Running Head: WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AFFECTS THEIR HEALTH

IDS 402: Wellness

Dana Dudek

Southern New Hampshire University

5-2 Final Project Milestone Three: Plan

Air pollution is contributing factor on how where people live affect their wellness. Air

pollution can increase the risk of severe damage to person’s lung health (Roberts, 2018).

Bigger cities are often the prime locations for higher air pollutant. One of the driving

factors for high pollutions in these cities is caused by the large amount of trucks and cars.

In New York City there is a direct correlation with the increase of hospital admission

and the amount of pollution in the air. Exposure to air pollutants has increase asthmatic

emergency department visits. A study from NYC health, “Health Department estimates

show that each year, pollution in New York City causes more than 3,000 deaths, 2,000

hospital admissions for lung and heart conditions, and approximately 6,000 emergency

department visits for asthma in children and adults” (n.d).

The amount of vehicles on the road is no doubt to be one of the leading factors of air

pollution. The smoke fuming out of a car’s exhaust pipe emits toxic pollutants such as

carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and small particles. These air pollutants

are known to cause severe damages to a person’s health. People exposed to air pollution

are at a high risk of inhabiting cancer, heart diseases, asthma, eye irritation and birth

defects (Brinson, n.d)

The goal is to lessen the amount of cars on the road. In an attempt to reduce air

pollution, people should be encouraged to drive less, walk more and to utilize bicycles.

Cities are being modified to be walkable and accessible with public transportation. Hunt
states, “Designing and retrofitting cities to promote active lifestyles could therefore have

significant repercussions for the health of urban populations and governments’ related

expenditure around the globe, well-designed cities of today will be healthy cities of

tomorrow” (2018). Living in bigger cities could enforce walking. Walking is a great low

impact form of exercise and can help with overall wellbeing. Walking can help reduce

stress, lower blood pressure, reduce fat, strengthen your body, and improve your balance

and coordination. Not only does it help physically but mentally as well (Mayo Clinic

Staff, n.d.).

Bike Sharing can also help alleviate vehicle congestion that contributes to air pollution.

Bike sharing is a self-service transportation program that allows users to pick up and drop

off bicycles at any designated station (Pedestrian & Bicycle Information, n.d.). It is a

popular trend which offers a new and innovative way of traveling. Bike sharing makes

transportation flexible, quicker and convenient. The people in New York are now

choosing to commute using the bike share method. New York City has a huge biking

community more any city in the United States. A Bike sharing company called, City

Bikes has currently gained more business in New York. They’ve expanded, multiplied

their routes, and infrastructure with an approximately 10,000 Citi Bikes running and

nearly 130,000 riders city-wide (Pearce, 2017). Better Health Channel states, “Cycling is

a healthy, low-impact exercise that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from young

children to older adults. It is also fun, cheap and good for the environment (n.d.).

There are multiple reasons why people choose not to walk. In today’s society driving is

faster, convenient and easier for the modern life. People are busy and are strained on
time. Parents needs to drop their children at school and must managed to get to work on

time. The United States is car country, people drive to the gym, drive to the mall, drive to

the grocery store, etc. Not all cities are designed with updated public transportation or

pedestrian friendly side-walks (Sisson, 2012). Weather also contributes to why people

choose not to walk. During the cold winter months if the body is exposed to freezing

weather. When a person goes out for a walk in the cold and enters a building with the

heaters turned on the sudden change in temperature can weaken the body’s immune

system which can then increase the risk of acquiring diseases. Heaters are on The body’s

immune system can weaken. Vice versa if a person walks into an air conditioned room

from a hot summer day, the change can alter the body’s function (Heaney, 2017). Some

might argue that biking is harmful due to the long periods of time exposed to air

pollution. Inhaling the polluted air while biking can cause respiratory issues. Biking is

also considered to be dangerous, there are plenty of accidents reported through-out the

city. According to Dingfelder, “While accidents and air pollution pose serious risks, bike

commuting is still the best choice for your overall health” (2016).

In conclusion, people should be aware of the dangers of air pollution and how it affects

our wellness. There must be raise in awareness among the community and the fight to

reduce air pollution should be prioritize. One major factor to help the reduction is to

lessen the cars and vehicles on the road. If people can understand that their actions can

help improve the quality of air, more people can be involved with interventions. For

instance, people could start by encouraging each other to walk more and ride their bikes
to work. The community could come together to figure our solutions to less air pollution

(Earth Eclipse, n.d).

Resources

Better Health Channel. (n.d.). Cycling - health benefits. Retrieved October 5, 2018, from

ttps://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/cycling-health-benefits

Brinson, L. (n.d.). How much air pollution comes from cars? Retrieved October 5, 2018,

from https://auto.howstuffworks.com/air-pollution-from-cars.htm

Dingfelder, S. (2016, May 12). How safe is bike commuting? Perhaps less than you

think. Retrieved October 5, 2018, from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2016/05/12/how-safe-is-bike-commuting-

perhaps-less-than-you-think/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f26775a9599b

Earth Eclipse. (n.d.). 5 Brilliant Solutions to Air Pollution. Retrieved September 27,

2018, from https://www.eartheclipse.com/pollution/brilliant-solutions-to-air-

pollution.html

Fidler, J. (2018, August 24). Why Polluted Air May Be a Threat to Your Kidneys.

Retrieved October 3, 2018 from https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/wellness-

prevention/why-polluted-air-may-be-a-threat-to-your-kidneys
Heaney, K. (2017, December 8). It's Suddenly Cold Out. Am I Going to Get Sick?

Retrieved October 5, 2018, from

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/can-temperature-changes-make-you-

sick/547760/:

Hunt, E. (2018, February 5). Walkable cities reduce blood pressure and hypertension risk,

study finds. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/05/walkable-cities-reduce-blood-pressure-

study-finds

Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). Walking: Trim your waistline, improve your health. Retrieved

October 4, 2018, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-

depth/walking/art-20046261

NYC Health. (n.d.). Air Pollution and the Health of New Yorkers: Retrieved October 5,

2018, from https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/eode/eode-air-quality-

impact.pdf

Pearce, K. (2017, July 31). Lab Report: Cycling Goes Mainstream for NYC Commuters.

Retrieved October 5, 2018, from https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2017/07/lab-

report-cycling-goes-mainstream-for-nyc-commuters/535395/

Pedestrian & Bicycle Information. (n.d.). Bike Sharing. Retrieved October 5, 2018, from

http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/programs/promote_bikeshare.cfm

Roberts, C. (2018, April 30). Avoid the Health Effects of Air Pollution. Retrieved

October 2, 2018, from https://www.consumerreports.org/health-wellness/avoid-the-

negative-health-effects-of-air-pollution/
Sisson, M. (2012, May 1). Why We Don’t Walk Anymore (plus a Primal Health

Challenge). Retrieved October 4, 2018, from https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-we-

dont-walk-anymore/