----- Original Message ----- From: Carl Remick To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 9:46 AM Subject: [lbo-talk] 'Burbs as health hazard
[As a onetime city dweller turned suburbanite, I well know the weight-gain risk caused by car-dependent living. I try to keep pounds off via aerobic fretting.]
US scientists warn of out-of-town health hazard
Patrick Barkham Tuesday September 28, 2004 The Guardian
With their lush green hedges, sturdy semis and well-tended gardens, the suburbs have long been seen as a sanctuary from the stresses of city living. Not any more.
Twitch back the lace curtains and, far from a good life, you'll find that living in the "burbs" can lead to a range of chronic illnesses including high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes and migraines, according to new research.
Scientists writing in the journal Public Health even found that the strain of life in suburbia could leave residents prematurely aged, compared with city dwellers.
The study by the Rand Corporation, an American thinktank, discovered that the health profile of an adult with a home in the spacious suburbs of Atlanta was the same as someone who lived in inner-city Seattle but was four years older.
Roll back the garage doors and you'll find the reason for the suburban malaise, according to the scientists.
Studies have found that inhabitants of sprawling suburbs are dependent on their cars and so walk less, weigh more and suffer from higher blood pressure than their city cousins.
"We know from previous studies that suburban sprawl reduces the time people spend walking and increases the time they spend sitting in cars, and that is associated with higher obesity rates," said Roland Sturm, an economist who helped write the study of more than 8,600 people in 38 metropolitan areas across America.
"This probably plays an important role in the health effects we observe." ...
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1314265,00.html>
Carl ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ============ Also today... from AP via FindLaw: http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/1500/9-28-2004/20040928044502_25.html
Study Links Suburban Sprawl to Ailments
LOS ANGELES (AP) -
Warning: Suburban sprawl may be hazardous to your health.
A report released Monday found that people who live in sprawling metropolitan areas are more likely to report chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and breathing difficulties than residents of more compact cities.
The difference - which remained even when researchers accounted for factors such as age, economic status and race - may have something to do with the way people get around in more spread-out cities. snip~~~~~~~~~~
The report suggests that an adult who lives in a sprawling city such as Atlanta will have health characteristics similar to someone four years older, but otherwise similar, who lives in a more compact city like Seattle.
The report is not the first to suggest that sprawl cramps a healthy lifestyle. Last year, major studies found that residents of such areas weighed more than their counterparts in walkable cities like New York.
The study was based on information from a telephone survey, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that questioned adults about their physical and mental health in 1998 and 2001. The study analyzed information from more than 8,600 people in 38 metropolitan areas. snip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regions considered to have the worst suburban sprawl included Atlanta; Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Bridgeport-Danbury-Stamford, Conn., the report said. Regions with the least amount of sprawl included New York City, San Francisco, Boston and Portland, Ore.
The findings appear in the October edition of the journal Public Health.
2004-09-28 11:38:23 GMT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/1500/9-28-2004/20040928044502_25.html =============================