NR552 Week 2 Discussion, Environment and Healthy Lifestyle

Week 2 TD: Environment and Healthy Lifestyle Today, we live in an environment that is built to be a facilitator to being physically active. According to Benton, Anderson, Hunter, & French (2016), this built environment is a direct referral to physical structures in the environment that are constructed and modified by people. These structures include but are not limited to homes; buildings; open, cleared spaces; streets; bicycle lanes; parks; and outdoor trails. Manmade environments do not only impact indoor and outdoor environments, they also affect social environments. These manmade environments affect health and quality of life of the community they were constructed. Public community health is being refocused on manmade environments that are suited to improve the health of humans. The Georgia Department of Public Health helps to aid in the environment and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The Georgia Department of Public Health provides primary prevention that uses a combination of surveillance, education, enforcement, and assessments programs that have been designed to identify, prevent, and abate environmental conditions that can possibly adversely affect human health (Georgia Department of Public Health, 2019). The Georgia park and recreation facilities are monitored by the Georgia Department of Health and as of 2016, 20 out of 203 state parks are 100% tobacco free and 8 out of 203 state parks smoke free protecting more that 4 million Georgians from the dangers of second-hand smoke creating a safer, healthier environment (Georgia Department of Public Health, 2016). There are several communities in South Georgia that have bike riding trails, hiking trails, and other outdoor (as well as indoor) activities to promote a healthier lifestyle. With Georgia adopting many healthy changes in their state parks and recreation facilities, they are trying to protect as many people from being exposed to second-hand smoke. With 203 state parks, there is a lot of indoor and outdoor recreation available in Georgia as well. Many of these state facilities offer nature trails, biking trails, golf courses, kayaking, boating, and many other outdoor activities. Some of Georgia’s bigger parks have indoor facilities that offer fitness centers and swimming pools. With all these things available, a healthy lifestyle can come from the surrounding environment. References: Benton, J.S., Anderson, J., Hunter, R.F. & French, D.P. (2016). The effect of changing the built environment on physical activity: A quantitative review of the risk of bias in natural experiments. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity,13. Doi: Georgia Department of Public Health. (2019). Environmental health. Retrieved from Georgia Department of Health. (2016). Park and recreation facilities. Retrieved from