Department of Health Services is an opportunity to emphasize the multiple benefits of recreation, which is part of our dual mission to provide recreational opportunities and to protect resources." Indeed, trails are one avenue towards helping many more people meet the challenge of regular exercise and better health.

Trail use can also improve the overall health of a community by reducing the number of miles that people travel in cars, thereby reducing the amount of pollutants in the air. Ozone, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide are all components of auto emissions and all tend to cause or aggravate respiratory problems. On a larger scale, reducing auto emissions nationwide can reduce the contribution Americans make to the growing problem of Global Warming.

A number of trail & health-based partnerships have identified three important factors in encouraging people to be more physically active: safety, enjoyment and access. Seeley emphasizes, "People are specifically looking to be active on trails that are safe, pleasant and accessible to where they live, work and shop."

More often than not, trails provide the first two of these factors: a safe and enjoyable environment. The third factor, access—whether a trail is close to home or work—is crucial for increasing trail usage and therefore activity levels. A community infrastructure that includes trails in close proximity to residential and shopping areas supports physical activity because it makes it easier to exercise while doing other things like going to school or making a quick trip to the store. Seeley remarks, "the more entry points you have to a trail, the more accessible it is to potential users. Multiple entry points also help spread use along the trail instead of everyone getting on at one trailhead."

If a community can create multiple links with trails and common destinations that promote daily exercise, that community offers the most practical approach to increasing the physical activity of its residents.

Recently, a new study "Promoting Physical Activity in Rural Communities: Walking Trail Access, Use and Effects" documented the importance of convenient access to trails for increasing activity levels. The researchers from St. Louis University’s School of Public Health found that among people who had begun using the targeted trails over half reported increased levels of physical activity (walking). Even more encouraging, respondents with less education and lower incomes, typically a difficult population to encourage towards increased physical activity, were most likely to have increased their levels of activity due to convenience of access to trails.

Lake Natoma, in northeastern Sacramento County, and part of the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area is a peaceful sanctuary surrounded by bustling suburbia. Four newly completed projects have converted the park into a popular destination for community recreationalists and visitors. The park is a key link in the growing trail network that serves commuters and recreational cyclists, and provides a safe, accessible trail system close to where people live and work. One of the projects is a freeway overpass to encourage bicycle and pedestrian traffic and provide safer access to the lake and the surrounding trail network. "The overcrossing has taken away the fear of riding a bike through the highway interchange," explained a cyclist who rides on the American River Parkway with a co-worker during his lunch break two or three times a week and occasionally pedals to work. "When it's hot, we stop and go swimming at the lake on our way back."

Promoting Lake Natoma as a place to incorporate exercise into daily activities is part of the plan. The city hopes that by linking Lake Natoma trails to the city bike trail, they will encourage more bicycle commuters. To Rebecca Garrison, executive director of FRED TMA, a local coalition to promote use of trails and other facilities, it's gratifying when people grasp the possibilities of not driving to work. "For cyclists, particularly, riding a bike to work is the first step to an enhanced quality of life," she said. "All of a sudden, health and exercise become priorities."   Kate Bickert of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy comments, "Lake Natoma is a model of a suburban area using smart bike/ped. conscious development strategies to encourage people to use trails to enjoy their natural environment, reduce fuel emissions through non-motorized transportation, and incorporate enjoyable exercise into their daily lives."

The Public Health Departments’ focus is ultimately to change the behavior of people at the highest risk for injury and chronic disease. "People already using trails are not our number one target. We want trail advocates to help spread the word to people who are not currently active." Many local health departments now offer chronic disease prevention and physical activity promotion programs. Such programs may include walking clubs, and other efforts to increase physical activity levels in the community and to support more healthy lifestyles. Seeley acknowledged that some trail enthusiasts have reacted with some ambivalence to the partnership’s efforts to attract more people to trails and parks. "Longtime trail users are concerned about crowding and conflicts with groups that may have a different sense about how trails and parks should be used," she said. "They like the solitude and consider trails their playgrounds. But trail groups need to realize they are going to get more public support for trails and get more trails if they encourage other people to use the trails."

"Spending time outdoors is a huge predictor of whether you are active or not," Seeley says. "The biggest challenge to the Department of Health Services is getting people outside. This partnership, bringing in Parks, Rails-to-Trails and the National Park Service’s community-based trail program can help promote, support and build trails that are pleasant, safe and close—the ingredients necessary to entice people to get out and walk, garden, cycle or skate. People need a better option than sitting and watching TV." What better option than trails.

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