Zaniya: More Recess, More Phys Ed, More Bike Trails

Noting that 64% of South Dakotans are overweight or obese (believe it or not, there are still 19 states with a higher percentage of hefty residents), Recommendation #12 of the Zaniya Project Task Force final report (pp. 17-18) calls for more physical activity programs for everyone, from little kids to Grandma and Grandpa.

The Madville Times is all for exercise. We should certainly encourage kids to get up out of their desks and out of the house to go play (and not with X-Box!). In 2005 South Dakota added a semester of health or physical education to its standard high school graduation requirements. Kids need plenty of unstructured physical play time as well -- i.e., recess, when they can get up their own games of dodgeball and tag (if we're not too afraid to let the kids play), and after school and summertime when the kids can go off on their own adventures, hiking and biking and swimming.

But look at the pressures against such physical activity, especially in the schools. We could require another semester of phys ed, but that would cut even further into the already suffering social studies, science, music, and art classes that are being squeezed by the English and math demands of No Child Left Behind. Kids have ever less time for unorganized physical play as we shunt them into after-school programs and organized sports at ever earlier ages. One would think organized sports would provide better health outcomes, but not if 70% of kids quit sports by age 15, many with the feeling that sports is just for the super-talented jocks. Organized sports only meet health outcomes when they teach lifelong wellness, the idea that physical activity is for everybody, skinny kids and tubby kids alike, for personal enjoyment, not the satisfaction of roaring crowds.

Outside of school, the Zaniya folks recommend encouraging employers to integrate wellness benefits into their health coverage and supporting community recreation programs. An obvious direction for state support there is the creation of more recreation facilities. Minnesota has a spectacular and growing set of trails for hikers and bikers (see the list and the overview map) -- not just 4-mile trails like our new stretch of cycling asphalt right here in Madison, but long trails like the monumental 146-mile North Shore trail from Duluth to Grand Marais. Big trails like that promote not only health but tourism. Folks take vacations to experience trails like that. Perhaps the state can direct some of its health dollars toward the transportation fund. It could buy up and convert more old rail line to exercise trails (as it did with the glorious Mickelson Trail). Perhaps the state could set some requirements to build some amount of dedicated non-motorized trail for every mile of regular highway built or improved.

The Zaniya Project Task Force rightly looks at issues outside the hospital and the insurance agency where the state may be able to influence healthy lifestyles. To recess, phys ed, and bike trails, we could add a host of other issues the state could influence, like mandating walkable urban design (sidewalks, slow traffic zones, mixed zoning to permit more small neighborhood shops to provide goods and services within walking distance of where people live) and even higher cigarette taxes (sorry, Garry).

But let's not forget: all the increasing health awareness and promotion programs of the last three decades [say, does anyone have stats on the prevalence of such programs?] haven't stemmed the main health care problems: skyrocketing costs for consumers, high profits for the insurance middlemen, and denial of coverage to millions of hard-working American citizens who play by the rules, make good choices, and still get laid out by disease and injury. More recess? More PE? more bike trails? Great! But when we all get healthy, can we expect the insurance companies to refund our premiums?