Report draws connection between obesity and funding for walking, bicycling

A new report shows that obesity levels and related diseases are rising as walking and bicycling rates have fallen.

The report, issued today by the Alliance for Biking & Walking, also examined federal investment in those activities and safety rates in the 50 states and 51 largest cities.

In Iowa, the report showed 8 percent of trips are made by foot or bike, but only 2 percent of federal transportation funding is invested in projects conducive to biking or walking.

Iowa's funding is slightly better than the nation as a whole, which rings in at just over 1 percent. Nationwide, 10 percent of trips are made by foot or bike, according to the report.

Seven percent of traffic fatalities in Iowa are bicyclists or pedestrians, compared to 13 percent nationwide.

The report also showed:

• While bicycling and walking levels fell 67 percent between 1960 and 2000, obesity levels increased by 241 percent.

• Between 1966 and 2001, the number of children who bicycled or walked to school fell 68 percent, while the percentage of obese children rose 367 percent.

• In general, states with the highest levels of bicycling and walking have the lowest levels of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes and have the greatest percentage of adults who meet the recommended 30-plus minutes a day of physical activity.

• In almost every state and major U.S. city, bicyclists and pedestrians are at a disproportionate risk of being killed and receive less than their fair share of transportation dollars.

• U.S. investment in biking and walking lags far behind that of other developed nations, which may explain why the U.S. has fewer people who bike and walk than its international peers.