Study: Driving longer means larger waists

Monday, May 31, 2004 =B7 Last updated 7:48 a.m. PT

Study: Driving longer means larger waists

By DANIEL YEE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ATLANTA -- Spending more time behind the wheel - and less time on two feet
- is adding inches to waistlines and contributing to the nation's obesity
epidemic, a new study concludes.

The survey of 10,500 metro Atlanta residents found that for every extra 30
minutes commuters drove each day, they had a 3 percent greater chance of
being obese than their peers who drove less.

The survey also found that people who lived within walking distance of
shops - less than a half mile - were 7 percent less likely to be obese than=

their counterparts who had to drive.

"The more driving you do means you're going to weigh more - the more
walking means you're going to weigh less," said Lawrence Frank, associate
professor at the University of British Columbia who oversaw the study when
he worked at Georgia Tech.

That much seems obvious, but researchers were surprised to discover that
how much time a person spent driving had a greater impact on whether a
person was obese than other factors such as income, education, gender or
ethnicity.

About 91 percent of the people surveyed said they didn't walk to
destinations. Many spent more than an hour each day in their cars.

The study is one of the first to look at the link between the environment
and obesity, said Kelly Brownell, chairman of Yale University's psychology
department and director of its Center for Eating and Weight Disorders.

"Studies of this type are very important because they show factors in our
environment that can either help or hurt our waistline," said Brownell, who=

was not involved in the study. "These results show that the environment,
affecting our physical activity, is quite influential."

In the study, which is expected to appear in the June issue of the American=

Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers tracked participants' travel
behavior and measured their height and weight from 2000 to 2002.

The study focused on Atlanta, but Frank said the city is not alone.

"Most regions look very similar to Atlanta - anything that's built after
World War II is pretty much auto-oriented," he said. "We need to start to
look at the way we're designing our communities ... the collective impact
of having to drive everywhere is becoming really large."

Suburban, white men typically weighed about 10 pounds more than men who
lived in dense urban areas with shops and services, according to the study,=

which will be presented Thursday at a national obesity conference in
Virginia.

The study was paid for by $4 million in grants from the Georgia Department
of Transportation, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Atlanta Regional
Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency also participated.

---

On The Net:

Georgia Institute of Technology: http://www.gatech.edu/

Nonsense...

Neutron wrote:
: Monday, May 31, 2004 · Last updated 7:48 a.m. PT
:
: Study: Driving longer means larger waists
:
: By DANIEL YEE
: ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
:
: ATLANTA -- Spending more time behind the wheel - and less time on two
: feet - is adding inches to waistlines and contributing to the
: nation's obesity epidemic, a new study concludes.
:
: The survey of 10,500 metro Atlanta residents found that for every
: extra 30 minutes commuters drove each day, they had a 3 percent
: greater chance of being obese than their peers who drove less.
:
: The survey also found that people who lived within walking distance of
: shops - less than a half mile - were 7 percent less likely to be
: obese than their counterparts who had to drive.
:
: "The more driving you do means you're going to weigh more - the more
: walking means you're going to weigh less," said Lawrence Frank,
: associate professor at the University of British Columbia who oversaw
: the study when he worked at Georgia Tech.
:
: That much seems obvious, but researchers were surprised to discover
: that how much time a person spent driving had a greater impact on
: whether a person was obese than other factors such as income,
: education, gender or ethnicity.
:
: About 91 percent of the people surveyed said they didn't walk to
: destinations. Many spent more than an hour each day in their cars.
:
: The study is one of the first to look at the link between the
: environment and obesity, said Kelly Brownell, chairman of Yale
: University's psychology department and director of its Center for
: Eating and Weight Disorders.
:
: "Studies of this type are very important because they show factors in
: our environment that can either help or hurt our waistline," said
: Brownell, who was not involved in the study. "These results show that
: the environment, affecting our physical activity, is quite
: influential."
:
: In the study, which is expected to appear in the June issue of the
: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers tracked
: participants' travel behavior and measured their height and weight
: from 2000 to 2002.
:
: The study focused on Atlanta, but Frank said the city is not alone.
:
: "Most regions look very similar to Atlanta - anything that's built
: after World War II is pretty much auto-oriented," he said. "We need
: to start to look at the way we're designing our communities ... the
: collective impact of having to drive everywhere is becoming really
: large."
:
: Suburban, white men typically weighed about 10 pounds more than men
: who lived in dense urban areas with shops and services, according to
: the study, which will be presented Thursday at a national obesity
: conference in Virginia.
:
: The study was paid for by $4 million in grants from the Georgia
: Department of Transportation, Georgia Regional Transportation
: Authority and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
: The Atlanta Regional Commission and the Environmental Protection
: Agency also participated.
:
: ---
:
: On The Net:
:
: Georgia Institute of Technology: http://www.gatech.edu/

On Mon, 31 May 2004 14:18:10 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
wrote:

Nonsense...

