Transcript Stormer-MoreTrailsBetterUS2014

More Trails = A Healthier,
Happier US
Presented by Susan Stormer, Ph.D.
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Owner, S&S Trail Services, L.L.C.
PTBA Board Member
Picture by Scott Frey 2009
Acknowledgments
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Dr. Bill Kohl, School of Public Health,
UT Health Science Center (Austin
regional campus)
The internet, specifically
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www.google.com
And last but not least…
Ryan Spates, Co-Owner
S&S Trail Services, L.L.C.
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Business Partner
Husband
Company photographer
Best Friend
“Partner in Crime”
Personal Background
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Trail user
Personal Background
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Trail builder
Other user groups in audience?
(Start of audience participation segment—please
ask questions or make comments throughout talk)
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Hikers
Skiers
Climbers
Birders
OHVers
Others?
Trail runners in East Burke, VT
Personal Background, Clinical
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Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Specialty in Behavioral Medicine
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Using psychological principles to change
physical health behaviors
Areas of clinical experience include
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Eating disorders
Smoking cessation
Obesity/weight management
Type II Diabetes
Depression/Anxiety
Substance abuse
Chronic pain
Personal Background, Research
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Conducted Master’s and Doctoral research
on sociocultural influences in mass media
& how they affect personal body image
Managed clinical research projects at
University of Texas at Austin, American
Cancer Society, and Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston
Best advice from graduate school advisors:
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Stealing ideas from one person is plagiarism
Stealing ideas from many people is research
Clarification of talk title:
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Healthier, happier ‘us’, meaning us as
individuals
Healthier, happier US meaning the
United States as a whole
Two main ideas to cover
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Positive effects of exercise
Positive effects of nature
Athens, Greece
State of the Union, Our Health
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
System (BRFSS)
Could it possibly be related to
the fact that…
More than 25% of the American population
remains completely inactive despite the
well-known positive effects of physical
activity?
Interestingly, the prevalence of inactivity is
highest in rural areas of the United States.
Any ideas why? (Hint, not enough of something we
take for granted in cities.)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Self-reported physical inactivity by degree of
urbanization--United States, 1996. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1998;47:1097–100.
Scientifically proven benefits of exercise
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Longevity
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Cardiovascular health
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Lack of physical activity is a major risk
factor for CAD
Cholesterol lowering effect
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People who are physically active live
longer
Raises HDL and lowers LDL
Prevention and control of diabetes
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50-60% reduction in risk
Scientifically proven benefits of exercise
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Reduced risk of stroke
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Muscle strength
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Moderate to high levels of activity
particularly effective
Increase muscle mass/decrease fat tissue
Bone strength
Lowering of blood pressure
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Exact mechanism unclear, but all forms of
exercise seem to work
Weight bearing exercise promotes bone
density and prevents osteoporosis
Scientifically proven benefits of exercise
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Weight control
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New brain cell development, improved
cognition, and memory
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Stimulates formation of new brain cells
Better night sleep
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Raises metabolic rate, offsets calorie
intake
Dip in body temp 5-6 hrs later may help
Exercise is a powerful antidepressant
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Comparable to Zoloft!
Case example of “Mary”
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Patient I counseled during postdoctoral training
Mid-30’s white female
Presenting complaints included
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Implemented individual CB Therapy
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Depression
Anxiety
Poor sleep
Weight gain
Stress, no time to exercise
Adjunct modality of in-session exercise
Progress was gradual, but significant
If no other motivator works, maybe last one will…
Scientifically proven benefits of exercise
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Improved sexual function and better
sex life (for both men and women)
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Due to improved muscle tone, endurance,
and cardiovascular function
U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on
Physical Activity and Health (1996)
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Physically active people tend to have better
mental health
Compared with inactive people, the
physically active had higher scores for
positive self-concept, more self-esteem and
more positive "moods" and "affects."
Findings seem similar in both young people
and adults. Physical activity has also been
used to treat mental health problems such
as depression
Cognitive and neurological
benefits of exercise
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Physical exercise leads to significant
improvements in:
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Memory ability
Critical thinking skills
Balanced mood
Increased learning potential
Finding is more pronounced in people
over age 60
What seems to be the
mechanism for improved brain
function as a result of exercise?
