The Impact of Low Density Living on American Obesity Rates

The role of urban sprawl and its consequent lifestyle manifestations are implicated in the current reality of an increased obesity rate in modern society. This paper argues that suburbanization and the recent popularized movement out of high-density urban settings and into that of peripheral and low-density settlements are suspect in this the recent increase in American obesity rates.

Urban sprawl and suburbanization are the modern social phenomena by which individuals, once they attain an economic position to avail choice, embark on residential decisions that include the traditional offerings of peripheral settlements which include low-density living. Through the quirks of this low-density living, the built-in mechanisms that avail weight suppression in urban settings like the excess time and exercise that are availed by shorter commutes, are replaced by mechanisms that undermine the natural weight sustaining perks of high-density living. Suburbanization and urban sprawl are prime factors in the modern obesity epidemic that plagues the United States as the direct result of the sedentary lifestyle promoted by low-density suburban living. According to Ewing et al, in a study of the relationship between urban sprawl and obesity, “residents of sprawling counties [are] likely to walk less during leisure time, weigh more, and have greater prevalence of hypertension than residents of compact counties” (Ewing, Schmid, Killingsworth, Zlot and Raudenbush 42).

One of the merits of suburban living is the low-density lifestyle that is attained only through greater proximity to the high density of urban settlements. This increased distance to necessary fixtures such as grocery stores, jobs, friends, and community events eliminates the oft-utilized urban options of walking, bicycling or of simply trekking to a public transportation hub (Plantinga and Bernell 858). This decrease in, or absence of, daily exercise threatens to affect much consequence for suburban health and located obesity rates.

In a similar vein, low-density living precludes the efficiency and thus the appropriateness of public transportation, and as a result, many peripheral settlements are void of the urban perk of quick and efficient transport. Consequently, suburban dwellers must settle into the lifestyle of car commuting which often entails longer travel times and decreased time for leisure engagements such as exercise or activities that may inadvertently promote physical activity. Longer comminutes and the expenses associated with mileage may also function to dissuade suburban residents from engaging in out-of-the-home activities in general. Additionally, a commuting culture has consequences for a healthy diet. In a commentary on the study documenting the relationship between suburbanization and obesity, Daniel Sui stated that “researchers [tallied] the number of fast food outlets per city and checked out the average length of commutes [and] they found that the longer the ride, the greater the chance of excess fat” (75).

Many scholars have linked suburban and rural living to high obesity rates in children. In an article documenting the correlation between trends of activity level and the increased family travel miles endemic to suburban living, Anderson and Butcher argue that sprawl has contributed to increased childhood obesity as the result and responsive action related to an elevated fear of child accident or abduction that accompanies a greater home to school commute” (22-25). In the discussion of a similar study, Lutfiyya et al relate the elevated childhood obesity rate in peripheral settlements to increased engagement in sedentary activities such as TV watching, gaming, and computer usage. This trend of in-home leisure for children often accompanies suburban life as a response, solution and problematic consequence to the double working parent and unattended-child conundrum common to suburban life (Lutfiyya, Lipsky, Wisdom-Behounek and Inpanbutr-Martinkus).

It is no coincidence that the mass movement out of urban centers and into low-density residences accompanies a sharp increase in American obesity rates. The low-density living of urban sprawl’s peripheral settlements has eliminated the already modest amount of exercise that Americans receive in their daily routines and has contributed to a culture of sedentary suburban life.

Works Cited

Anderson, Patricia M., and Kristin F. (Kristin Frances) Butcher. "Childhood Obesity: Trends And Potential Causes." The Future of Children 16.1 (2006): 19-45. Print.

Ewing, R., Schmid, T., Killingsworth, R., Zlot, A., Raudenbush, S. " Relationship Between Urban Sprawl and Physical Activity, Obesity, and Morbidity." The Science of Health Promotion 18.1 (2003): p 42. Web. 18 Nov 2013.

Lutfiyya, May Nawal, Martin S. Lipsky, Jennifer Wisdom-Behounek, and Melissa Inpanbutr-Martinkus. "Is Rural Residency A Risk Factor For Overweight And Obesity For U.S. Children?*." Obesity 15.9 (2007): 2348-2356. Print.

Plantinga, Andrew J., and Stephanie Bernell. "The Association Between Urban Sprawl And Obesity: Is It A Two-Way Street?." Journal of Regional Science 47.5 (2007): 857-879. Print.

Sui, Daniel. "Musings On The Fat City: Are Obesity And Urban Forms Linked?." Urban Geography 24.1 (2003): 75-84. Print.