It doesn't say that if you drive longer you *will* be heavier, it says
the longer you drive the more *likely* you will be overweight. A
similar study is found he

http://www.autonet.ca/AutonetStories...?storyID=12045

It makes sense if you think about it. Do you get more exercise
driving to the store or walking to the store?
--
Brandon Sommerville (remove ".gov" to e-mail)

Cheney Wows Sept. 11 Commission By Drinking
Glass Of Water While Bush Speaks
http://www.theonion.com/index.php?issue=4016

Brandon Sommerville wrote:
:: On Mon, 31 May 2004 14:18:10 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
:: wrote:
::
::: Nonsense...
::
:: It doesn't say that if you drive longer you *will* be heavier, it
:: says the longer you drive the more *likely* you will be overweight.
:: A similar study is found he
::
:: http://www.autonet.ca/AutonetStories...?storyID=12045
::
:: It makes sense if you think about it. Do you get more exercise
:: driving to the store or walking to the store?

Nonsense.

The longer you drive, the longer you eat. The longer you drive, the longer
you work, the longer you sit at your desk. The longer you drive, the longer
you live, the longer you overeat and the longer you are sedendary. The
fatter you'll be.

One can draw all kinds of correlations...

Wait a minute, lemme get this straight: they had to spend money on a
STUDY to find this out?!?

Maybe next they'll find out that rainfall contributes to the water supply!

Sheesh...



John

--
To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address


Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. --Beethoven

On Mon, 31 May 2004 15:23:33 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
wrote:

Brandon Sommerville wrote:
:: On Mon, 31 May 2004 14:18:10 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
:: wrote:
::
::: Nonsense...
::
:: It doesn't say that if you drive longer you *will* be heavier, it
:: says the longer you drive the more *likely* you will be overweight.
:: A similar study is found he
::
:: http://www.autonet.ca/AutonetStories...?storyID=12045
::
:: It makes sense if you think about it. Do you get more exercise
:: driving to the store or walking to the store?

Nonsense.

The longer you drive, the longer you eat. The longer you drive, the longer
you work, the longer you sit at your desk. The longer you drive, the longer
you live, the longer you overeat and the longer you are sedendary. The
fatter you'll be.

One can draw all kinds of correlations...


If you drive everywhere, you're getting less exercise than if you
walked to places. The longer you spend sitting down driving, the less
time you have to be moving around. The math is simple.
--
Brandon Sommerville (remove ".gov" to e-mail)

Cheney Wows Sept. 11 Commission By Drinking
Glass Of Water While Bush Speaks
http://www.theonion.com/index.php?issue=4016

Neutron wrote:

Study: Driving longer means larger waists

By DANIEL YEE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ATLANTA -- Spending more time behind the wheel - and less time on two feet
- is adding inches to waistlines and contributing to the nation's obesity
epidemic, a new study concludes.

The survey of 10,500 metro Atlanta residents found that for every extra 30
minutes commuters drove each day, they had a 3 percent greater chance of
being obese than their peers who drove less.

It's not possible to get anywhere in Atlanta in 30 minutes
or less, is it? : )

Marsha/Ohio

In article ,
Marsha wrote:

Neutron wrote:

Study: Driving longer means larger waists

By DANIEL YEE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ATLANTA -- Spending more time behind the wheel - and less time on two feet
- is adding inches to waistlines and contributing to the nation's obesity
epidemic, a new study concludes.

The survey of 10,500 metro Atlanta residents found that for every extra 30
minutes commuters drove each day, they had a 3 percent greater chance of
being obese than their peers who drove less.

It's not possible to get anywhere in Atlanta in 30 minutes
or less, is it? : )

Marsha/Ohio


Sure. If you're going from somewhere inside the perimeter to somewhere
else inside the perimeter, and it's not rush hour.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

Luna wrote:

Neutron wrote:
Study: Driving longer means larger waists

By DANIEL YEE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ATLANTA -- Spending more time behind the wheel - and less time on two feet
- is adding inches to waistlines and contributing to the nation's obesity
epidemic, a new study concludes.

The survey of 10,500 metro Atlanta residents found that for every extra 30
minutes commuters drove each day, they had a 3 percent greater chance of
being obese than their peers who drove less.

It's not possible to get anywhere in Atlanta in 30 minutes
or less, is it? : )

Marsha/Ohio

Sure. If you're going from somewhere inside the perimeter to somewhere
else inside the perimeter, and it's not rush hour.

Okay. It must be a joke then, as a few people I know who
have visited Atlanta came back with the story about not
being able to get from one place to another in any
reasonable amount of time : )

BTW, your new hairstyle is very flattering!

Marsha/Ohio

In article ,
Marsha wrote:

Luna wrote:

Neutron wrote:
Study: Driving longer means larger waists

By DANIEL YEE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ATLANTA -- Spending more time behind the wheel - and less time on two feet
- is adding inches to waistlines and contributing to the nation's obesity
epidemic, a new study concludes.

The survey of 10,500 metro Atlanta residents found that for every extra 30
minutes commuters drove each day, they had a 3 percent greater chance of
being obese than their peers who drove less.

It's not possible to get anywhere in Atlanta in 30 minutes
or less, is it? : )

Marsha/Ohio

Sure. If you're going from somewhere inside the perimeter to somewhere
else inside the perimeter, and it's not rush hour.

Okay. It must be a joke then, as a few people I know who
have visited Atlanta came back with the story about not
being able to get from one place to another in any
reasonable amount of time : )

BTW, your new hairstyle is very flattering!

Marsha/Ohio



Thanks! The problem with Atlanta living is that a lot of people live in
the outlying counties and suburbs, especially the northern ones, and
commute to the city to work. You can get a cheaper, newer, bigger house in
the suburbs than you can in the city, pay lower taxes, and most often have
a better school system.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.