Monday, April 03, 2006

It's not easy being rich

China's move to prosperity includes more suburbs and more chunky folks. Therefore suburbs make you fat.

According to the messages from the people at National Public Health Week, almost anything in our surroundings contributes to our being fat or unhealthy. Add the no trade-offs mentality to the no personal responsibility view and you get their menu of "solutions" to redesign the world.

Good, then, to see that the Transportation Research Board's Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence leans in the agnostic direction.

Yes, our French brothers and sisters are thinner than so many shockingly fat Americans. So, by all means, let's not let our fellow citizens (oops, and non-citizens) off the hook by painting them as simply victims of their environment.