Curbing childhood obesity

Sharon Canclini, a clinical instructor in TCU’s Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, wants to help south Arlington students safely walk to school.

Fort Worth, TX

4/24/2009

By Mark Wright '07 (MS)

Sharon Canclini, a clinical instructor in TCU’s Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, wants to help south Arlington students safely walk to school.

Building sidewalks might not be the first thing people think of when they consider ways to decrease childhood obesity, asthma and other health problems associated with an urban lifestyle. But that’s exactly where Sharon Canclini, a clinical instructor in TCU’s Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, says we need to start.

Canclini lives in an area of south Arlington that features plentiful commercial development, several high-density residential subdivisions and three Mansfield school district campuses with 1,000 students each.

What this bustling enclave lacked were sidewalks, bike paths and walkable shoulders. And that’s a big problem, according to Canclini.

“If you don’t have sidewalks, what are you going to walk on?” she said.

Thanks to Canclini and her students, the south Arlington landscape is changing. Since 2007, Canclini and her public health nursing class have worked to implement features recommended in the federal Safe Routes to School initiative.

Their efforts have made the streetscape more inviting and less dangerous for children biking or walking. And that could reap enormous health benefits. The idea is that if children pedal or plod their way to and from school, they’ll get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.

More than just encouraging healthier kids, the work of Canclini and her students is also reducing the burden on Mansfield school district buses — which transport some students who live within a half-mile of their campus — and redefining south Arlington’s streets as pathways for more than just motorists. This project demonstrates the far-reaching benefits of thinking green.

“It’s such a timely project,” Canclini said. “It’s green. It’s relevant. It has to do with an urban lifestyle. It’s all of those things.”

Canclini shared her concerns with Mansfield school leaders, and the district agreed to pay $5,000 to hire a Dallas engineer who could help Canclini and her students complete an engineering study. Her classes charted the area with the help of aerial photos they found online. They identified problem areas and suggested solutions.

They presented their findings — including photographs of children riding bikes on perilously busy streets or walking on the side of the road next to waterlogged shoulders — to the Arlington City Council. The surprised city leaders decided to include new sidewalks and other infrastructure improvements in a $4.5 million bond package that went before voters in November.

Arlington voters, many of whom long complained about south side roads, overwhelmingly passed the ballot measure. Moreover, data and testimony the TCU students gathered from interviewing and observing the children at the three Mansfield campuses persuaded city leaders to double their efforts. They approved an additional $4.5 million on top of the bond funds to deal with road conditions in the southern sector.

“Communities will take care of themselves if you arm them with information,” Canclini said.

The TCU students have also effected change at the campus level. The principals of the three campuses agreed to several improvements, including adding more bike racks. And to encourage more bike commuters, Canclini’s classes handed out helmets and organized a rally in which students and family members walked or biked from their neighborhoods to the campuses. Traffic temporarily slowed to a crawl as the contingent of non-car travelers spilled onto the roadway.

There’s more work to be done. Arlington city officials are using the engineering study to draft a proposal that could provide an additional $2 million in federal Safe Routes to School funds to the three schools. And Canclini’s public health nursing students are developing a pedestrian and bike safety class for Holt Elementary fourth-graders.

Canclini said the community partnerships forged through the Safe Routes to School project has taught her this: “You can’t fix it all,” she said. “But if you know the right people, they can help you.”

For information: www.saferoutesinfo.org
Contact Canclini at s.canclini@tcu.edu.