On the Trail of Better Health in South L.A.

The trail was stitched together from several old paths in the Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area and offers sweeping views of the Los Angeles Basin. The target audience is South Los Angeles, where there is little open space and, say health officials, too many health problems tied to sedentary lifestyles and fatty diets.

Lining the Walk for Life Trail in the Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area are large signs offering tips such as "Don't let fried foods and sugary treats crowd out fruits, vegetables and whole grains."

Another sign includes a photo of a doctor checking the blood pressure of an overweight woman. The implied message: Don't let this be you.

"We wanted to build something that anyone could do and it doesn't cost anything," said Esther Feldman, the president of Community Conservancy International, a West L.A. nonprofit that pushed for the project. "Everybody said walking is the No. 1 thing you can do for your health."

The main trail is a three-mile loop, but hikers can also use two shorter loops. Feldman said the nonprofit and other groups will place pamphlets in health centers, churches and schools to inform area residents about the trail.

Others that chipped in with funding and labor were the California Endowment, a philanthropic group that steers money to health-related projects, and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The trail cost an estimated $160,000.

In recent years, public health officials across the nation have been honing a theory that, in essence, says that the circumference of a person's waist is partially determined by where he or she lives.

Whether it's the city or the suburbs, people are thought to get less exercise in areas where there are few parks and sidewalks, more crime and where long commutes are the norm.

Health experts say those problems are magnified in urban areas, where blacks and Latinos tend to live. The rate of heart disease is 29% higher among blacks than whites, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blacks are also more susceptible to fatal stroke and high blood pressure.