People who live in more sprawling areas generally weigh more and are more likely to have high blood pressure, according to a national study released today. The study is the first to link obesity directly to the built environment. It appears in the September edition of the peer-reviewed American Journal of Health Promotion. The American Journal of Health Promotion and the American Journal of Public Health are devoting their September issues to an unprecedented examination of how community design affects health.

"Researchers are finding that sprawl and community design have a direct impact on our health," says Michael Greenberg, PhD, associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health and associate dean of the faculty, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University. "These journals present further evidence that we need to strengthen the linkages between planning, design and public health."

For the study, Relationship Between Urban Sprawl and Physical Activity, Obesity, and Morbidity, researchers used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data to look at health characteristics of more than 200,000 individuals living in 448 U.S. counties in major metropolitan areas. The researchers assessed the degree of sprawl in each county using US Census and other federal data. Sprawl development results in spread-out communities where homes are far from shops, restaurants, or any other destination.

The study shows that, as sprawl increases, so do the chances that residents will be obese or have high blood pressure. People living in the most sprawling counties are likely to weigh six pounds more than people in the most compact county, and are more likely to be obese.

The study also finds that people in sprawling areas walk less. This may indicate that people in more sprawling areas have fewer chances to stay fit through routine physical activity. Distance, lack of sidewalks and other barriers keep them from walking to the store or other destinations. The study controlled for factors such as age, gender, education level, and smoking.

"This study found that as the degree of sprawl increased, so did the odds of being obese or having high blood pressure," says Reid Ewing, PhD, lead author of the study and University of Maryland professor. "If future research points in the same direction, curbing urban sprawl in favor of compact, walkable communities will become an important strategy for curbing waistline sprawl."