White Paper Series Now Online at www.NAHB.org

NAHB's latest One Minute Report examines recent reports that have linked urban sprawl to a rise in obesity. 

The entire paper series, including the current issue, is available online on www.NAHB.org.

Urban Sprawl and Obesity: Too Many Factors to Prove Substantial Link

Two government and philanthropic organizations have recently partnered, releasing studies that claim to provide a substantial link between post-war development patterns, generalized as urban sprawl, and a recent rise in obesity. The studies at best indicate that there is no link between urban development patterns and diabetes and heart disease, chronic diseases associated with obesity, and only a small association between development patterns and actual weight gain. [ return to top ]