Suburban Obesity

“UBC professor making big splash in U.S. journals by linking driving and obesity”:http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=d1c512c0-7122-4838-bc64-92c6afeed8de

bq. Frank found that the average white male living in a community lined with shops and other businesses is expected to weigh 10 pounds less than a man living in a residential-only subdivision.

bq. “Every additional 30 minutes spent in a car each day translates into a three per cent greater chance of being obese,” he said from his home in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, which he proclaims the most walkable in the world.

bq. “We also found that people who live in neighbourhoods with a mix of shops and businesses within easy walking distance are seven per cent less likely to be obese, lowering their relative risk of obesity by 35 per cent.”

I’ve gained 10 pounds since I started driving to work last December… ugh.

posted at 9:31 am on Tuesday, June 01, 2004 in Health | Comments (1)

1 Comment

  1. Jeff K says:
    2004-06-01 at 23:35

    At the risk of rehashing an old topic… I’ve never found a shop I want to go to that I could, would or should live within walking distance of. I gained 3-4 pounds while sweating and walking in Mexico last week, where they had very tasty food, and I thought the walking would cut me some slack on my diet. Use the Weight Watchers 20 mins exercise = 1 point scheme. It’s true, and walking counts for very little, and I believe it — more so now with experience. [Btw, this sounds like a random lifestyle-correlation statistical anomoly to me]

    Hm, I have so little cultural baggage, there could be no one neighbourhood full of suitable shops for me, I don’t think.

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