DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE
CONTEXT
WHERE/WHEN APPLICABLE
RESPONSES
TESTIMONIES

DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE:
Obesity and lack of physical activity are major risk factors for heart disease and several types of cancer. When children and adults have safe, beautiful, accessible open spaces available to them, such as places to walk and run, they use them to become more fit and healthy. When children and young adults have access to playgrounds and ball fields that are safe and attractive, and when they have the structure and support they need for sports teams, they are also more likely to be fit and healthy.

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CONTEXT:
In Massachusetts as a whole, the number of overweight people increased 30% over the course of ten years, from 40% in 1990 to 52% in 2000. In 2000, the Massachusetts Public Health Commission considered 17% of Massachusetts's adults to be obese ("Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System," Massachusetts Public Health Commission). According to a 2001 survey of adults over 18 in Boston, carried out by the Boston Public Health Commission, only 33.2% of males and 29.8% of females in Boston participate in regular physical activity (defined as vigorous activity for 20 minutes per session, three times per week, or any activity for 30 minutes per day, five or more times per week).

While around 33% of whites, blacks, and Asians in Boston participated in regular physical activity, only 15.1% of Hispanic adults in Boston participated in regular physical activity. Across age groups, Boston residents between the ages of 45 and 64 are most likely to participate in regular physical activity. The study also found that 32.1% of Boston residents are overweight and 13.9% of residents are obese.

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WHERE/ WHEN APPLICABLE:
The Loop in Franklin Park:
Use of the open spaces in the Heart of the City for walking and running has grown dramatically in recent years, particularly in Franklin Park. There is a growing population of people -- predominantly African Americans -- who walk "The Loop," a three-mile stretch that is accessible from many points around the park. Likewise, the paved loop around Jamaica Pond is extremely popular among people in Jamaica Plain and farther afield.

Children/ Playgrounds/ Tot-lots:
The playgrounds, courts, and playing fields that receive the most use by older youth in the Heart of the City include the Archdale Village Community Center, the basketball court on the Southwest Corridor Park near Stonybrook Station, Fallon Field, Crawford Street, and Healy Playground. The most popular tot-lots include the tot-lot near the Stonybrook Station and Johnson Playground, both of which are part of the Southwest Corridor Park, and the Tiffany Moore Playground in Franklin Park off of Seaver Street.

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RESPONSES:
-- A research effort entitled "Play Across Boston" is a partnership between the Harvard Prevention Research Center and Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. The project is mapping all youth sport resources available to each community of Boston and correlating this information with data about neighborhood, race, gender, and ability. "Play Across Boston" is partnering with a number of local organizations. Together these groups are developing strategies for using the information to improve access to sports and, ultimately, public health in the city.

-- The Boston Public Health Commission has offered small grants to groups of walkers in Boston. In Franklin Park, especially, these groups of walkers have been growing in popularity and attracting people who might not otherwise be exercising.

-- The Steps to a Healthier US is a five-year cooperative agreement program being implemented by the City's Public Health Commission and funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Its goal is to improve the health of Americans by attacking the national problems of obesity, asthma, and diabetes. The program allocated $13.6 million to fund 23 communities, including Boston, to implement community action plans to reduce health disparities and promote quality health care and prevention services (Joan Millman, "One Small Step for Astronomer, One Giant Effort to Trim Local Fat," City Weekly, Jan. 25, 2004).

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TESTIMONIES:
"Obesity is a preventable epidemic. It erodes our quality of life, causes death and illness, and places an enormous financial burden on our health care system" (Dr. Howard Koh, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)).

"It's fascinating. Almost on a weekly basis, there is a discernable increase in the number of local residents on the walking path [in Franklin Park]" (Roy Blomquist, director of horticulture for the Boston Department of Parks and Recreation, whose office is in Franklin Park).

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