May 7, 2021
by Vi Thuy Nguyen MD
We were honored to attend a Community Forum yesterday for the pending improvements to Pepper Park in National City. Over 100 community members attended this community forum, to give input to the improvements in a roughly 2-acre area of waterfront land that will be available to the public. This is historic Kumayeay land and one of the tribal elders was present to bless the meeting and speak on behalf of the indigenous community. He reminded us to protect Mother Earth and Father Sky.
San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air (SDPCA) was present to provide support to these efforts by amazing community leaders. Port Commissioner Sandy Naranjo, Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis and many others continue to be uplifting voices for the South Bay and Environmental Justice communities in general.
SDPCA was there to also listen and our only comment was “San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP San Diego) Climate Change and Health Committee recommends active transport opportunities for children and shade trades, in order to combat urban heat island effect and help filter PM2.5. We are honored to provide support and be part of this community. ”
Soon to be published in the Journal of Applied Research on Children, is this section that I wrote regarding pediatric efforts to further environmental justice which I will repost here.
“Yet for the communities of South San Diego, which are the economic engines of San Diego’s industry and defense sector, America’s Finest City does not have the finest air. San Diego has the sixth worst air quality for ozone in the nation, and the South San Diego Neighborhoods of Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights, National City, and the busy border crossing area of Otay Mesa have the worst in the region. Children who live in these neighborhoods suffer a higher burden of asthma and toxic air pollution, and rates of hospitalization for asthma exacerbations are on average four-fold higher from the south county than in other areas of San Diego with much cleaner air.
Active transport is a research term and specifically refers to the research literature on walking, cycling, skateboarding and foot traffic from light-rail stations. Active transport refers to how people get from point A to point B using mostly their own energy. Communities designed for active living have benefits for the overall health of inhabitants in terms of decreased chronic illnesses, especially lower incidence of metabolic diseases and improved mental health. James Sallis, one of the leading researchers in active transport, wrote, “Physical activity has been engineered out of people’s lives through urban planning and transportation investments . . . Built environments are worthy of special attention because they can affect virtually all residents of a community for many decades.” The benefits of active transport and built environments is robust in preventing adult cardiovascular disease, and there is well established pediatric health benefits. Active transport is associated with less metabolic diseases, and more physical activity is correlated with better child mental health.
Active transport is also associated with less carbon emissions because humans are using their own energy stores instead of combusting fossil fuels. Areas where children walk, bike, and hike more have less PM2.5. It has been shown that children who actively transport themselves are exposed to less PM2.5 than children who are passively transported by a car to school. If we preserve the existing natural environments and alter the built environment for children to walk to school by building sidewalks that connect, parks to walk to and play in, and trails to hike, we will not only improve children’s physical and mental health, but also lower carbon emissions. The American Heart Association in a policy statement has addressed this most clearly: “Health professionals and organizations are encouraged to become involved in advocating for active transportation policies at all levels of government.”
And with that, last night we became involved and we give thanks to our community partners for allowing us to become part of this process. Thank you to Port Commissioner Sandy Naranjo and Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis for advocating for the children of the South Bay and increasing their opportunities for active transport, and restoring an area of waterfront for community use.
