New CT Law Responds to Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Student Athletes As Debate Continues

Research shows that an EKG exam, coupled with a complete medical history, and a thorough physical exam is the best way to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. That statement, on the home page of the organization “Screen Across America,” is followed by this statistic: Cardiac arrest is the #1 cause of death of student athletes.” Screen Across America is a consortium of organizations that provide heart screenings to students. They have a presence in 26 states; Connecticut is not one of them. The organization “believes that this should be a standard of care because thousands of children die every year from sudden cardiac arrest.” New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont are among the states with local organizations advocating for screening. Connecticut does have a chapter in the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). The Naugatuck-based chapter raises funds to place Automated External Defibrillators in Connecticut schools.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlighted the divided opinion among the medical community, as well as athletics departments, athletes and parents. The publication reported that “whether to screen young athletes’ hearts – as is done in nations such as Italy and Israel – represents one of the hottest debates in American cardiology.”

The article noted that opponents and proponents of screening each have medical studies backing up their positions, and that proponents were encouraged recently when the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced they would be creating a registry for studying sudden death among those 24 and younger.

Hartford Hospital’s chief of cardiology, Dr. Paul Thompson, told the WSJ that when a young athlete dies from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), “it probably could hve been detected. But when a screen finds it in a young athlete without symptoms, we don’t know that it ever would have caused him problems. Meanwhile, he gest labeled a cardiac cripple for life.”

The Screen Across America consortium does not have a particular organizational model across all locations. Each locale operates “independently of each other,” the website points out, with some being nonprofits and others for profits. “Some of us charge for heart screenings while others offer it free of charge. Our screening protocols may differ slightly. However, many of us have adopted the Seattle Criteria – a set of guidelines made by international experts in the field of sports cardiology,” the website explains.

Another organization advocating screening is “Parent Heart Watch,” which was founded in 2005, as was SCAA. It was started by four parents who each saw their child die from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The organization’s website says that “research has shown that SCA is the leading cause of death on school property with one student athlete falling victim to SCA every three to four days. Heart disease is the second leading cause of disease-related fatalities in youth according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).” The organization also provides information on timely, effective medical responses to cardiac arrest.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, SCA takes the lives of thousands of children every year. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates at least 2,000 such deaths occur annually, according to the website of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. During the 2014 Connecticut legislative session, a proposal that became Public Act 14-93 earlier this month was approved, which will direct the State Board of Education, in conjunction with health experts, to develop a sudden cardiac arrest awareness program for use by local boards of education. The program must include information on:

• SCA warning signs and symptoms, including fainting, difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness and abnormal racing heart rate
• Risks of continued athletic activity after exhibiting SCA symptoms
• Means of obtaining treatment for a suspected occurrence of SCA
• Proper methods for returning students who experience SCA to athletics.

It will also require school coaches to:

• Review the SCA awareness program each school year, beginning in 2015
• Immediately remove students from play who show symptoms of SCA
• Not permit students removed from play to return without the written clearance of a licensed healthcare professional.

In addition, it calls for creation of a consent form for parents of student athletes to sign on the warning signs, symptoms and treatment of SCA and relevant school policies. Similar legislation has already been adopted in Pennsylvania, several other states are also considering SCA bills, according to the SCAF. The provisions of the new law take effect a year from now, with the school year that begins in the fall of 2015.

Connecticut’s legislation was inspired in part by the tragic story of Andy Peña, a Darien student athlete who died of sudden cardiac arrest in 2011, just one month away from turning 15. Andy’s parents, Victor and Giovanna, founded the Andy Smiles Forever Foundation in his memory, to educate the general public and support research on the causes and prevention of sudden cardiac death amongst youth, officials said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hiheVyvFQiA

CT Ranks #12 in Meeting Long-Term Care Needs of Older Residents

When it comes to support for seniors and caregivers, it matters where you live – and Connecticut is better than most places. According to a new, comprehensive state-by-state Scorecard from AARP, Connecticut ranks 12th in the nation in meeting the long-term care needs of older residents and people with disabilities. Even with the solid showing, AARP officials stress that more needs to be done, especially as the state’s 50-plus population continues to grow. Specific areas cited include more support and training for family caregivers, and easing patient transitions to and from the hospital or a skilled nursing facility.

