Photo by Jym Ferrier.
It should come as no surprise that children who live in neighborhoods that aren’t walkable, lack playgrounds, and are full of fast food joints are twice as likely to be obese as kids in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with access to healthy foods.
A new study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, compared neighborhoods in Seattle and San Diego. Conclusion: Kids are slimmer in areas where they can walk around, play outside, and eat stuff that doesn’t come from a drive-thru. You don’t say.
Ideally this study would be the cornerstone of a redoubled effort to introduce sidewalks, green spaces, and accessible restaurants into neighborhoods of all types, even low-income ones. But more likely it will just allow parents in walkable Seattle nabes to congratulate themselves for having skinny kids.
