Aug 14 2007
Desperate times call for desperate measures and the latest idea to cut obesity rates especially in children is calling for 'car exclusion zones' around schools.
The idea is to get families to walk short distances to schools and it comes from the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP).
The report says cars should be banned from the school run where the distance is 'walkable' to fight obesity in both parents and children.
According to the report parents drive an average of 82 miles a year to take their children to and from school, compared to 55 miles a year in 1982, and the average 'Brit' now walks for just 67 hours a year compared to 87 in the mid-70s.
The IEEP found that as soon as a household gained access to a car, people walked for just one hour a week on average.
Currently in the UK only 19% of households do not have a car, compared to 41% in the mid-70s.
The IEEP report says walking one hour more each week, which is what people without cars do - could counteract a weight gain of up to two stone over a decade.
The measure would also cut carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles.
As the report points out 40% of all journeys taken in the UK are less than two miles and 38% of these are taken by car, yet two miles can easily be walked in 30 minutes or less.
Dr. Adrian Davis the author of the report say the substitution of car use for walking is a major contributor to the steep rise in obesity, as walking is the most obvious way for most people to burn calories.
Dr. Davis says a small daily reduction in walking over a decade or more has a profound and damaging impact on body weight.
Davis says children should be taught that walking was a better option so they would encourage their parents to ditch the car in the morning.
The authors also want to see people using cars less for shopping; the average adult mileage for shopping was 125 in 1989, but had soared to 444 in 2005.
Obesity crisis in the U.S. expected to worsen by 2050