Raising Expectations 2014: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers – an update of the inaugural 2011 Scorecard – ranks each state overall and within 26 performance indicators along five key dimensions:

• affordability and access;
• choice of setting and provider;
• quality of life and quality of care;
• support for family caregivers; and,
• effective transitions.

New indicators this year include length of stay in nursing homes and use of anti-psychotic drugs by nursing homes, raising serious concerns about the quality of institutional care. The Scorecard was complied by AARP with support from The Commonwealth Fund and SCAN Foundation.

According to the state Scorecard, a majority of family caregivers (59.4%) face a degree of stress and worry. In addition, Connecticut ranks last (51) when it comes to the percent of home health patients with a hospital admission. This signifies a need for more resources and training for family caregivers - especially around complex medical tasks – so that their loved ones don’t end up back in the hospital and can continue to live independently at home, according to AARP officials.

“The vast majority of older Connecticut residents want to live independently, at home, as they age – most with the help of unpaid family caregivers,” says Nora Duncan, state director of AARP Connecticut, which serves nearly 600,000 members age 50 and older in Connecticut.

Today, unpaid family caregivers provide the bulk of care for older Connecticut residents, in part because the cost of long-term care remains unaffordable for most middle income families. In Connecticut, it is estimated that more than 486,000 residents help their aging parents, spouses and other loved ones stay at home by providing assistance with bathing and dressing, transportation, finances, complex medical tasks like wound care and injections, and more.

“When it comes to helping older Connecticut residents live in the setting of their choice, this silent army of family caregivers assumes the lion’s share of responsibility,” explains Duncan. “Many juggle full-time jobs with their caregiving duties; others provide 24/7 care for their loved ones. With every task they undertake, these family caregivers save the state money by keeping their loved ones out of costly nursing homes – most often paid for by Medicaid. They have earned some basic support.”

The top 12 states overall are Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, Hawaii, Vermont, Wisconsin, California, Maine, District of Columbia, and Connecticut, which make up the top quartile among the states. At the bottom of the rankings are Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky.

According to the Scorecard, Connecticut ranks 29th in the percent of Medicaid long-term care dollars that support care provided at home and in the community – the care setting that most residents prefer. The Scorecard spotlights specific areas that call for improvement, including:

• Percent of home health patients with a hospital admission;
• Percent of nursing home residents with low care needs;
• Percent of people with 90+ day nursing home stays successfully transitioning back to the community.
• Family caregivers without much worry or stress, enough time, well-rested;

Of the 26 Scorecard indicators, 13 may be improved through state policy changes, which officials say points to the importance of AARP’s multi-state advocacy campaign, launched this year, to help older Americans live independently, at home, and the family caregivers that support them. “Even facing tight budgets following the Great Recession, Connecticut is making clear progress to help our older residents. However, this Scorecard shows we have more to do – and with a predicted ‘silver tsunami’ sweeping over our state in the next 20 years, the time to act is now.”

The full state Scorecard, along with an interactive map of state rankings and information, is available at www.longtermscorecard.org.

New Haven is Number One - Best Foodie City in America

New Haven is the number one “foodie city” in America, according to a new analysis published on the website Livability.com The site reports that “New Haven residents spend more on eating out than most Americans. Many frequent neighborhood bistros and cafes that get their ingredients from nearby farms. The city's farmers markets make it easy for home cooks to prepare fresh meals.”

The Elm City outpaced cities including Boston in New York in the newly announced top 10 list, with New Haven praised for supporting local farmers, showcasing regional cuisine and providing residents with “bountiful opportunities to discover new flavors, textures, cooking techniques and healthy foods.”

To determine the top 10 “foodie” cities, editors analyzed data from Esri about how frequently families eat at locally owned restaurants and how much the average resident spends eating out. They also examined the accessibility residents of each city have to healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and quality meat with data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Also taken into account were cities with established farmers markets and restaurants that use locally grown ingredients, as well as critically acclaimed restaurants, successful chefs and winners of James Beard Foundation Awards.

“There’s a real foodie renaissance going on in U.S. cities,” says Livability.com Editor Matt Carmichael. “You’re seeing that coast to coast, but these cities really stand out as great places to live and eat.”

