New Study Reaffirms That Cars Make People Fat

New Study Reaffirms That Cars Make People Fat | Autopia from Wired.com

New Study Reaffirms That Cars Make People Fat
By Dave Demerjian EmailDecember 15, 2008 | 4:00:00 PMCategories: Urban Planning & Development

The correlation between exercise and health certainly isn't new, but it's still startling to be reminded of the role transportation plays in our sedentary lifestyles. Walking, Cycling, and Obesity Rates in Europe, North America, and Australia, a recent study from the University of Tennessee's David Bassett and John Pucher of Rutgers, shows an irrefutably strong connection between the way a country gets around and the weight of its population.

"Countries with the highest levels of active transportation generally had the lowest obesity rates," the study concludes, defining active transportation as walking, biking, or taking transit. "Walking and bicycling are far more common in European countries than in the United States, Australia, and Canada. Active transportation is inversely related to obesity in these countries."

In the United States, the news is especially bad. Just nine percent of US residents walk to get where they need to go, one percent ride a bike, and two percent take the bus. Our obesity rate, at a whopping 25 to 33 percent, is the highest in the world.

Compare the US numbers with those from a handful of European countries, and the relationship between transportation and health becomes even clearer.

Latvia: 67% of the population uses active transportation, 14% obese
Sweden: 62% active transportation, 9% obese
Netherlands: 52% active transportation, 11% obese
Canada: 19% active transportation, 23% obese
Australia: 14% active transportation, 21% obese
United States: 12% active transportation, <25% obese

On average, European walk 237 miles and cycle 116 miles per year, while their US counterparts walk 87 miles and bike 24. That translates into a fat burn of five to nine pounds per year for Europeans and two pounds for Americans. Looking at it another way, the Swiss walk an average of 9,700 steps per day, compared with 7,200 for the Japanese, and 5,900 for residents of South Carolina, USA. The obesity numbers correlate just as you'd expect.

While it would be easy to simply chalk these numbers up to American laziness and gluttony, it's not that simple. True, Americans drive more – and have been conditioned to do so – but that's in part because they live in a country where homes, workplaces, schools, and shopping are spread out over a wide area. Europeans, on the other hand, are more likely to live in or near a compact city center more conducive to transit and other active transportation forms. And even if Americans wanted to leave their cars in the driveway, there are fewer bike lanes, walking trails, and commuter trains to support alternative transportation.

We should be careful not to make the findings of this report another reason to American bash. Yes, we as a nation need to drive less and hop on a bike once in a while. And yes, there needs to be a cultural shift away from the automobile culture. But the government needs to come to the plate too, but building an infrastructure that supports alternative transportation.