Trails for a Healthy Maine will result in Healthy Communities

Physical Activity and the American Health Crisis

• The Surgeon General noted in 2001 that there were approximately 300,000 U.S. deaths annually attributed to obesity and overweight and the total direct and indirect costs attributed to these conditions amounted to $117 Billion per year

• The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports that the rate of obesity in American adults had reached 20.9 percent, climbing from increasing 5% percent in only one year (2003).

How Can Trails Help Make a Healthier Community

• Over 70 percent of trail users report that they are getting more exercise as a direct result of the trail (Indiana Trails Study survey of trail users on six different trails in Indiana found that in all six locations).

• Trails connect people with places, enabling them to walk or cycle or commute to work or do errands. This provides for an opportunity for physical activity that can be worked into a daily routine.

• Trails provide natural, scenic areas that draw people to the outdoors and to be physically active.

• Trails can make Safe Routes to School by connecting neighborhoods and schools so children can walk or bicycle to school or other locations, reducing traffic and increasing physical activity.

• Trails are cost effective and inclusive, especially in areas where residents have little money to spend on private health clubs and spas.

• For people who are inactive, even small increases in physical activity can bring measurable health benefits. A 2000 study in Denmark found that leisure time physical activity improves longevity across genders and age groups. Even moderate activity yielded benefits, with further positive effects derived from bicycling as transportation.

Trails are Part of Creating Healthy Habits by Building Healthy Communities

Healthy Maine 2001: A Report Card on Maine's Leading Health Indicators noted the following strategies that Maine communities needed to address:

• Reducing barriers such as a lack of access to convenient facilities, hours and safe environments.

• Developing community strategies to assure people have access to physical activity by increasing access to safe walking and bicycling paths and recreational facilities to remove important barriers to physical activity in the community.

• Trails provide alternative transportation options, which promote physical activity but also reduce traffic congestion and mitigate pollution.

Source for many of these statistics comes from www.AmericanTrails.com

More benefits:
Basic Benefits
Trails for a Healthy Maine also Creates a Healthy Economy

Show your support of the Trails for a Healthy Maine Bond with your business or organization endorsement or by contacting your legislators today to urge their support.