The site’s write-up of New Haven’s foodie choices noted that “restaurants cover the gamut of food genres. From Louis' Lunch to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana to Claire's Corner Copia, it’s no wonder New Haven residents spend more on eating out than most Americans.” Also among the New Haven restaurants mentioned in the profile of New Haven’s eateries are Sandra’s Next Generation, Mamoun’s, Prime 16, Skappo, Bella’s Care and Da Legna.

The 2014 list is quite different from a year ago. In 2013, the top city was Decatur, Georgia. Also reaching the top ten were Hoboken, New Jersey; Bloomington, Indiana; Berkeley, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Lafayette, Louisiana; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Sante Fe, New Mexico; Alexandria, Virginia; and Burlington, Vermont. The only cities to reach the top 10 in both years were Berkeley and Burlington.  The 2014 list is the third annual developed by Livability.com.

Top 10 Foodie Cities, 2014

1. New Haven, CT
2. Scottsdale, AZ
3. Boston, MA
4. Asheville, NC
5. Traverse City, MI
6. Berkeley, CA
7. Boulder, CO
8. Burlington, VT
9. Omaha, NE
10. Washington, D.C.

With Hockey History, North Carolina and Connecticut Look to Baseball, Attendance Growth

North Carolina and Connecticut – two states forever linked in the cross-currents of sports by the Hartford Whalers relocation to the Tarheel State in 1997, are both using 2014 to heighten their professional baseball credentials. The City of Hartford has announced that the Double A franchise currently in New Britain will be moving to the Capitol City in 2016 in a soon-to-be-built $60 million, nearly 10,000 seat stadium. Just two months ago, the Triple A Charlotte Knights opened their newly constructed 10,200 seat $55 million downtown stadium. The Knights are an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Ground was broken on the new stadium in September 2012, about an 18 month construction schedule.

The first Knights game took place on April 11, 2014. (photo at left) The stadium features a two-level club with skyline views as well as a VIP, climate-controlled club with full service bar. In addition to corporate suites, there are 987 club seats at the new Charlotte stadium. Of those, 170 on the upper level sell for $41.50 per game, or nearly $3,000 per season. The remaining 817 club seats, at $21 per game, sell for about $1,500 annually.  All of the club seats were sold out 10 months prior to the season opener, according to the Knights website.  Season tickets require either a two- or four-year commitment. Naming rights to the stadium were sold to BB&T Corporation in 2012. Published reports also indicate that multiple new hotels are expected to open in the area around the stadium in the coming years, along with restaurants and retail.

The Charlotte team’s website reports that “National ballpark consultants conservatively estimate that in its first year BB&T Ballpark should draw at least 600,000 fans just for baseball.” In addition to obtaining corporate sponsorships, among the fundraising initiatives along the way in Charlotte were commemorative bricks sold to be placed in the stadium’s entrance, at a cost of between $90 to $195, containing individual messages determined by purchasers. A portion of the sales went to local charities in Charlotte.

Comparing Attendance Numbers, Possibilities

The Rock Cats drew more than 307,000 fans to their 6,100-seat stadium in New Britain last year, ranking sixth in the 12-team Eastern League. The Knights were last in attendance in the Class AAA International League last year, with an average of 3,803 per game, down from a high of 4,736 in 2006, according to the Charlotte News Observer. In 2013, the New Britain Rock Cats averaged 4,653 fans per game, which ranked 59th among baseball’s minor league teams. Charlotte ranked 80th. The top team in the league - and in minor league baseball - the Columbus Clippers, drew 9,212 per game.

The AAA Pawtucket Red Sox average attendance in 2013 was 7,827, ranked #10 in minor league baseball. The Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, also a Red Sox affiliate, ranked 47th, drawing an average of 5,096 per game. Among Double-A teams, Portland ranks tenth.

The top minor league teams, based on average attendance in 2013, are in Columbus, Lehigh Valley, Indianapolis, Sacramento, Dayton, Buffalo, Louisville, Round Rock (Texas) and Albuquerque. The top Double-A teams are in Frisco, TX (7,057); Richmond, VA (6,689); Reading, PA (6,321); Tulsa, OK (5,704); Birmingham, AL (5,669); Corpus Christi, TX (5,498); Trenton, NJ (5,373) and New Hampshire (5,125).

