red Orbit
May 29, 2009,

Americans are raised to be accustomed to a society that relies on driving a vehicle to get from point A to point B. But researchers said on Friday that as Americans drive more, they walk less, and that increases their risk of developing serious health problems. James Hill, professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado told Reuters that people should take 10,000 steps each day in order to stay fit. But people who drive their cars to wherever they need to be typically take only about 1,000 steps per day. "If it (Atlanta) was a city where I walked more I would automatically get a lot of the exercise I need. Now I have to ... schedule it into my life. Sometimes it's very difficult because I'm busy," Seema Shrikhande, a professor of communications at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, told Reuters. Doctors have linked this sedentary lifestyle with a higher risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Dr. Dianna Densmore of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the typical American lifestyle of using a car to get around can make it hard to get the 75 minutes of intense weekly exercise or the 150 minutes of moderate exercise the government recommends. Every 30 minutes spent in a car translates into a 3 percent greater risk of being obese, said Lawrence Frank of the University of British Columbia. "People who live in neighborhoods with a mix of shops and businesses within easy walking distance are 7 percent less likely to be obese,” he said....

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1697054/determining_the_health_risks_of_a_car_dependent_culture/