Neighborhood walkability is definitely and issue, and I think that ties into the point made by the health department director. Public transportation gives you a reason to walk. When I lived in Boston, I either walked to a subway stop or walked to my destination. Streets lined with little shops made me want to walk more; there was so much to look at.

A lot of studies have point to suburban subdivisions as a contributor to obesity because they reduce opportunities for walking. You may be good about taking a daily walk through the subdivision, but imagine if everyone could walk to the corner store or coffee shop, instead of crossing five lanes of traffic to get anywhere.

Although obesity is scattered throughout the city, the urban neighborhoods are hurt the worst. The food choices are terrible and people worry about the safety of walking in their neighborhood. And then there’s the Big Mama Effect. I don’t have any data to back it up, but I find it compelling.

I also agree with the Big Mama theory. My mom told us when we could have a snack and it usually was something reasonably healthy of her choosing. She did not keep an open pantry. If she decided the TV needed to be turned off she would turn it off (and she did this almost daily). We weren’t allowed to just stay inside all day doing nothing. The only good reason to be sitting was reading or homework. We had chores like mowing the lawn, cleaning the bathroom and helping her in the vegetable garden. We walked or biked to our friends houses; nobody drove us. Most of our meals were taken together as a family at a set time. We did have an advantage of family income that allowed for a pool membership and tennis, golf or soccor lessons – but those were budgeted for to keep up physically active more than anything else.