On July 12, 2008, the Rock Cats established a franchise record for single game attendance, with a crowd of 8,115 at New Britain Stadium. The record was broken on June 27, 2009, with a crowd of 8,212. The Rock Cats reached the 8,000 mark once again on May 31, 2014 with a crowd of 8,079.

For those who wonder if there is a Triple A future for a Hartford baseball stadium, the history of Pawtucket may be of interest. The first team to be named the Pawtucket Red Sox debuted in 1970 as a member of the Double-A Eastern League, according to Wikipedia. After three seasons as a Double-A Red Sox affiliate, Pawtucket's Eastern League franchise moved to Bristol, CT in 1973 to make room for the new Triple-A PawSox. And as most Connecticut sports fans recall, the Bristol franchise then moved to New Britain in 1983, first as a Red Sox Double-A affiliate (through 1994) and then as the farm team of the Minnesota Twins.

And might the presence of a stadium in Hartford, rather than New Britain, cause the Red Sox to return with an affiliate in Connecticut? Apparently not any time soon. The Sox appear set in Pawtucket and Portland.

In January 2013, the Portland Sea Dogs announced an extension of their affiliation with the Boston Red Sox as the Double A minor league team. Their contract was set to end after the 2014 season but the extension through the 2018 season was announced during the Portland Sea Dogs Hot Stove Banquet by Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen and Sea Dogs president Charlie Eshbach. Eshbach served as Eastern League President for 11 years and is the league's longest serving active member  – dating back to his tenure as general manager of the Bristol Red Sox in Connecticut, not too many years after attending college at UConn.

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with the Portland Sea Dogs for an additional two seasons,” said Hazen at the time. “We are extremely fortunate to work with some of the best people in minor league baseball in Portland. The Burke family, Charlie Eshbach, and the entire Sea Dogs organization always go above and beyond to provide support to our players and staff. With the Sea Dogs, our minor leaguers experience the ideal environment to succeed and grow.”

The Sea Dogs are now in their 21st season at Hadlock Field, their 12th as an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox originally entered into an agreement with the Sea Dogs following the 2002 season, when Portland changed affiliations from the Florida Marlins.

 (photo credit: Rob Kavaler)

Connecticut Leads Nation in Dental Visits for Third Consecutive Year

For the third year in a row, Connecticut residents were the most likely to say they visited a dentist in the last 12 months. The state is joined by two New England neighbors, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as the only states where nearly three in four residents report that they visited a dentist. The top 10 states for dental visits, according to a Gallup Healthways Well-Being survey, are: Connecticut (74.9%), Massachusetts (74.5%), Rhode Island (73.8%), Alaska (72.6%), Wisconsin (72.4%), Minnesota (71.9%), North Dakota and Utah, (each at 71.4%), Delaware (70.9%) and South Dakota (70.7%).

Just over half of the residents in Mississippi say they’ve visited a dentist during the past year (53%), coming in last for dental care among the 50 states. At the bottom of the list with Mississippi are Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, West Virginia and Tennessee.

Five states - Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Minnesota - have ranked in the top 10 states for dental visits every year since Gallup and Healthways began daily tracking in 2008.

Connecticut has taken the top spot four times -- from 2011 through 2013, and in 2009. On the other end of the spectrum, eight states -- Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky -- have ranked in the bottom 10 every year since 2008. Nationally, 64.7% of Americans in 2013 said they visited the dentist at least once in the past 12 months. This is essentially unchanged from 65.4% in 2012, and remains in line with the averages reported in previous years since 2008.

These findings are based on interviews with more than 178,000 American adults conducted during 2013 as a part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Respondents were asked whether they visited the dentist in the last 12 months.

Residents of Eastern states are the most likely to report visiting the dentist in the past year, according to the survey data. Residents in the Midwest are the second-most likely to report visiting the dentist in the past year, and four Midwestern states are included within the top 10 for 2013. Residents of Southern states are the least likely to go to the dentist and make up eight of the bottom 10 states for dental visits.

The study noted that a relationship between dental visits and income exists, and those states with fewer reported visits also have, on average, a relatively lower percentage of residents with enough money to pay for healthcare and a higher percentage of uninsured residents.

