By: Nick Eberhart
We all know the statistics about obesity: One-third of American adults are obese and medical costs for obese patients hover around $190 billion annually. Awareness of obesity has increased in recent years but it remains a persistent problem, with some experts estimating obesity rates as high as 60% in some states in 2040. With such diverse sources as evening news reports, Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, and the Biggest Loser constantly exposing the American public, we may be becoming desensitized to the obesity epidemic. The implication of this disconnect for policymakers is that policy must be designed to continue public awareness while understanding that awareness alone will not reduce obesity.
Economic analysis of the obesity epidemic suggests that to change behavior we need to change the costs and benefits of lifestyle choices. Incentivizing healthy choices by reducing costs of fresh vegetables or building new public transportation could potentially change the behavior of individuals without requiring obesity education. One such structural change being pursued by several cities, Atlanta included, is the expansion of bicycle commuting.
Obesity rates in Georgia increased from 27.7 percent in 2009 to 30.4 percent in 2010 and Georgia has one of the fastest growing childhood obesity rates in the country. One number that has far outstripped obesity growth rate in Georgia, however, has been the increase in bicycle commuters in Atlanta. As a city known for urban sprawl and inefficient public transportation, Atlanta is also the city with the highest growth in bicycle commuting in the nation from 2001 to 2009. A 2011 survey conducted by the Atlantic found that the percentage of workers who commuted by bicycle had increased 266% during the eight-year period. The Southeast was the region with the least bicycle commuting but Atlanta was a strong regional outlier. With recent Atlanta City Council approval of $2.5 million for cycling infrastructure construction in 2013, Atlanta is poised to continue increasing the role of cycling in urban design and public health.
Bicycle commuting is more environmentally sustainable, cost-effective, and healthier than automobile commuting. During the first year of bicycle commuting, the average commuter will lose 13 pounds without making any other lifestyle changes. In another longitudinal study, women who biked 30 minutes a day gained 3.5 pounds less over a 16-year period than those who did not. Due to the health benefits of bike commuting, one Danish study found that 6 miles traveled on a bike instead of a car reduced healthcare costs by 9 cents. Atlanta, a city with infamous traffic congestion, an overweight population, and relatively undeveloped public transit could benefit from incentivizing bike commuting.
Although alternative means of commuting allow normally sedentary individuals to exercise and entail a host of other benefits, cycling to work remains a rare phenomenon. Even in Portland, Oregon, the city with the highest rate of commuting by bike, only 6% of commutes are made on bikes. In Atlanta that number is 2.5% and currently only around 30 miles of bike paths exist in the city. Recent fatal accidents involving cyclists in Atlanta, such as a March 2013 hit and run crash, cast doubts about the safety and benefits of cycling in the city. Despite these dangers and the scarcity of bike paths in Atlanta, the city’s residents
have demonstrated a huge growth in enthusiasm for cycling and the city is beginning to respond to this enthusiasm. In a state with abnormally high obesity rates, biking to work could become an important component of building a healthier city and state.
