No sex in the suburbs.
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.
Absolutely! I wouldn't put it past them.
No sex in the suburbs.
Sounds like you bought in the right place at the right time.
When we moved last year we went from living in a city of about 40,000 to a county of about 40,000. We are expecting property values to start exploding around here in the next few years because the amount of developable land is shrinking.
For example the 80 acre farm across the road from us is currently for sale because the person that bought it last year didn't do his homework - unless he wants to build a waste and water system, it can not be subdivided as the land will not perk for new wells.
the school system is terrific, the people are very conservative and while I do tend to put more miles on the car to get where I need to go I actually spend less time than when living in the city. All in all, I'm happy.
In the case of my family - this study is BUNK!!!! about the only good thing I can say about it is that it was funded by a government grant.
Just looking at your profile page -- your little cookie monster looks exactly like one of my nieces at that age...
I'm not a big fan of fast-food, primarily because it's cheaper for me to cook at home, but do occassionally "indulge."
Lots of times it's just easier if we are out and about to hit the drive through, rather than going into a sit down place - especially with a 6 year old!!! I'd much rather let her eat a Happy meal in the car and then take her to the park then have her get all antsy waiting for table service.
LOL!!!!
Hopefully your niece only looks (and doesn't act) like mine!!!!
I would rather live in a European city than anywhere on earth. I don't even need a car.
I like where I live. Close enough to NYC so I can hop on a train and am there in thirty minutes. Then I get to come back to my fish pond and backyard with grass *lol*
Paris reminded me of New York City. I'd get a scooter if I lived in Paris. I'd live in Venice because you have to walk EVERYWHERE *lol*
London, sure. Barcelona, yeah. Paris, nope.
Let's see, what are they really after? "Free" health care for suburbanites, paid for by themselves through taxes, or maybe more money for inner-city "programs", or pour more into schools, or maybe they just want more money for themselves to study it some more - BINGO!
I felt more safe in New York City at night than I did in Paris. The hotel manager warned me not to go out on the street after dark which I found strange. It was only 11 but the streets are really dead and I noticed not as well lit as what I'm used to. I live in a suburb now, but I don't care who lives around me just as long as I get left alone.
How to shut up a liberal:
Next time one of these libs cites this study as to why suburbs are bad and should be legislated out of existance with new 'smart growth' laws, ask them if they really want restrict lifestyle choices with laws. They'll come back with the argument that the health care costs from these 'bad lifestyle choices' are a burden on society. Then hang them with their own words by forcing them into a liberal Sophie's Choice, by noting that homosexual males have a life expectancy nearly 2 decades shorter than straight males, AIDS treatment is extremely expensive, so are they saying that for societal good legislation should also be introduced to restrict the gay lifestyle?
Conditions such as hypertension, joint pain and headavches are too often self-diagnosed and largely untreated and reflect more the current attitude of the respondent than any underlying illness or disease.
The 'burbs are the worst combination of city and rural. In either urban or rural areas, it's fun to get out and walk/hike, see the sites (city), feel nature (rural), etc.
In the 'burbs, about all you can do (unless there is a city center) is walk the neighborhood. And unless it's pre-50s, the neighborhood is going to be look-alike tract homes.
We used to live right by the beach in a congested part of LA's beach cities; when we had our first kid, we moved down to OC into a larger house. Even though we're now only 1.5 miles from the beach, it took a little adjusting to get out and about.
I swear I gained 10-15 lbs over last 4 years before I figured out how to deal with this new lifestyle (ie driving a car everywhere) and lose the weight.
The hotel address was 15 Place Du Havre. I don't think that's where you were. The guys that hang out at night are a bit too aggressive though. You're right about Rudy fixing up the city. I lost weight going to Europe last year. The exchange rate and food prices were awful.
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