Hartford’s Health & Fitness Ranks #12 Among Nation’s Top 50 Metro Regions

Apparently, Hartford is in better shape than many of us may have thought. In fact, a national analysis by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), with support from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, ranks the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) of Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford as 12th in the nation in the annual American Fitness Index™ (AFI) report. The 2014 AFI data report, “Health and Community Fitness Status of the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas,” reflects a composite of preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, and community resources and policies that support physical activity.

In the 2014 report metropolitan Hartford received a score of 63.8 (out of 100 possible points) to earn the overall #12 ranking. Hartford ranked #7 in Community Health and #17 in Personal Health, according to the data analysis.

Leading the rankings is the Washington, D.C., metro area with a score of 77.3, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul, Portland, Denver, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, San Diego, Boston Sacramento and Salt Lake City.

Researchers analyzed the data from the U.S. Census, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), The Trust for the Public Land City Park Facts and other existing research data in order to give a scientific, accurate snapshot of the health and fitness status at a metropolitan level.

The data regarding Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford indicate that 78 percent engaged in physical activity or exercise within the past 30 days, 35 percent eat two pieces of fruit per day, and 14 percent eat 3 or more vegetables per day. Just over 15 percent of the population are smokers. Overall, 60 percent are described as being in “excellent or very good health,” although 36 percent indicate they had days when their “mental health was not good” during the past month.

Among the “areas of excellence” cited for Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford are a higher percent bicycling or walking to work, more farmers’ markets per capita, more golf courses and tennis courts per capita and a higher percent eating two or more fruits per day.

ACSM worked with the Indiana University School of Family Medicine and a panel of 26 health and physical activity experts on the methodology of the AFI data report. The 2014 edition uses revised methods from the first six full-edition reports released from 2008 to 2013.

New variables, including each community’s Walk Score ranking, have been added or modified and some variables have been removed to improve and enhance the 2014 data report.

“The AFI data report is a snapshot of the state of health in the community and an evaluation of the infrastructure, community assets and policies that encourage healthy and fit lifestyles. These measures directly affect quality of life in our country’s urban areas,” said Walter Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, chair of the AFI Advisory Board.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

Higher Percentage of Part-time Workers in CT Than New York, New Jersey, Lower Than New England

Connecticut's percentage of part-time workers (22.2 percent) outpaces much of the Northeast, South, Midwest and West, according to the latest Connecticut Economic Digest (CED), produced by the state Department of Labor and Department of Economic and Community Development. In the first examination of part-time employment in more than a decade, the publication noted that part-time employment in Connecticut numbered 383,000 - 69.5 percent of which (266,000) was women. This statewide share is among the highest in the country, which had a 50-state average of 64 percent.

Connecticut’s part-time employment share of 22.2 percent is the lowest in New England but considerably greater than neighboring states in the tri-state area, which have employment shares respectively of 17.6 percent (New York) and 17.9 percent (New Jersey), the analysis by the state Department of Labor indicated.

Part-time employment is all employment that amounts to less than 35 hours per week. Since 1997 it has averaged about 20 percent of total employment in Connecticut and fell to 18.6 percent in 2000, according to the CED, before climbing.

In recent years it has gradually trended upward and was 22.2 percent of employment in 2012, the most recent year of annual average data and the basis for the analysis. The breakdown of hours worked shows that Connecticut has less under 35 hours per week employment than other New England states but more than the Northeast region overall. Part-time employment was 23.3% of all New England employment in 2012, higher than any other census division in the country. The other eight census divisions averaged 19.3% with the West- South Central division lowest at 16.4%.

While those choosing to work part time remain the bulk of part-time workers, the number of those working less than full time has grown since 2005 as more workers have their hours cut by employers or were unable to find full-time jobs during or after the recession. From 2009 to 2011, the number of workers who wanted full-time employment but could only find part-time jobs rose 37.5 percent to 33,000 from 24,000, Hartford Business Journal reported.

The report points out, however, that a majority of part-time employment in Connecticut is due to voluntary reasons, and not a result of prevailing economic conditions. In 2012, voluntary part-time employment in Connecticut was 76.4 percent of all part-time employment, in line with the 50-state average of 76.8 percent.

