Email This Story
Print This StoryOther News Video |
Sprawling Suburbs May Fuel Obesity
Study Finds More Pedestrian Deaths In U.S. Than Europe
POSTED: 6:06 p.m. EDT August 28, 2003
WASHINGTON -- Sprawl in the suburbs leads to sprawl around the waist, according to a new study that found people who depend more on cars walk less and are fatter.
A study from the National Center for Smart Growth looked at data from more than 200,000 people living in 448 counties and 83 metropolitan areas. They found that Americans who live in the most compact areas walk 79 minutes more in their leisure time per month and weigh about 6 pounds less than people in the most sprawling areas. As sprawl increased, so did weight and blood pressure.
The findings are published in the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
"Poor accessibility is the common denominator of urban sprawl -- nothing is within easy walking distance of anything else," said lead researcher Reid Ewing, of Rutgers University.
Ewing calls for communities to be more inviting for walkers and bikers.
Some of the most compact or least sprawled counties are the New York City boroughs, San Francisco County and Hudson County in New Jersey. Counties with the highest levels of sprawl include Goochland Country in the Richmond, Va., area and Geauga County near Cleveland.
Smart Growth America is a coalition of nearly 100 advocacy organizations that studies metropolitan expansion's effects on the environment, quality of life and economic sustainability.
A separate Rutgers study found that walking or biking a mile is more risky in the United States than in Germany or the Netherlands.
The study, conducted by John Pucher of Rutgers University and Lewis Dijkstra of the European Commission, found that Americans are two to six times more likely to be killed on the road than German or Dutch pedestrians. The odds of death or injury greater in America even though Europeans walked and biked more.
The report, which was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
The researchers said the Europeans design their cites to be safer. For instance, streets in Germany and the Netherlands have more car-free zones, median islands, well-marked crosswalks, and bike paths and lanes joined in a coordinated network lacking in American cities.
"Repeated waves of fad diets, rising memberships in health clubs, exercise equipment in more homes, diet pills and liposuction have all been total failures in fighting the current obesity epidemic," Pucher said. "Why not try integrating walking and cycling into the daily travel routines of Americans?"
Additional Resources:
A study from the National Center for Smart Growth looked at data from more than 200,000 people living in 448 counties and 83 metropolitan areas. They found that Americans who live in the most compact areas walk 79 minutes more in their leisure time per month and weigh about 6 pounds less than people in the most sprawling areas. As sprawl increased, so did weight and blood pressure.
The findings are published in the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
"Poor accessibility is the common denominator of urban sprawl -- nothing is within easy walking distance of anything else," said lead researcher Reid Ewing, of Rutgers University.
Ewing calls for communities to be more inviting for walkers and bikers.
Some of the most compact or least sprawled counties are the New York City boroughs, San Francisco County and Hudson County in New Jersey. Counties with the highest levels of sprawl include Goochland Country in the Richmond, Va., area and Geauga County near Cleveland.
Smart Growth America is a coalition of nearly 100 advocacy organizations that studies metropolitan expansion's effects on the environment, quality of life and economic sustainability.
A separate Rutgers study found that walking or biking a mile is more risky in the United States than in Germany or the Netherlands.
The study, conducted by John Pucher of Rutgers University and Lewis Dijkstra of the European Commission, found that Americans are two to six times more likely to be killed on the road than German or Dutch pedestrians. The odds of death or injury greater in America even though Europeans walked and biked more.
The report, which was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
The researchers said the Europeans design their cites to be safer. For instance, streets in Germany and the Netherlands have more car-free zones, median islands, well-marked crosswalks, and bike paths and lanes joined in a coordinated network lacking in American cities.
"Repeated waves of fad diets, rising memberships in health clubs, exercise equipment in more homes, diet pills and liposuction have all been total failures in fighting the current obesity epidemic," Pucher said. "Why not try integrating walking and cycling into the daily travel routines of Americans?"
Additional Resources:Copyright 2003 by KIROTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News Images & Video
Images In the News | kirotv.com Video |
SLIDESHOW: Crash Leaves Bus On Its Side
