Contact: Amy Rauworth (205) 313-7417 or amyr@lakeshore.org
Allison Hoit Tubbs (205) 313-7447 or allisonh@lakeshore.org                                               

How I Walk – A Campaign to Rebrand the Word Walking

The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) launches a new campaign, How I Walk, in support of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Walking and Walkable Communities. The visual campaign aims to promote walking as an inclusive physical activity term that is individualized.

Recent national public health initiatives have been developed to promote walking as a way for Americans to meet the recommended amount of physical activity for health benefits. The U.S. Surgeon General has issued a Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities to address major public health challenges such as heart disease and diabetes. “Everyone deserves to have a safe place to walk or wheelchair roll. But in too many of our communities, that is not the reality,” said Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the 19^th U.S. Surgeon General. “We know that an active lifestyle is critical to achieving good overall health. And walking is a simple, effective and affordable way to build physical activity into our lives. That is why we need to step it up as a country ensuring that everyone can choose to walk in their own communities.”

How I Walk supports the important messages of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action and builds upon the clear opportunity for us to ensure that all Americans have access to be physically active. By challenging the way we think of the word “walk”, the door is opened to creating full community health inclusion where perspectives are challenged and attitudes are changed. How I Walk is positioned to mobilize the disability and public health communities in rebranding walking to be an inclusive term. This campaign will be another important tool to address barriers that may exist in a person’s pursuit of physical activity. 

How I Walk encourages individuals to share their mode of walking through picture, video, or other media by using the hashtag #HowIWalk.  Additionally, How I Walk encourages health promotion providers and walking advocates to adopt this mentality while utilizing the campaign’s resources.

To learn more about this campaign and join the movement to rebrand walking, visit nchpad.org/howiwalk.  

About the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability

For 16 years, the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability has been successfully implementing a comprehensive, inclusive health promotion agenda targeting the 56 million Americans with a disability. NCHPAD is the premier resource for information on physical activity, health promotion, and disability, serving persons with physical, sensory and cognitive disability across the lifespan. NCHPAD features a variety of resources and services which can benefit all ages and populations that can be found online at www.nchpad.org.