Is Suburbia Just A Scapegoat For Obesity?

A new study challenges the growing body of research linking suburban living to obesity -- citing that people's eating and exercise habits more likely dictate where they live, not vice versa.

1 minute read

November 2, 2006, 2:00 PM PST

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera

"Don't blame your ballooning waistline on urban sprawl, say researchers at the University of Toronto.

Despite numerous studies that have blamed obesity on suburban living, researchers at the U of T, the London School of Economics and Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain say people who are at risk of becoming obese choose to move to the suburbs because they prefer to drive, not walk."

The study tracked 6000 people for six years, monitoring their weight as they moved to/from dense or more sprawling communities.

"The results, according to the researchers, demonstrate that while people might move to different neighbourhoods, that change in their environment didn't necessarily affect their weight."

FULL STORY: Obesity, urban sprawl link questioned

Wednesday, November 1, 2006 in Ottawa Citizen via Canada.com

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