UTC Professor is Co-Author of Study on America’s Sedentary Lifestyle

A UTC professor is making news in the nation’s medical community with his studies on the connection between physical activity and health.

Dr. Greg Heath is co-author of a paper featured in Lancet, the country’s top medical publication.

DR. GREG HEATH, UTC PROFESSOR AND RESEARCHER  “We were created to move..we were made to move..and when we don’t move..bad things happen.”

The Lancet has sponsored a series of studies about physical activity and good heath. Much of the report is directed at residents here in the tri-state area where heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other health threats are among the highest in the nation.

The target is discouraging sedentary behavior.

DR. GREG HEATH  ” In a suburban lifestyle you become car dependent…you’re not able to walk to the store, or even a child is not able to walk to school ..Because the site of the school is generally somewhat removed from the residential area…as is retail, as is commercial and business.”

In other words, the society we built for convenience is coming back to bite us.

And according to Dr. Heath, its costing the U.S. 2.7 billion dollars a year in additional medical costs.

Chattanooga planners have done a good job in providing ways to get health exercise.

KATE TAYLOR, CHATTANOOGA  “I think its huge..I think people do more in cities with access to outdoor activity. Not only is it healthy for people personally, but it’s a great way to build a community.”

The River Walk will provide an even greater opportunity to get out of the house and off the couch.

DR. GREG HEATH  “There are ways of increasing physical activity but it takes more than a village to do it. It takes inter-sectional collaboration so its not just health, its not just transport, its not just parks and rec…not education or schools…its not just government it take everybody being at the table.”

Improvement is physical activity for Americans may also affect overall cost of insurance.

And, Dr. Heath says sedentary lifestyles are also tied to more cases of dementia.

Dr. Heath will be presenting the findings of this series of studies at the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health in Bangkok, Thailand.

That comes up on November 16.