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Obesity and Sprawl Correlation Found in Australia

Posted by: Nate Berg

21 December 2008 - 5:00am

A new study from the University of New South Wales has outlined a connection that suggests living farther away from central cities results in higher rates of obesity.

"University of NSW researchers, in conjunction with the NSW Department of Health, examined residents in 40 local government areas across Sydney."

"They found those living in the outer suburbs were 30 to 50 per cent more at risk of being overweight and 40 to 60 per cent less likely to be physically active than their inner-city counterparts."

"Professor Jalaludin said the lack of urban development in more sparsely populated areas meant people were less encouraged to walk."

"'We hypothesised that areas with greater population density had more mixed land use and commercial development, which means more places to walk to,' he said."

"The study also connected car use in sprawling areas to obesity."

Full Story: How city living fights the waistband sprawl
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, December 13, 2008
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“
But what can planners do to support the kind of connections between people I just described? One idea is promoting mixed-use places where there are simply more opportunities for people to run into each other and connect.
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