TOPIC III: PUBLIC HEALTH INDICATORS & BIKING & WALKING

This section – Cities: Public Health Indicators & Biking & Walking – looks at chronic disease rates that often have a relationship to physical activity.

Not all cities reported elsewhere on this site are included in the following tables because the data source for chronic diseases used, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, did not have data for at least one year for a majority of those cities.

Data on this page:

• Recommended Aerobic Physical Activity & Biking & Walking to Work
• Percentage of Adults Overweight or With Obesity & Active Commuting
• Diabetes & Biking & Walking to Work
• High Blood Pressure & Biking & Walking to Work
• Asthma & Biking & Walking to Work

Recommended Aerobic Physical Activity & Biking & Walking to Work

RECOMMENDED AEROBIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITY – The CDC first developed aerobic physical activity guidelines in 2008 and released the 2nd edition in 2018. In both guidelines the recommended aerobic physical activity for adults is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. ⁴⁵   

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Percentage of Adults Overweight or With Obesity & Active Commuting

BODY MASS INDEX – Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of the person’s height in meters. ⁴³  When using pounds and inches, a conversion factor is used. BMI  is often used as a screening tool. It is not a diagnostic tool that assesses the health of an individual. For adults, BMI is interpreted into weight status categories: underweight, normal or healthy weight, overweight, and obese. People who have obesity, compared to people with normal or healthy weight, are at an increased risk  for many serious diseases and health conditions. ⁴⁴   

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Diabetes & Biking & Walking to Work

DIABETES – There are 3 types of diabetes. ⁴⁶  The data reported in the Benchmarking Report is from a survey that asks whether a person has been told by a doctor that they have diabetes and does not refer to a specific type.

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High Blood Pressure & Biking & Walking to Work

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE – “Having high blood pressure means the pressure of the blood in your blood vessels is higher than it should be.” ⁴⁷ This condition increases a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death for Americans.

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Asthma & Biking & Walking to Work

ASTHMA – Asthma is a chronic disease that affects a person’s lungs and can cause inflammation that makes it difficult to breathe. According to the CDC, asthma costs the United States $56 billion each year. ⁴⁸  

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