Motor vehicles are culprits for obesity in Americans
Posted on 22. Aug, 2010 by admin in Health
US researchers say that countries where walking or cycling are commonly done show fewer obese people than the countries where cars are favored.
The American researchers point at European countries to have fewer obese people than Australians or Americans.
David Bassett Jr. from University of Tennessee, Knoxville says that bicycling or walking will foster healthier communities as compared to communities where driving cars is chosen as the most favored means to get around.
Bassett et al., have done one study on “active travel” in about 16 countries which included United States too and they arrived at conclusion that places with highest walking and cycling had obese people in fewer numbers as regards the places with the lowest walking and biking rates.
Besides, Bassett and his colleagues also reported a difference of 30% in the obesity rate among states and cities in US linked to rates in walking and cycling at the respective places.
However the study also says that differences in built environment for encouraging physical activity such as walking and cycling, street connectivity, availability of the public transit system and housing density affect people to use active transport for daily commuting.
The analysis and report of Bassett and his colleagues were published in American Journal of Public Health.