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Improved blood flow to the brain
Increased production of neurotransmitters
Activation of acetylcholine pathways
Combats the effects of aging:
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Positive effect on nerve cell health
Extends life of nerve cells
Maintains already healthy cells
Enhances activity of antioxidants & reduces free
radicals
Prevents cell damage related to aging process
Chat with Ted at the FATS
Now if we could only put
exercise in a bottle…
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Duke University researchers studied people
suffering from depression for 4 months
60% of the participants who exercised for 30
minutes 3X/week overcame their depression
without using antidepressant
medication.
This is the same percentage rate as for
those who only used medication in their
treatment for depression.
In Summary…
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Improved self-esteem is one of the top
benefits of regular physical activity.
Exercise leads to endorphin release that
can improve your mood and the way you
feel about yourself.
Exercise helps people to cope with stress
Exercise can help to ward off anxiety and
depression
Overall, research data indicate
that exercise does improve
mental health. However…
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Antidepressant and anxiolytic effects have been demonstrated
most clearly in subclinical disorder
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(i.e. there’s something to be said for neurotransmitters in the treatment
of Axis I Depressive and Anxiety disorders)
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Clinically, exercise training continues to offer clinical psychologists
a vehicle for nonspecific therapeutic social and psychological
processes.
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May be particularly effective for patients for whom more
conventional psychological interventions are less acceptable. (i.e.
psychotropic medications, regular individual psychotherapy)
Effects of Physical Exercise on Anxiety, Depression, and Sensitivity to Stress: A Unifying Theory
Salmon P Clin Psychol Rev 2001 Feb;21(1):33-61
Let’s contemplate this scene…
Photos by Scott Frey
The effects of nature on physical
and mental health
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The notion of nature as medicine is centuries
old, and has numerous proponents
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Thoreau, philosophers, artists, environmentalists
Personal stories
Who here has ever used nature as an escape from
a stressful situation?
Kid Trips in Austin
Tyler State Park; office work vs. field work
Research is fairly recent
Summary of research on benefits of nature
exposure by Anna Jorgensen (2001)
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Views of natural scenes from hospital windows aided
patients' recovery from gall bladder surgery (Ulrich,
1984).
Grahn found that children from a kindergarten in a natural
setting had fewer absences due to sickness than
children from an urban kindergarten (1997).
Exposure to natural scenes reduces stress (Ulrich et al,
1991). This is likely to have long-term physiological health
benefits, as medical evidence suggests that stress has an
adverse effect on health by reducing immunocompetence
or resistance to illness (Parsons, 1991).
A recent American study confirmed that green play settings
improved children's concentration: children with ADD
were found to function better than usual after activities in
green settings (Faber Taylor et al, 2001).
Greenery lowers aggression and
crime (Frances Kuo, 2001)
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Study examined the relationship between levels of
vegetation and crime rates in 98 apartment buildings
in a Chicago public housing development
Housing blocks with high levels of greenery had 48%
fewer property crimes and 56% fewer violent crimes
Greenery helps people to relax and renew, reducing
aggression
Green spaces also bring people together outdoors,
which increases surveillance and discourages
criminals
Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the
Woods”
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Chairman of Children & Nature Network
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Coined the term ‘nature deficit disorder’
Summarizes research that demonstrates numerous
positive effects of nature on children’s mental and
physical health
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential
investment in our children’s health. Reducing that
deficit - healing the broken bond between our young
and nature - is in our self-interest, not only because
aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because
our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends
upon it”.
Nature Exposure Leads to Mental
Health Benefits For Adults Too
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University of Essex and UK mental health charity “Mind”
compared the benefits of
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30-minute walk in a country park
30-minute walk in an indoor shopping center
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45% of sample experienced a decrease in depression after
the shopping center walk
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71% reported decreased levels of depression after the
country walk
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Participants also said they felt less tense after country walk
90% reported increased self-esteem.
In its report on Ecotherapy, Mind recommends that ‘green
exercise’ be considered as a clinically valid treatment
option for people experiencing mental distress.
Doris Mager of SOAR (Save Our American
Raptors) and her co-instructor E.T.
Case example of Woodlands
Healthcare Center
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Long term care facility in planned community
north of Houston, Texas
Supervising psychologist 2001-2002
Carried caseload of 8-10 individual patients
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Supervised Master’s level therapists on additional
20-30 patients
Majority of residents stayed inside 24 hours/day
Center was surrounded by green space and
paved walking/cycling trails
Began conducting sessions outdoors
Residents showed improved mood and brighter
affect as a result of spending time in nature
If some nature is good, more is better
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Biological diversity in city parks and
green spaces can have psychological
benefits for humans
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visitors to city parks with a greater
diversity of birds, butterflies, plants, and
other organisms reported feeling better
than visitors to less-diverse green spaces
Fuller, R.A., Irvine, K.N., Devine-Wright, P., Warren, P.H. & Gaston, K.J. 2007.
