Life in the burbs: could be shorter than you think

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The sedentary lifestyle is killing Canadians. And if you live in the suburbs, you're more likely to suffer health problems than your city-dwelling counterparts.
 Why? Because you tend to be fat and unfit.
 This unstartling revelation was announced recently in a Canadian Heart and Stoke Foundation report, which is thought to dispel the popular myth that living in the country or suburbs is better for your heart health.
 
The Foundation's first-ever report on urban versus non-urban living clearly shows that car-dependent Canadians get far less physical activity and are at increased risk of being overweight, diabetic or obese.
 Simply put, the suburban dream has gone sour.
 “The evidence is conclusive:  our car-dependent habits are killing us. We have to start focusing on healthy lifestyle habits to replace our 'drive-through' mentality,” says Dr. Anthony Graham, Heart and Stroke Foundation's spokesperson.  Yet 80% of Canadians believe city living and its high pressure, fast-paced lifestyle is detrimental to your health.  
 
According to the Foundation, for people in the suburbs, smaller towns and rural areas, this false sense of security could be putting them at higher risk for heart disease and stroke than their city dweller counterparts.  Foundation research shows that city-dwellers are twice as likely to walk, bike or take public transit to get to work as their non-urban counterparts.  In addition, more city-dwellers walk or bike to do daily chores. 
 
“This Report Card is a wake-up call for all Canadians, especially those living outside major urban centres, to take a look at their communities and their lifestyles,” explains Dr. Graham. “Research has demonstrated that routine physical activity is one factor that can be linked to the lower rate of obesity observed in major urban centres.”
Last year's Heart and Stroke Foundation Report Card on Canadians' Health: Fat Is the New Tobacco looked at the growing problem of being overweight and obese, calling on government and industry to make healthier food choices more accessible for Canadians.  This year's Report Card looks at the other half of the unhealthy weight issue  physical activity. 
 
Edmonton heart specialist Dr. Stephen Archer noted that even suburban shopping centres contribute to the problem. He singled out South Edmonton Common's mega mall structure with is deigned for driving from store-to-store rather than walking. That kind of city planning will contribute to the population's rising obesity rate, he said.
   Indeed, it is no coincidence that as our physical activity levels decline, obesity rates soar. Almost 50% of Canadian adults and 37% of Canadian children are now either overweight or obese.
 
The Foundation points out that each additional kilometre walked per day reduces the likelihood of becoming obese by nearly 5%, while each hour per day spent in a car increases the likelihood of becoming obese by 6%.  “These percentages add up quickly, given the amount of time commuters spend in cars every day.  No one should take them lightly,” says Dr. Graham.
       
Unhealthy Planning
     The Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends Canadians be physically active at least 30 minutes each day. Individuals living in moderate-to-high density neighborhoods that have community and commercial services within walking distance of where they live, are 2.4 times more likely to meet this 30-minute daily minimum.
     “Unfortunately, non-metropolitan areas often contain disincentives to physical activity. In fact, residents are exposed daily to the effects of heart-unhealthy planning,” says Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher, Dr. Robert Ross.  “Retail services outside of urban areas are designed with automobile access as a priority.  Sidewalks and cycle lanes are conspicuous by their absence, making suburban and rural-dwelling Canadians prisoners to their cars.”
  
A 2000 survey of Canadian municipalities found larger communities are more likely than smaller ones to have paths and trails that promote walking or biking and regulations that require safe pedestrian and bicycle routes when developing new areas.
 This Report Card calls on Canadians, especially in non-urban areas, to be more conscious of their environments and car-dependent habits.  The Foundation is working with national health organizations to encourage governments to commit greater resources to promoting healthy active lifestyles and communities that support them.   The Foundation is also funding research on the social and environmental aspects of obesity, including studies of how community design influences physical activity and health. 
   The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia provides one example of leadership on this issue. Their recent report entitled, The Cost of Physical Inactivity in Halifax Regional Municipality documents the connection between health and planning and highlights the potential cost savings - in terms of lives, dollars and productivity - of building healthy, active communities.
 “Governments need to recognize that approaches to community design that make it possible, and better yet rational, to walk to destinations has become a health policy issue that's critical to protecting public health,” says Dr. Larry Frank, member of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Health Promotion and Policy Advisory Committee.  “The way we design our communities has a real impact on our health.”

TO THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS
 -  The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada recommends that the federal government allocate at least 7% of transportation infrastructure funds to active transportation projects and infrastructure (e.g., walking trails, sidewalks, bike paths). 
 - Both the federal and provincial governments should work with health organizations to develop effective social marketing campaigns that encourage Canadians to become more physically active. 

 TO MUNICIPALITIES
 - Fund social infrastructure and active transportation projects that facilitate active living.
- Encourage mixed use developments that enable people to walk or bike to a variety of shops and services in their neighborhoods.
- Encourage forms of urban planning that lead to more new neighborhoods and developments in Canada that encourage active living.
 
ALL CANADIANS
 - Make physical activity an integral part of your everyday life.   Take every opportunity during the course of the day to walk more; take the stairs, park your car further, get off one bus stop earlier.  All these incremental opportunities add up. This also helps overcome the “no time”, “too busy” challenge.
- Get involved! The Heart and Stroke Foundation encourages all Canadians to take action and become advocates to make their communities activity friendly. Make sure your community supports active living, and speak up about urban design, transit, traffic and land-use issues.

  For more info visit  www.heartandstroke.ca for advocacy tools and active living information.
   The Heart and Stroke Foundation is a leading under of heart and stroke research in Canada.  Our mission is to improve the health of Canadians by preventing and reducing disability and death from heart disease and stroke through research, health promotion and advocacy.