The industries with the lowest average weekly hours worked are leisure and hospitality, other services, and education and health services. In 2013, these industries averaged 25.8, 30.9, and 31.2 work hours per week, according to the Connecticut Economic Digest report issued in May.

Noah, Liam, Sophia, Emma Are Top Baby Names Nationally, In Connecticut It’s William and Olivia

There are trends in names given to new born babies, and then there’s Connecticut. The Social Security Administration has released the top baby names by state for 2013, state-by-state. Emma remains the top girls' name, claiming the number one spot in 27 states. Liam, the top boys' name in 18 states, replaces last year's top state name, Mason.

The top names by state differ from the top national names overall, where Sophia and Noah take the top spots. For the first time since 1960, a new name unseated Michael or Jacob as the most popular for newborn boys, according to the Social Security Administration, which releases each year. Topping the list in 2013 was Noah. Among new born girls, Sophia held the top spot for the third year in a row.

In Connecticut, Olivia and William topped the list. Among girls names in Connecticut in 2013, the top five were: 1) Olivia, 235; 2) Isabella, 230; 3) Emma, 212; 4) Sophia, 210; and 5) Ava 188.

Olivia was also the top ranked girls name in Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Utah and Vermont. Nearly every state in the nation was led by either Emma, Sophia, Olivia. Ava was the most favored girls name in three states: Louisiana, Delaware, and Mississippi. Only New Jersey, where Isabella topped Sophia, 618 to 607, Florida, where Isabella edged Sophia by 1,455 to 1,382, and the District of Columbia had a different girls name leading the list – Charlotte edged out Sofia in D.C., 53 to 48.

Among boys named in Connecticut in 2013, the leaders were: 1) William, 207; 2) Mason, 198; 3) Jacob, 193; 4) Noah, 192; 5) Michael, 187.

William was also the top ranked boys name in 13 other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky and Minnesota. The top boys name in Massachusetts was Benjamin, the only state in the nation where it ranked first. Among the 50 states and D.C., the top ranked boys names included William, Mason, Jacob, Liam, Noah, Ethan (only in Nevada), and Jayden (only in Florida).

Nationally, the Top 10 names for boys were Noah, Liam, Jacob, Mason, William, Ethan, Michael, Alexander, Jayden and Daniel. The top names for girls were Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Isabella, Ava, Mia, Emily, Abigail, Madison and Elizabeth.

More Bicycling, Walking to Work; New Haven Leads the Way in Connecticut

Connecticut has the smallest percentage of people walking to work among states in the Northeast, and is one of two states with the smallest percentage of people who bicycle to work, according to newly released U.S. Census data.  Nationwide, both walking and bicycling to work are on the rise. Between 2000 and 2008–2012, the number of workers in the U.S. who traveled to work by bicycle increased by 60.8 percent, from about 488,000 in 2000 to about 786,000. This increase in the number of bicycle commuters exceeded the percentage increase of all other travel modes during that period, but the overall share of workers who commute by bicycle remains low, according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey. In 1980, 0.5 percent of workers commuted by bicycle. This rate dropped to 0.4 percent in 1990, where it remained in 2000, before nudging upward in the latest survey.

The 2008–2012 5-year data show that, among the approximately 140 million workers in the United States during that period, 2.8 percent walked to work and 0.6 percent commuted by bicycle, compared with 86.2 percent of workers who drove alone or carpooled to work.

Among the nation’s medium sized-cities, (with populations between 100,000 and 199,999) New Haven ranks at #5 with 12.4 percent walking to work and at #10 with 2.7 percent of the population using bicycles to get to work. Hartford ranks at #10 among the top walk-to-work medium sized cities with 8.2 percent, and did not reach the top 15 in bicyclists.

The top medium-sized cities for percent of the population walking to work were Cambridge, Berkley, Ann Arbor, and Provo, just ahead of New Haven. The top bicycle-to-work medium sized cities were Boulder, Eugene, Berkeley, Cambridge, and Fort Collins.

The nation’s #1 walk-to-work city is Boston (15.1 percent) followed by Washington, Pittsburgh, New York, San Francisco and Madison. For bicycling to work, the top cities are Portland (6.1 percent), Madison, Minneapolis, Boise and Seattle.