Psychological benefits of greenspace increase with biodiversity. Biology
Letters 3, 390–394.
Perceptions of nature influence people’s
choice to spend time there
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Many people report uneasiness with what appear to
be ‘wild’ or ‘untamed’ spaces
Preference for woodland with a dense understory
varies according to the spatial configuration of the
woodland (Jorgensen et al, in press; Purcell and
Lamb, 1998).
Dense understory was considered safer and was
preferred when placed in a more open spatial
configuration
i.e. it’s not the case that people dislike dense
understory per se; in general they do not want to be
forced to come into contact with it.
This is what I call The ‘Woodlands Effect’, or “I like to
be out in nature, I just don’t want it to touch me.”
In Summary…
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Contact with nature can
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Exposure to wildlife, horseback riding, hiking,
camping and farms can be therapeutic for a variety
of health conditions in adults and children
An entire movement has begun to connect kids with
the healing power of nature
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decrease mental fatigue and accidents
enhance mood, concentration and problem solving
No Child Left Inside legislation (2008)
Experts emphasize that you don’t have to trek to
wilderness preserves to enjoy nature’s benefits–
simply strolling in a city park or tending a rooftop
garden can make a difference
Why should land managers and trail
professionals care about these findings?
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To promote physical activity, more environmental and policy strategies are
needed to change the physical and sociopolitical environments. Examples of
environmental and policy approaches to increase physical activity
include walking and bicycle trails
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Establishing walking trails is a relatively low-cost intervention that may facilitate
walking by reducing barriers related to convenience and accessibility and
encouraging ongoing physical activity maintenance because trails become a
permanent fixture in the community
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This suggests that recreational trails may be a powerful vehicle for physical
activity promotion, particularly among previously inactive individuals. In our study,
data suggest that convenient, safe, and proximal community walking trails
provide an incentive for community residents to engage in regular physical
activity
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Community trails facilitate physical activity, and almost half of frequent trail users
report that access to trails and other green space is important in choosing a
place to live
Citations
1 Schmid TL, Pratt M, Howze E. Policy as intervention: environmental and policy approaches to the prevention of
cardiovascular disease. Am J Public Health. 1995;85:1207–11.
2 Ross C. Brownson, PhD, Robyn A. Housemann, MPH, et al. Promoting Physical Activity in Rural Communities Walking
Trail Access, Use, and Effects American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 18, Number 3
3 Gordon PM, Zizzi SJ, Pauline J. Use of a community trail among new and habitual exercisers: a preliminary assessment.
Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2004 Oct
4 John J. Librett, PhD, Michelle M. Yore, MSPH,et al. Physical Activity Levels Among Trail Users in a U.S. National Sample
(Am J Prev Med 2006;31(5):399–405) © 2006
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John and Nancy Stormer, my parents
and cycling trail advocates
Cost of trails vs. cost of inactivity
A case study in Lincoln, Nebraska
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Annual cost in 2002 dollars ranged from
$25,762 to $248,479
(mean = $124 927; median = $171 064)
Cost per mile ranged from $5,735 to
$54,017
(mean = $35 355; median = $37 994).
Annual cost per user was $235
(range = $83–$592)
Per capita annual medical cost of
inactivity was $622.
Cost Analysis of the Built Environment: The Case of Bike and Pedestrian Trails
in Lincoln, Nebraska by Guijing Wang, PhD, Caroline A. Macera, PhD et al.,
(2003) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Trail builders as partners in public
health promotion
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Participation in regular physical activity
depends in part on the availability and
proximity to such resources as community
recreation facilities and walking and
bicycling trails, so building such
environments holds much promise in health
promotion.
Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to increase physical
activity in communities. Am J Prev Med. 2002;22:(4, suppl 1):67–72.
Let’s get outside and move!
S&S Trail Services, L.L.C.
Susan Stormer, Ph.D., Owner
Professional
Trailbuilding
Consultation
Design
Education
Construction
512 Eberhart Lane #1303
Austin, TX 78745
713-448-0161
www.sstrails.com