Smoking won’t kill me, but Fresno might*
As if the Monday after a long weekend out of town wasn’t terrifying enough, today’s Business Journal briefing delivered this gem:
(AP) — A new statewide report says seven of California’s 10 unhealthiest counties are in the San Joaquin Valley.
The study released Tuesday says residents of Tulare, Kings, Merced, Fresno, San Joaquin, Madera and Kern counties breathe some of the dirtiest air, and live farthest from grocery stores and playgrounds.
The Having Our Say Coalition argues those conditions lead to higher rates of obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure.
The community groups are pressing for legislative reforms that would direct extra resources to the valley.
Counties scoring the worst had high poverty, and large minority populations with limited access to health insurance and a lack of green space.
That we have poor air quality is not news, though the reminder does come as a bit of a slap in the face. What I do find interesting is the implied link to poverty, health insurance and lack of green space.
*I don’t smoke, but sometimes wonder if it would harm me any more than summer in the Valley.
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Yes, residents of the Central Valley are fat because of the air; certainly their diets and sedentary lifestyles did not affect their obesity.
I’m not sure that was the conclusion of the report; rather, poor air quality, along with sprawl (the distance from grocery stores, etc.), contributes to health problems.
Fresno’s an interesting place. People could exercise outside, but it’s not healthy to breathe the air. They could use a gym, but those are spread out, and the commute contributes to bad air. They could focus on diet, but there are only a handful of farmers markets, and the rest of the produce is shipped out of the area, packaged, and sold in the aforementioned, out-of-walking-distance grocery stores…
That is true. There’s not really a solution to any of these. And for the exercise topic, take running for an example: people could run outside, and breathe the poor air, or run on a treadmill, and use electricity, which probably comes from non-renewable sources and contributes a multitude of other health and environment factors.