1er June 2004 – The risk of being overweight – or even obese – would be higher when living in the suburbs, according to a study conducted by Dr.r Lawrence Frank of the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Holder of the Bombardier Chair in sustainable modes of transportation at UBC, Mr. Frank compared, over two years, the lifestyle and transportation habits of 10,500 residents of the Atlanta region, in order to verify their impact on their weight.
The researcher’s first observation: the development of the suburbs encourages a sedentary lifestyle among its inhabitants, forcing them to use a motor vehicle for the slightest trips. He estimates that every half hour spent behind the wheel increases the risk of becoming obese by 3%.
At the same time, Frank says he has discovered that city people, who live within walking distance of shops and their workplaces, are 7% less likely to become obese. More concretely, a man living in the heart of the city and doing his shopping on foot weighs, on average, four kilograms less than a commuter of the same age with a similar socio-economic status.
These preliminary results were unveiled at a conference on obesity and the built environment, organized by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.1. The study, titled Obesity Relationships with Community Design, Physical Activity and Time Spent in Cars, is due for publication this summer in theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine2.
As a possible solution, the author of the study suggests reviewing the way in which urban plans are conceived. For example, by tripling in particular the number of shops and services within walking distance of residences, we would encourage people to walk or pedal more, he believes.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to PC and SRC
1 To access the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: www.niehs.nih.gov/
2 To access the American Journal of Prevention Medicine: www.sciencedirect.com/
