Plenty of researchers are anxious to find that suburbia makes us
fat, but those of us who grew up running around and climbing
trees in big backyards might be more likely to appreciate how
certain aspects of suburban living actually encourage healthy
living: - SOUTH Australian children with big backyards are less
likely to be overweight and inactive than those with small
courtyards, a study has found. Preliminary data from the
Flinders University Achieving a Healthy Home Environment study,
which surveyed the homes and lifestyles of 280 southern suburbs
families, found the size and set-up of homes contributed largely
to how fit and healthy young children were. Researchers looked
at more than 75 physical and nutritional variables in each
family home over the past year. "We found the bigger the
backyard, the more active the kids," said Flinders Medical
Centre consultant pediatrician Dr Nicola Spurrier, who headed
the study that will continue until next year. "But we also found
the amount of play equipment and pla