Surgeon General Warning to Local Governments: Stop Being So Auto-Centric!

It's called active living and it is one of four healthy practices that appear on the Surgeon General's website. It lists five principles, the first being:

1. Encourage community design and development that supports physical activity.

Michael Russell posted an email he received from Surgeon General Vice Admiral (VADM) Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A on the Transportation for America Blog:

The Call to Action will highlight the significant health burden that exists in the U.S. today due to physical inactivity – contributing to more than 10 percent of the preventable mortality in America today. More specifically, it will make recommendations to a number of key sectors about critical actions they can take to improve community walkability and increase walking throughout the U.S..

It's good to see the Surgeon General get involved in community planning, as he "is responsible for communicating the best available scientific information to the public regarding ways to improve personal and public health," notes his webpage.

"Issuing an official call is a significant event for the Surgeon General, and rare — only six others have been issued within the last ten years," writes Russell. 

"The Surgeon General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be launching this report and call-to-action next Wednesday, September 9, at Kaiser Permanente’s offices in Washington, DC., and (Transportation for America) will be there to cover it," writes Russell.