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Idaho
Suburban sprawl is inducing a sedentary lifestyle ...
Suburban sprawl is inducing a sedentary lifestyle, making adults and children in car-dependent suburbs walk and exercise less, which increases their risk of obesity, heart disorders and other illnesses, and costs the nation $150 billion a year in health-related societal expenses, said a health scientist from the federal Centers for Disease Control, Richard Killingsworth, at a forum held by the City Club of Boise and Idaho Smart Growth. He cited the center's ongoing research, along with data he and Jean Lamming published in the July issue of Urban Land. Although 25 percent of trips are shorter than a mile, 75 percent of them are made by car. Among adults, 61 percent are overweight and almost 25 percent obese. Among children, 25 percent are overweight and only 10 percent walk or bike to school, in contrast to a majority a generation ago. The number of states with 15 percent of their populations obese jumped from four in 1991 to 49 last year. Inactivity has become second to smoking as a factor in disease or premature death, claiming more than 200,000 lives, or about 10 percent of the yearly toll, by 1996. As part of the center's Active Community Environment initiative, reports Craig Quintana of The Idaho Statesman, the scientist outlined a five-prong strategy for improving national fitness. Design neighborhoods where schools and stores can be reached without cars; make places pedestrian-friendly with attractive plazas and sidewalks; reacquaint children with outdoors and local nature; ensure that they can safely walk or bike to school; and make whole neighborhoods busier and thus safer, since local activity deters crimes. 10/2/2001
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