If doctors were in charge of planning our cities, our cities would look different. Why? The answer is simple: The epidemic of air pollution and chronic disease in the Inland Empire is fundamentally linked to our built environment and dependence on vehicles.
As doctors in Riverside County, we spend most of our time treating illnesses such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. These are illnesses that are caused in part by the double whammy of air pollution and a lack of physical activity. We see too many children struggling to breathe from asthma and too many patients die prematurely from these chronic illnesses. Changing the way we plan our cities can help reduce this burden of disease.
Fortunately, our region took a major step forward last week when key elected officials in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) voted to recommend adoption of the Sustainable Communities Strategy.
The plan is a blueprint for how our region will grow over the next 25 years and provides an opportunity for local governments to improve public health through smarter growth. The plan will be considered for adoption at the SCAG Regional Council meeting on April 4.
A transformative plan like the Sustainable Communities Strategy can make a big difference in reducing health emergencies caused by air pollution. According to the American Lung Association State of the Air report, residents in our region breathe some of the worst air pollution in America, with more than 100 unhealthy air days annually in some areas.
This dirty air harms all Riverside County residents, particularly the elderly, children and those living with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.
The skyrocketing rates of lung disease, heart disease and diabetes in our counties are a huge cause of concern for the health community. Air pollution, along with our more sedentary society, has resulted in some scary statistics:
In Riverside County, 255,000 residents have lung disease, including more than 40,000 children who struggle to breathe with asthma.
Physical fitness rates in Riverside County are lower than the state average.
The overweight/obesity rate in the Inland Empire is 64 percent, higher than the state average of 56 percent.
Research shows that people who live in walkable neighborhoods are more than twice as likely to get the recommended amount of physical activity, weigh six pounds less than those in sprawling communities, and live four years longer due to lower weight and decreases in rates of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
We also point to the huge cost savings possible in walkable neighborhoods by reducing traffic.
Analysis done last year by the American Lung Association in a California study, âGrowing Healthy in Southern California,â showed that reducing traffic by 20percent can save more than $16billion in health and societal costs between now and 2035, and avoid thousands of asthma attacks and respiratory emergencies. This translates into savings of $1 billion in the year 2035 alone.
As physicians, we are gratified that the plan includes an increase in the amount of development near transit corridors, increased funding for transit and active transportation, including walking, cycling and transit, increased focus on low-emission goods movement and a commitment to measuring and tracking public health outcomes as part of the planning process.
While the plan can always be improved, it represents a big step forward.
The health community stands with our local elected officials in supporting a strong and healthy Sustainable Communities Strategy for Southern California. Together, we can achieve our mutual goals of cleaner air and improved health for our residents.
Richard Rajartnam, MD, FRCS, FACS, is the medical director for Kaiser Medical Center in Riverside; Cameron Kaiser, MD, is the interim health officer for Riverside County Department of Public Health; T. Allen Merritt, MD, is a professor of pediatrics of Loma Linda University and serves on the volunteer leadership board of the American Lung Association in California.