U.T. Transportation Engineer Performs Comprehensive Survey of Exercise in Children

Photo by Jennie Trower  
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Dr. Chandra Bhat, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at the University of Texas, has performed one of the most comprehensive surveys of exercise in children and found that as many kids stay active by peddling to a friend's or walking their neighborhood as do others by participating in organized athletics.

Left: Dr. Bhat poses on a playscape on the UT campus.

Photo by Jennie Trower
Click on photo for hi-res version

Dr. Bhat's survey analyzed weekend activities in nine Bay area counties. One of his goals was to determine whether the physical structures that favor exercise in neighborhoods influenced the activity of children between five and 17 years of age.

He will describe the study results at the 85th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington D.C.

Left: Dr. Bhat poses with his 9-year-old daughter, Aarti Bhat.