So much for the theory that suburban sprawl (or, more properly speaking, dysfunctional human settlement patterns) is responsible for the fattening (or, more accurately, the obesitizing) of America. The Associated Press reports that half of all adults in the sprawl-free European Union are either overweight or obese. I’m sure the Euroweenies have some catching up to do before they match the girth of Americans, but they’re closing the “fat gap” rapidly.
Experts cited the usual two factors: eating too much and exercising too little. Around the Mediterranean the healthy fish/olive oil diet is on the wane. Instead of playing basketball outdoors, kids are sitting in front of the tube and playing basketball on Nintendo. The article did not cite the spread of dysfunctional human settlement patterns as a contributing cause.
Despite the trend in Europe, I think it still might be possible to save the hypothesis that cultures less dependent upon cars and more reliant upon walking and bicycles have healthier lifestyles and fewer overweight people. For instance, as noted previously on this blog, the Dutch and Danes are remarkable bicycle enthusiasts. If they lag their Euro neighbors in gross tonnage per capita, it would support our hypothesis.
(Image credit: Short Fat Guy Online.)
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