To the editor:

In November, South Whidbey residents will be asked to vote on a community recreation center. The tax levy predicted for this proposal is on the order of $5 per month per household.

Why should voters elect to increase their taxes during an economic downturn? The benefits of the community recreation center far outpace the cost from a healthcare perspective alone. The proposed rec center includes tennis, multi-purpose exercise rooms for aerobics, yoga, strength training, an outdoor multipurpose pool and an indoor leisure pool with two lanes available for laps, water aerobics, and physical therapy.

Thus, the community recreation center offers an exercise facility amenable to all ages for multiple social, recreational, and therapeutic uses at an affordable rate. As a physician assistant on the island, I wanted to expound on the health benefits associated with the community recreation center.

The most pressing healthcare issue in the United States today is one of rising obesity, both in adults as well as children. With that rise comes the increase in diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Recent healthcare surveys of Island County residents reveal that more than 70 percent are at risk for health-related problems due to lack of exercise. The current demographics of obesity are sobering; 16.3 percent of children and teens and over one third of all adults in Island County are overweight or obese.

Our future healthcare system will be sorely overburdened if the rate of childhood obesity is not stemmed.

In the July 1 issue of American Family Physician, the feature article emphasizes the epidemic of childhood obesity. The article not only recommends increased physical activity for children, but requests of all healthcare providers and their communities to support projects like the community recreation center that increase opportunities for recreational exercise. Studies have also concluded that there are educational benefits for children who participate in exercise, even at the elementary grade level. Access to swimming lessons can decrease the incidence of drowning, the second leading cause of deaths from unintentional injury in children. The future of our children’s health is worth $5 a month.

Greater access to exercise facilities will aid adults as well.

Exercise is commonly prescribed for prevention of osteoporosis, improved circulation and heart disease. In the elderly, it is recommended to improve balance, flexibility. Indeed, the most effective therapy for fall prevention in the elderly is exercise. In our rainy winter climate, providing additional means for exercise is helpful in prevention and treatment of several mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder.

Exercise has long been used as a primary therapy for fibromyalgia, many types of arthritis. Regular moderate exercise has also been shown to improve immune function and reduce the incidence of breast and prostate cancer, improve the function of the heart, promote new blood vessel growth, and actually alter the lining of blood vessels, reducing the risk of heart attacks. Many are familiar with “cardiac rehab,” a supervised exercise program for folks who have had heart attacks. Similar programs exist for pulmonary diseases and peripheral arterial disease as the benefit of exercise far outweighs any medication medical professionals can prescribe. Each participant in these rehab programs is expected to continue to exercise when the prescribed therapy is complete. In this setting, exercise has been demonstrated to reduce risk for heart attack and stroke. Continued exercise is also prescribed following physical therapy.

Residents of South Whidbey have difficulty pursuing these recommendations as they lack access to affordable exercise options in the winter months. Providing low-cost facilities for South Whidbey adults to pursue active lifestyle will benefit the health of the adult population as well.

Physical activity needs to become part of our culture to aid the physical and mental health of our nation. Wedding physical activity to social events is one method of promoting increased physical activity.

Changing our cultural norms is difficult, but not impossible. It starts with local activism and a commitment to our future. We can aid our community health with approval of the community recreation center on the November ballot.

Kristan Wheeler

Freeland