What's behind the U.S. obesity trend? One factor appears to be a general lack of access to parks, safe walking areas, community centers and even aquatics facilities such as yours. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released the State Indicator Report on Physical Activity 2010, which found that only 20 percent of neighborhood blocks have parks within a half mile of their boundaries. Only 17 percent have a fitness or recreation center located in that proximity.
Additionally, only 50 percent of high-school kids surveyed reported having convenient access to a park or other facility geared toward physical activity.
