Increased Reliance on Automobiles

There are multiple, interrelated reasons for the obesity epidemic. One causal factor is believed to be the increase of dependence upon the car for mobility. With ever-increasing rates of vehicle ownership, expanding cities, and expanding waistlines, healthcare researchers and urban planners are extensively examining the link between the physical and social environments and obesity.

There is great debate about the true scope of the role of automobiles in causing America's weight gain. Some claim that people living in disadvantaged urban areas (which have the lowest rate of vehicle ownership) have the highest risk of obesity; others claim that lifestyles attached to suburban sprawl are key factors. These claims are not necessarily in conflict with each other; they are merely different viewpoints within the obesity discourse. Regardless of demographics and geographies, the automobile impacts lifestyle choices, which in turn affects daily decisions and options for mobility.

To understand how the automobile became an agent of obesity, one must know a little about how cities and society have changed in the past several decades. Before World War II, most Americans did not live in urban areas. Those who did were concentrated primarily in city centers. In general, these centers were traversed by foot, bicycle, and bus to access commercial needs and employment opportunity. Because of economics as well as the point in history, vehicle ownership was low as America emerged from the Great Depression. The onset of World War II created an economic boom. Many women went to work for the first time to fill the employment gap left by men serving in the military. As GIs returned from the war, the savings, incomes, and financial incentives to purchase new suburban single-family homes created major population shifts. Families left the city centers and countryside to populate the new communities. These changes encouraged and required the purchase of a family car, the construction of the highway system, and reduced the need for public transportation among the emerging middle class. Many suburban communities did not provide bus lines that linked directly to the employment centers. This forced workers to become car dependent and reduced the exercise associated self-propelled forms of mobility. At the same time, lifestyle changes also increased the demand for vehicle ownership. For example, as women increasingly entered the workforce, households required an additional vehicle for commuting to work. With the increase in disposable income, travel for shopping and recreation also increased, and dining out became a form of entertainment. All the while, bedroom suburban communities continued to grow.

Automobile reliance has grown and has decreased the amount of exercise the typical American gets.

Since the 1960s, the number of people per household has decreased, while the number of cars per household has increased. The number of American drivers has also increased along with the length of vehicle trip and number of miles driven per year. Overall, Americans spend more personal time driving, and they travel farther each year. Likewise, American work hours and commuting time are increasing. In 2005, [Page 397]the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Americans spent more than 100 hours commuting to work each year. While 76 percent of to/from work trips were by driving, only 15 percent of car travel was commuting to and from work. Automobiles cannot be blamed as the only, or even primary, cause of obesity; however, the reliance can easily translate to decreased physical activity, less time for physical activity, and increase of carryout meal consumption.

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