THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2003

A new national study finds that residents of sprawling counties are more likely to be obese or have high blood pressure, and that the increased risk is associated with living in auto-oriented areas that suppress walking. In Florida, Nassau County in the Jacksonville metro area was found to have the highest degree of risk, while Miami-Dade County had the least.

The peer-reviewed study, appearing in this month's edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion, found that people who live in more sprawling counties are likely to walk less, weigh more, and are more likely to have high blood pressure. The research was based on health data collected from more than 200,000 residents of 448 counties in major metropolitan areas across the United States.

"We need to use this information to look squarely at ourselves," notes Dr. Abbey Strauss of West Palm Beach. "Lifestyles play a central role in our health, and this study reveals the tremendous need to restructure our communities to promote healthier living." Strauss serves on the national board of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

"People need more choices, so they can walk out the door of their homes and get healthy physical activity," says Charles Pattison, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Florida. "The way we design our communities is important. We can add sidewalks and bike paths and employ traffic calming strategies to make walking and biking safer in existing communities. We should design new communities to make it easier to walk to schools and shops. The key is to build more physical activity into our daily lives."

Calculations based on the study's findings show that residents in outlying Nassau and Clay counties in the Jacksonville metro area and Hernando County in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area are more likely to have hypertension and be obese than residents in the more urbanized Dade (Miami), Broward (Fort Lauderdale), Pinellas (St. Petersburg), Orange (Orlando), Duval (Jacksonville), and Hillsborough (Tampa) counties.

Study calculations also reveal that an average resident of Nassau County is likely to weigh about one and a quarter pounds more than an average resident of Dade County. From a public health standpoint, this is a significant difference. The study controlled for factors such as sex, age, education, and race or ethnicity.

The study used national land use data to assign sprawl scores to counties, and an annual national health survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control to investigate the health status of residents in those counties. Regional scores are available in a report based on the study's findings prepared by Smart Growth America and the Surface Transportation Policy Project.

Nationally, the study found that every fifty-point increase in the degree of sprawl was associated with a weight gain of just over one pound for an average person. People in more sprawling areas walk less for exercise, and weigh more whether or not they exercise. The study says these results may indicate that people in more sprawling areas have fewer chances to stay fit through routine physical activity, because they cannot walk to the store or other destinations close to their homes.

Another recent national study found that almost 65 percent of the adult population is overweight, and almost one in three people is obese. In the past 25 years, the portion of children 6-11 who are overweight has doubled, while the portion of overweight teens has tripled. Researchers stress that no matter the degree of sprawl identified in the new study, community leaders should do more to increase opportunities for walking, biking, and other physical activity.

According to Lisa Whidden, RN, President of the Florida/Puerto Rico Affiliate of the American Heart Association, "Simply walking 30 minutes a day can have a measurable impact in terms of reducing risk for heart disease and stroke - Florida's number one and number three killers. Obesity and physical inactivity account for about half of the 65,000 heart disease and stroke deaths that occur in Florida every year."

She continues, "Because of this, we support efforts that will help ensure that new road construction and infrastructure projects will include sidewalks, bike lanes, raised crosswalks (or pedestrian overpasses as they are sometimes called), and other facilities that will more easily and safely accommodate walking and bicycling in our communities."

Pattison of 1000 Friends goes on to note that, despite growing support for bicycle and pedestrian facilities, federal funding is threatened. "Within weeks, Congress is expected to vote on an appropriations bill that would eliminate funding for the popular Transportation Enhancements Program." Since 1991, this program has funded the construction of more than 8000 such facilities across the country.

The study is one of a number of articles on the health impact of sprawling development published in special issues of the American Journal of Health Promotion, available at www.healthpromotionjournal.com, and the American Journal of Public Health, available at www.ajph.org. Editors of the Journals issued joint news releases to discuss their findings.

The report, "The Health Effects of Sprawl," is available at www.smartgrowthamerica.org. Smart Growth America is a coalition of nearly 100 advocacy organizations that have a stake in how metropolitan expansion affects our environment, quality of life and economic sustainability. Our diverse coalition partners include national, state and local groups working on behalf of the environment, historic preservation, social equity, land conservation, neighborhood redevelopment, farmland protection, labor, and town planning.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project is a diverse, nationwide coalition working to ensure safer communities and smarter transportation choices that enhance the economy, improve public health, promote social equity, and protect the environment.

1000 Friends of Florida, at www.1000friendsofflorida.org, is a statewide nonprofit growth management organization dedicated to fighting sprawl, saving special places, and building better communities across Florida.