The nationwide data indicates that:

• The combined rate of bicycle commuting for the 50 largest U.S. cities increased from 0.6 percent in 2000 to 1.0 percent in 2008–2012.
• The Northeast showed the highest rate of walking to work at 4.7 percent of workers, while the West had the highest rate of biking to work at 1.1 percent. The South had the lowest rate of biking and walking to work.
• Younger workers, those aged 16 to 24, had the highest rate of walking to work at 6.8 percent.
• At 0.8 percent, the rate of bicycle commuting for men was more than double that of women at 0.3 percent.

The percentage of workers age 16 and over who carpool to work is below 10 percent in each of Connecticut’s eight counties, with the exception of Windham County, at 10.5 percent.

Fairfield County has longest commute, most use of mass transit

The average commute to work in Connecticut is about 25 minutes, ranging from 28 minutes in Fairfield County, 27 minutes in Litchfield County, 26 minutes in Windham County, 25 minutes in Middlesex County and Tolland County, to 24 minutes in New Haven County, 23 minutes in New London County, and 22 minutes in Hartford County.

The highest percentage of workers using public transportation to reach their place of employment each day is in Fairfield County, at 8.9 percent, more than double the percentage of the next highest county, New Haven County, at 4.1 percent.

The Census Bureau released a new commuting edition of the interactive map Census Explorer, which gives Web visitors easy click-and-zoom access to commuting statistics for every neighborhood in the U.S. It also shows how commuting has changed since 1990 at the neighborhood, county and state level — including how long it takes to get to work, commutes longer than an hour, and number of bikers. It uses statistics from the American Community Survey, the national source of commuting statistics down to the neighborhood level.

Growing Aging Population Brings Shifting Priorities, Possibilities

“Given the gift of longer life, better health, greater engagement and more possibilities, the fifty-plus generation of today holds new and very different ideals,” A. Barry Rand, CEO of AARP, told a  national AARP convention audience in Boston last week that included more than 250 people from Connecticut. “The old story of aging was about freedom from work. The new story is about freedom to do something different,” he said of what was described as “The Age of Possibilities- America’s second aging revolution.”

With one of the nation’s largest populations of older citizens on a percentage basis, the changes ring especially true in Connecticut. Past U.S. Census data, for example, indicates that Connecticut has consistently ranked in the top tier of states in the percentage of residents age 65 and older, and as high as 5th (2010 census) in the percentage of population age 85 and older.  The Connecticut Post reported back in 2010 that Connecticut,  in less than a decade, moved from 15th in state rankings by the U.S. Census Bureau of people 65 years old and over to ninth-place -- seventh if those 60 and over are counted.

Between 2000 and 2010, Connecticut’s 65 and older population grew by 7.7 percent and the states’ 85 and older population grew by 32.1 percent, according to the U.S. Census.   Rand cited a series of national statistics that not only underscored his premise, but reflect that the demographic shift is already underway. Rand noted:

• Most people turning 50 today can expect to live another 30-plus years.
• They have over half their adult lives ahead of them. That’s more time than they spent in childhood, in adolescence, and for many, it’s more time than they spent working.
• By 2030, one in every three Americans will have reached the age of 50.
• At the same time, 10,000 people a day are turning 65 — and that will continue for the next 17 years.
• The fastest growing age group consists of people 85-plus.
• We’re quickly approaching a time when people 65 and older will outnumber children 15 and under for the first time in history.

“This reflects a monumental change in our social structure and how we live our lives,” Rand said.  AARP officials said that in Connecticut over the next 15 years (2010 to 2025), the total population is projected to grow by 275,254, an increase of eight percent. When looked at by age group, however, more distinct differences emerge:

• The percentage of individuals under age 18 will decrease by 11 percent.
• The percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 will only increase by three percent.
• In contrast, the percent of individuals age 65 and over will increase substantially, by 63 percent, due to the aging of the Baby Boom generation.

The Populations Reference Bureau reports that projections of the entire older population (which includes the pre-baby-boom cohorts born before 1946) suggest that 71.4 million people will be age 65 or older in 2029.

In Connecticut, when the state Department on Aging was established last year, officials indicated that the 65 and older population made up 14 percent of the state's population and was expected to grow to 21.5 percent of the population by 2030.