Sprawl link to fat tenuous

For some time now urban planners have been trying to convince people that the suburbs are bad for us. They claim that living in the "burbs" means that suburbanites are dependent on cars and don't get enough exercise and contributes to obesity. According to urban plannerslLiving in high density housing around transport nodes is better for our health.

Now a study has come out to put that far fetched theory to rest.

"There's a lot of talk about redesigning cities and the expectation that they will affect people's health and weight in particular, but what these results tell us is that those expectations are probably incorrect," said Professor Matthew Turner of the University of Toronto and a co-author of the study.

Moreover, data was released from the Flinders University Achieving a Healthy Home Environment study which surveyed the homes and lifestyles of 280 families in the southern suburbs of Adelaide and found that the size and set-up of homes contributed largely to how fit and healthy young children were. Larger section meant healthier kids.

Sprawl link to fat tenuous - 05 Apr 2008 - NZ Herald