The US Surgeon General has launched a campaign called, Step it Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities, designed to address major public health challenges such as heart disease and diabetes while addressing the fact that many communities lack safe and convenient places for individuals to walk. In the report, the Surgeon General calls on individuals to make walking a priority in their lives while also encouraging community planners and local leaders to create more area for walking and address related safety concerns. It includes 5 strategic goals to promote walking and walkable communities:

• Make walking a national priority.

• Design communities that make it safe and easy for people of all ages and abilities to walk.

• Promote programs and policies to support walking where people live, learn, work, and play.

• Provide information to encourage walking and improve walkability.

• Fill surveillance, research, and evaluation gaps related to walking and walkability.

Source: US Surgeon General website. US Surgeon General launches campaign with national call to action on walking. www.surgeongeneral.gov. Revised September 9, 2015. Accessed September 10, 2015.

Commentary: The data is clear that individuals who have better levels of fitness have lower levels of cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes and even decreased age-adjusted mortality¹. Not only does inactivity affect cardiovascular risk, but it has been estimated that one-third of the more than 572,000 cancer deaths that occur in the US each year are due to poor diet and physical activity habits². Increased fitness can occur both through exercise and through lifestyle-based activities such as walking. The surgeon general’s recommendation, making people aware of the need to incorporate increased activity into their daily life, is an important public health initiative that we as clinicians can support with discussions about lifestyle activity and exercise with patients in our offices. —Neil Skolnik, MD

1. Lee DC, Sui X, Church TS, et al. Changes in fitness and fatness on the development of cardiovascular disease risk factors: . J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;59(7):665-672.

2. Kushi LH, Doyle C, McCullough M, et al. American Cancer Society guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention. CA Cancer J Clin 2012;62:30–67.