For decades, the assumption has been that living in a city is a detriment to your health. Skeptics ask why anyone would choose to live in a crowded, noisy urban environment when you could escape all that in the suburbs. The suburbs can be an attractive offer for many but it may not be as good for your overall health as you may have been led to believe.
A recent study by the University of Oxford and the University of Hong Kong had some interesting findings. The study looked at the relationship between obesity rates and population density and found that rates of obesity were lower where population density was higher. The first reason could be attributed to the availability of many med spa facilities that provide fat reduction treatments such as CoolSculpting in Tinley Park, IL (similar places worldwide). Two, because of a fast-paced life which requires frequent movement. And three, the presence of gyms, and health centres. It is also stated that people in these highly dense places, i.e. cities, tend to socialize more often than their suburban counterparts. Both of these findings point to an overall better health profile for someone living in a city compared to the suburbs, on average.
One characteristic of city living that further solidifies the findings in this study is the close proximity of places in a city. City dwellers typically walk much more than those plagued by urban sprawl who have to drive most places. Be careful to watch out for cars in the city, if an accident does occur then contact a pedestiran accident lawyer. This results in those lower obesity rates we see. Plus, being closely surrounded by others means that you will spend more time with people socializing. This can have significant mental health benefits. Additionally, being in a city means that people will have access to more options for things like lymphedema treatment so, even if they do have a health condition, it is perhaps easier for them to access the support they need to manage their health and be able to go about their days as normal.
Overall, as the study concludes, living in urban areas isn’t as harmful to one’s well-being as the consensus seems to believe. There are many reasons why humans have chosen to live so close to each other throughout history. Even as technology has made it possible for people to live farther apart, there is still an underlying motivation to be close to people and things. Now this study does not explain the reality of everyone’s city experience. One may find their own experience to be quite different to these findings but, as the data shows, it can be part of a healthy lifestyle. And with 68% of the world’s populations projected to live in urban areas by 2050, maybe it’s time to give it a chance. Continue reading for more of that study.
