Suburban "sprawl"
Yep, it is official. Suburban sprawl isn't just bad for the environment, it is also terrible for your waistline. According to this New York Times story (registration required):
A wave of new research on sprawl's effect on health emerged last Thursday when two journals, the American Journal of Public Health and the American Journal of Health Promotion, jointly released special issues on the subject that indicate a significant connection between sprawl and obesity and between sprawl and hypertension.
...The results of the obesity study — which accounted for variables like age, gender, race, diet and physical activity — suggest that people in more sprawling suburban areas, like Geauga County, Ohio, and Walton County, Ga., weigh more (as much as six pounds more in the most sprawling areas) and have higher blood pressure than people in more densely developed areas like New York City.