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A decrease in physical activity, particularly
walking, has created an epidemic of overweight and obese American children who
face a lifetime of increased health risks. At the same time, more vehicular
traffic also negatively affects the respiratory, cardiovascular, and mental
health of these young people. Walkers Win! has embarked on a partnership with
Children's Memorial Hospital (CMH) to combat this problem.
Walkers Win! collaborated with CMH and the
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation to design the Transportation that is Active and
Safe for Kids (TASK) program. It was designed to collect data on activity in
children and to understand impediments to activity. The Chicago Community Trust
agreed to a local match of up to five hundred thousand dollars in funding.
Through the TASK proposal, CMH conducted a series
of focus groups to establish a data sample and fill an important information
void. These focus groups were held at Goudy School in Uptown, Von Humboldt in
West Town and Delano in West Garfield Park. The process employs a survey, a
mapping element and a travel diary. The data will be gathered to form a
foundation for understanding young people's travel habits.
