STATE OF THE INDUSTRM REPORT - Outdoor Industry Association

More documents

Recommendations

Info

accessible recreation is the best solution It’s clear that physical activity is a contributor to health. Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that physical activity has proven absolutely invaluable in helping people lose weight. Yet more than 50 percent of U.S. adults don’t get enough physical activity to recognize health benefits and 26 percent are not active at all. More than a third of young people in grades nine through 12 do not regularly engage in vigorous physical activity. Daily participation in high school physical education classes dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003. “creation of or enhanced access to places for physical activity, combined with informational outreach, has been shown to produce a 48 percent increase in frequency of physical activity.” This trend toward inactivity is a major contributor to the nation’s obesity crisis— and it’s not simply a matter of health. Obesity’s impact on the U.S. economy is greater than many people realize. A 2003 study by the American Journal of Managed Care found that obesity is a significant contributor to expenditures for physician services. Specifically, the study’s authors said a one percent increase in the percentage of the population who are obese yielded a 0.2 percent increase in expenditures. The national medical expenses attributed to overweight and obesity accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998 and has risen considerably (excludes indirect costs.) Between 1998 and 2004, the number of states with obesity rates greater than 20 percent has grown from 7 to 43. When people are active it not only makes them healthier; it also reduces the amount of money they, and the federal government, spend on health insurance, doctors and medicine. Study after study suggests that the best way to get people active is to make recreation accessible. When there are parks, greenways, trail systems and playgrounds within reach of their homes, people exercise more. In a study published by the CDC, creation of or enhanced access to places for physical activity led to a 25 percent increase in the percentage of people exercising on three or more days per week. A group of studies reviewed in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that “creation of or enhanced access to places for physical activity combined with informational outreach” produced a 48 percent increase in frequency of physical activity. // www.outdoorindustry.org the complete case for recreation How important is recreation to the social fabric of the United States? To provide a complete picture, <strong>Outdoor</strong> <strong>Industry</strong> Foundation (OIF) has undertaken the first ever Recreation Economy Study to quantify the direct and indirect economic impact of recreation in the United States. The graphs below show how much money recreationalists spend on two categories in select activities. Clearly, the economic impact of active outdoor recreation is far greater than the numbers shown by simple sales figures. The OIF Recreation Economy Study will be available in late spring 2006. trail running, day hiking, backpacking, mountain climbing paved road, biking - single track, dirt road skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, cross-country/nordic outdoor swimming, paddlesports - kayaking, canoeing, rafting car camping, tent camping, rustic lodges, RV camping Source Southwick Associates (economic analysis) and Harris Interactive (survey data), Preliminary Data for OIF Recreation Economy Study
15% and Below staying fit is harder when there’s 16% to 20% nowhere to 21% play to 25% According to the Trust for Public Land report only Above 36% 25% of LA County children live within a quarter mile of a park. Areas shaded in red indicate neighborhoods with the greatest need for parks: 15% and Below 16% to 20% 21% to 25% Above 25% Source Trust for Public Land, “No Place to Play,” November 2004 Source County of Los Angeles, “L.A. Health – Obesity on the Rise,” July 2003 In Los Angeles County, the rate of overweight children is higher than the national average of 15%. The percentage of overweight children was highest in schools in the south-central region of the county— exactly where access to public parks and open space is worst. The red in the map above, representing a great need for parks, matches with the dark green in the map below, the health districts with 25% or greater prevalence of youth obesity. Although 15% there and Below are other factors to consider, there is little 16% doubt to 20% creating park space in strategic locations will 21% help to 25% improve our children’s health. Above 25% 15% and Below 16% to 20% 21% to 25% Above 25% The benefits of accessible recreation areas don’t stop at physical fitness. “Neighborhood parks inject a new spirit into communities at risk for blight. When local community members join together to help plan and design a new park, neighbors may work together for the first time and take renewed pride in their communities,” noted CEO of Red Wing Shoe Company Bill Sweasy. Source Trust for Public Land, “No Place to Play,” November 2004 Source County of Los Angeles, “L.A. Health – Obesity on the Rise,” July 2003 Source Trust for Public Land, “No Place to Play,” November 2004 Source County of Los Angeles, “L.A. Health – Obesity on the Rise,” July 2003 15% and Below 15% and Below 16% to 20% 16% to 20% 21% to 25% 21% to 25% Above 25% Above 25% Source Trust for Public Land, “No Place to Play,” November 2004 Source Trust for Public Land, “No Place to Play,” November 2004 Source County of Los Angeles, “L.A. Health – Obesity on the Rise,” July 2003 Source County of Los Angeles, “L.A. Health – Obesity on the Rise,” July 2003 Source Trust for Public Land, “No Place to Play,” November 2004 Source County of Los Angeles, “L.A. Health – Obesity on the Rise,” July 2003 Eighty percent of Americans now live in cities, many without easy access to a park, playground, or community garden. New cities are being built without setting aside land where people can recreate. Nowhere is this more evident than in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles offers just over nine acres of park land per 1,000 residents, a per capita total close to the national average. But that figure is misleading. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and a few other large parks skew the statistics, creating an illusion of adequate park space citywide when in fact only select neighborhoods enjoy easy park access. The city center, where population is most dense and where the majority of the city’s children live, is almost devoid of public open space. A November 2004 study released by the Trust for Public Land (TPL) found that Los Angeles offers its children the worst access to parks among the cities it evaluated (including New York, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Dallas.) Perhaps not coincidentally, the parts of Los Angeles that have the fewest parks show the greatest levels of obesity. While park accessible cities like Seattle (79 percent live within a quarter mile of a park) and San Diego (65%), achieve high school obesity rates in the single digits, well below the national average. America’s cities aren’t the only place where parks and open space are in short supply. Across the country open space is disappearing. It’s time to embrace a more holistic vision of America’s outdoor playgrounds—one that comprises city and local parks, neighborhood walking trails and greenways. Funding these places is a small step in the process of helping Americans reconnect with the outdoors—and with their health. “When local community members join together to help plan and design a new park, neighbors may work together for the first time and take renewed pride in their communities.” — Bill Sweasy of red Wing Shoe company where we’re playing // outdoor industry association //
Page 2 and 3: This reporT has been developed for
Page 4 and 5: o u T d o o r i n d u s T r y s n a
Page 6 and 7: w h o ’ s p l a y i n g // www.ou
Page 8 and 9: Boomers: adventure with a coat chec
Page 10 and 11: www.outdoorindustry.org “the thre
Page 12 and 13: w h o ’ s s e l l i n g 0 // www.
Page 14 and 15: The future of outdoor retail will h
Page 16 and 17: internet/catalog: selection and pri
Page 18 and 19: w h e r e w e ’ r e p l a y i n g
Page 22 and 23: funding close to home recreation op
Page 24 and 25: w h e r e w e ’ r e h e a d e d /
Page 26 and 27: “the focus is changing from the a
Page 28 and 29: There’s already a good deal of cr
Page 30 and 31: www.outdoorindustry.org f i n a l T
Page 32 and 33: w w w. o u t d o o r i n d u s t r

STATE OF THE INDUSTRM REPORT - Outdoor Industry Association

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?