Environments for Active Living: Advocating for built environment awareness and change to improve community-level physical activity

Indiana coalitions promoting physical activity are influenced by Active Living (AL) Research findings that activity increases when: integrated into everyday life, transportation and land use options encourage daily active travel, and environments are safe and accessible for all. Health by Design, an Indianapolis regional coalition followed AL strategies in creating collaborative partnerships and regular interdisciplinary exchanges among planners and health advocates, raising public awareness, and reducing policy barriers to active living.

Sixty percent of local adults over 18 are overweight or obese; over 1 in 3 fail to meet minimum level recommend by CDC. HbD translates public health evidence into two major strategies: creating public awareness of the impact of the built environment on physical activity, and advocating for leaders to make research-based policies to improve community walkability, and active transportation options. Our adopted goals include: 1) Increasing walking, biking and public transportation, as more walkable- neighborhood residents are more likely to meet physical activity recommendations. 2) Improving local / regional connectivity, as connected areas reduce commute times, energy waste and pollution. 3) Encouraging land use decisions which promote public health, as residents of areas with good walking infrastructure and mixed land use are 4-5 times more likely to walk for transportation. 4) Reducing reliance on automobiles, as more time in cars increases one's obesity risk. Strategic activities include advocating for sidewalk ordinance revisions. The Coalition's successes and challenges in the first year, and planned collaborations with sister Active Living coalitions around the state are also discussed