Posted on 09/27/2004 7:20:38 AM PDT by traumer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Living in the suburbs may have once been part of the American dream but it can lead to nightmares such as high blood pressure, arthritis and headaches, researchers reported on Monday.
An adult living somewhere like Atlanta, with its spread-out suburbs and car-heavy culture, will have a health profile that looks like that of someone who lives in Seattle -- but who is four years older, the study found.
And the culprit seems to be exercise, or the lack of it, the researchers report in the October issue of the journal Public Health.
"This is the first study that analyzes suburban sprawl and a broad range of chronic health conditions," said Roland Sturm, an economist at the Rand Corp.'s Rand Health unit who helped write the study.
"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. This probably plays an important role in the health effects we observe."
The differences between city and suburban people held even when Sturm's team took into account factors such as age, economic status, race and the local environment.
"To improve our health, the study suggests that we should build cities where people feel comfortable walking and are not so dependent on cars," said Deborah Cohen, another Rand researcher.
There was no link between suburban sprawl and mental health. The RAND team found no differences in the rates of depression, anxiety and psychological well-being between people living in downtown areas and those in suburbs.
The Rand team looked at a survey of 8,600 people funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These people, living in 38 metropolitan areas across the country, were asked a variety of questions about their health and well-being in 1998 and 2001.
It defined sprawling suburban areas as those with poorly connected streets such as cul-de-sacs, separated areas for schools, housing and shops and a lower population density.
The most extreme examples included the Riverside-San Bernardino region of California, Atlanta and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Dense urban areas where people lived close to each other and the schools and shops included New York City, San Francisco and Boston.
It's Bush's fault. No one had any problems before he was elected. Except during Reagan's term. And Nixon's.
/sarcasm. I'd love to get a job as a researcher and get fat government grants to study stuff that people either already know, or don't care about.
It's WHAT comes with the living in suburbs....
- like KEEPING UP WITH JONESES !!
The problem with many suburbs is they don't have a town center that you can walk to, enjoy and feel that you are part of a community. They are built without a heart, as it were. You have to get in your car to get just about anything.
But in the United States, the cities are infested with liberals. In fact, they are dominated by liberals. It kind of ruins it.
I know what you mean.
Unfortunately there are some people that do not understand the difference between suburban and non-suburban residential areas (aka rural). We had the misfortune of discovering that the hard way last year when the appraiser used by the bank to approve our mortgage used suburban comparisons rather than rural. what an absolute nightmare that was.
But I will take rural living over urban or suburban any day!!!!
There is some merit to this, although I doubt the motivation for the piece is the same as my take on it.
I used to live in a Maryland suburb of DC, 2 months ago I moved to rural Tennessee. My commute time is the same now as it was before, appx. 1 hr. But for some reason I have lost 10 pounds in two months and generally feel much better than I did when I lived in suburbia.
I think it's because I don't see nearly as many Kerry stickers as before, but my wife says it's because the yardwork that I could once tackle in a 1/2 hour now takes 3 days. Either way I'm much happier.
I wouldn't mind rural, either; however, the logistics of rural when you've got active kids are too car-intensive.
Robert Wood Johnson foundation one of the richest leftie foundatons going - is for bigger govt. and will find any excuse to expand big government.
From a website:
"The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for example, has embarked on a $16.8 million plan, called Communities in Charge, "to expand health care access," and a $47 million program, called Covering Kids, "to promote child health insurance programs." The latter, notes the Capital Research Center publication, "will fund partnerships between nonprofits and government agencies in all 50 states to promote Medicaid coverage and other insurance programs for children."
Canada is suburb of the USA.
how about out in the country??? miles from any LARGE city.
The original "Creature" is one of my favorite films. Unfortunately, part 2 has not been released on DVD. :(
RWJF donated money to the University of Delaware, where I went, for use by student organizations that would sponsor "alternative events," so students wouldn't go out and get wasted. That was a pretty controversial topic for a bit on campus. My honest opinion is that the drinking age should be lowered to 18. If you can vote, and join the military and possibly die for your country at that age, you should be able to get a drink.
Your neighborhood sounds lovely, but definitely out of our price range :)
You are right about the logistics of rural with children, I only have one, but it seems I spent most of the summer up and down the road to swim lessons, soccer, bible school, etc. But the rural living also allows us to afford those types of things, without me having to go back to fulltime employment.
there are pros and cons to all types of living arrangements - I just find these types of studies to have hidden agenda and take them with a grain of salt. Unfortunately too many folks don't.
I remember that grant to UD, and that was before RWJF took over MADD, but was already well on it's' way to destroying nightlife (bars/clubs) in Delaware with all the grant money it doled out to push the smoking ban.
As to the drinking age - I agree with you. The drinking age was 18 when I turned 18 in NY, and I was already on my own in my 20s in Delaware before NY went to 21. Delaware was already there.
Man, I hate that phrase! Who doesn't have access to health care? I didn't know we legally blocked anyone from acquiring health care. If they want to say "lower the price of health care" or "take money from you to pay from some lazy scmhuck's health care" then say it. Don't be intellectually dishonest. I think we need "to expand Mercedes access".
By the way, this was directed at the Robert Wood Johnson foundation from whence you got the quote, not you.
Heh-heh "Wood Johnson" heh-heh.
That is telling like it is.
another "We know what is best for you" type outfit.
Personally, I am torn on the smoking issue. I really don't like the smell of cigarettes (but I don't mind cigars or pipe smoke), and even before I turned 21, I didn't like the smell in my hair and on my clothes after coming back from a concert or whatever. The DE smoking ban passed shortly after I turned 21, so I got to enjoy the smoke-free environment. On the other hand, I think such legislation is an infringement on private property rights (people don't have to go to restaurants and bars).
Well, to be honest, it would be out of our price range now, also. The price of houses in our part of town has almost doubled since we bought our house 9 years ago. Seems that there are a lot of people hereabouts who don't really want to live in the suburbs....
I understand, and I am not looking to get into a discussion on the pros/cons of the ban.
My point for mentioning it was in reference to RWJF's not so subtle attempt at backdooring prohibition through further government regulation of certain types of business
It will not surprise me if this study is used in another of their attacks on the fast food industry. I tend to notice more of the chain type places on the highways of suburban/rural areas than in major metro areas.
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