My name is Will and I am a youth from East Palo Alto who is concerned about the health and wellbeing of the community around me.  What I see in my community is that as time goes on, not too many kids are interested in going out of their houses or putting their video games down.  I have friends who don’t like to go outside, but prefer to stay indoors, tapping buttons.  The environment doesn’t really encourage them to exercise.  With that in mind, does your health depend on where you live?  Does your community have an influence on your lifestyle in how you eat or exercise? 

In the film series “Unnatural Causes,” in the episode “Place Matters,” I learned about how our surroundings make an impact on our daily choices.  “Place determines what someone’s exposed to in terms of how it will affect health,” says James Krieger, MD, an Epidemiologist from Seattle.  “It determines what kind of physical or chemical agents you might be exposed to.”

It has been confirmed that children who live in areas that have little or no environmental support, such as parks, fresh foods or extra curricular activities tend to be diagnosed with asthma and diabetes twice as much as kids who live in more affluent areas.

People who are either obese, suffer from asthma or have diabetes are often told to change their lifestyles.  Often, that's hard to do because the environment doesn't provide the necessities.

Many people aren't able to contribute to their health due to environmental factors where they live.  They live in places where it is more affordable and accessible to buy food that is easy to eat on the go than it is for them to find a farmers' market or another place with fresh produce.  "And fast food is a bargain," says Dick Jackson, Professor of Environmental Health, U.C. Berkeley.  "You can get 1500 calories for a couple of bucks.  It's not a long-term bargain, but it's a short-term-bargain.  And people make that trade."   

By now, you may be wondering, “What can I do to prevent this from happening in my community?”  Well, there are various activities in which you can participate.  Come to the blog next week and find out some things that you can do to get your community to become active and healthy!