BIKE: sprawl unhealthy

[Thorne]

In a nutshell, living in a sprawled city adds four years to your age.  Who can
afford that?

Sept. 27, 2004  |  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Warning: Suburban sprawl may be
hazardous to your health. A report released Monday found that people who live
in sprawling metropolitan areas are more likely to report chronic health
problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and breathing
difficulties than residents of more compact cities. 

The difference -- which remained even when researchers accounted for factors
such as age, economic status and race -- may have something to do with the way
people get around in more spread-out cities. 

"People drive more in these areas; they walk less," said Roland Sturm,
co-author of the report by Rand Corp., a nonprofit research group. 

The report suggests that an adult who lives in a sprawling city such as
Atlanta will have health characteristics similar to someone four years older,
but otherwise similar, who lives in a more compact city like Seattle. 
  
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The study analyzed information from more than 8,600 people in 38 metropolitan
areas. 

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The findings appear in the October edition of the journal Public Health.