CDC Sprawl Study May Be Fake

Several newspapers and other news sources have recently reported that a study published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has warned about the health dangers of living in the suburbs. Public health officials, the study says, must support smart growth in order to promote a healthy, productive population.In fact, the study is NOT a CDC report and was probably written without the official endorsement or even knowledge of the CDC. Instead, the report, which is titled "Creating a Healthy Environment: The Impact of the Built Environment on Public Health," was published by SprawlWatch Clearinghouse, a smart-growth group. The report lists the authors as Dr. Richard Jackson and Chris Kochtitzky, both of whom work for the CDC. The report's cover prominently displays the words "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" underneath the author's names. While this indicates their affiliation, many news sources have misconstrued it to mean that CDC published the report. The report's true publisher, SprawlWatch, has done nothing to correct this error and has obviously enjoyed a great media success.