Canadian Moms' Community Blog and Resource

Obesity and Urban Sprawl - It May Not Be That Simple

I have been hearing a lot of news coverage recently about the impact of urban sprawl on obesity so I thought I would take a closer look.  As it turns out, it wasn't as straight forward as I assumed.  It is true that, in general, people residing in suburban areas weigh more than those living in the city.  What was not initially clear is why.

Early studies on this topic only looked at the facts - people in cities had lower Body Mass Index scores than those in the suburbs.  Therefore, it was concluded that it must be because of the way these neighbourhoods are designed.  I know that whenever I visit my sister in suburban Calgary we take the car everywhere.  I was once left for a few days at her place on my own with my son and no car and felt totally isolated.  Even riding her bike with the baby seat to the local strip mall took a good 15 minutes.

I, on the other hand, live in the city.  I can walk to the high street and taking my car anywhere is actually more of a pain than anything else.  We do groceries, run errands, shop for clothes, and go to the park all within a short walk from our home.  It makes sense that I would burn more calories in my day-to-day.

However, what the initial studies hadn't considered was the why factor.  Is it that people in suburban areas are less active because they are forced into this by the design of their neighbourhood or is it something more complex?  A recent study by Oregon State University professors Andrew Plantinga and Stephanie Burnell suggest that it is more likely about our values and personal choice.

"When you select a residential location, you are really choosing a bundle of attributes," Plantinga said. "The house you choose may be near a shopping center or a park, or it may have a three-car garage and a bonus room. The market prices each of these attributes. It follows that individuals, given their income, will choose locations that provide the attributes of greatest value to them. People who value walking will tend to choose walkable neighborhoods. People who do not care for walking will tend not to."

This has significant implications for urban planners.  Including more walking paths or reconfiguring communities to encourage an active lifestyle may simply attract people who are more predisposed to physical activity as opposed to addressing the higher level of obesity in this population.  This study shows that people who value what urban living has to offer, tend to live in urban centres.  Those who value what suburban neighbourhoods offer, tend to live in suburban neighbourhoods.  It concludes that it is less about the design and more about personal choice.

Please share your comments below, join us in our virtual community, or send me an email with ideas or questions.

Jen

Scientists Prove Women's Friendships Key in Coping with Stress

I have been pretty busy lately, feeling a bit stressed.  Instead of hibernating or wallowing, what is my solution?  Time with my gal pals!  This probably doesn't seem strange to you because, as women, we inherently know the value of our friendships.  Who do we depend on when the going gets tough?  Other women. 

I am going up north this weekend with a few of my friends.  Nothing terribly exciting.  A few glasses of wine, a soak in the hot tub, a good night's sleep, and plenty of conversation.  What better way to reduce stress! 

Strangely enough, it wasn't until a recent landmark study by UCLA scientists that this was officially noted and explained.  Previous scientific studies relating to stress were mostly conducted on men so, therefore, it was assumed that we all cope in a similar way.  For decades it was maintained that both men and women rely on a fight-or-flight response to cope with stress.  Individuals either react with aggressive behaviour or withdraw from stressful situations.  What they discovered in this new study challenged these assumptions and revealed a distinct gender difference.

"We found that men often react to stress with a fight-or-flight response" said Shelley Taylor, UCLA principal investigator, "but women are more likely to manage their stress with a tend-and-befriend response by nurturing their children or seeking social contact, especially with other women."

Researchers point to the hormone oxytocin combined with sex hormones as being a critical contributor to this reaction in females of many species.  They also conclude that this reaction may actually help to explain why women tend to live an average of seven and a half years longer than men.  Women are less likely to suffer from stress related disorders. The tend-and-befriend reaction may actually help to protect women against stress which has a positive physiological response. 

This would explain why men often react to stress by wanting to be left alone or with aggressive behaviour such as physical confrontation or anger, while women would prefer to talk or just have someone there to listen.

This also explains the need for a community like urbanmoms.ca and reinforces our reason for being.  We depend on our relationships with other women to keep us happy, healthy, and stress free!

Please share your comments below, join us in our virtual community, or email me with ideas or feedback.

Jen

Urbanmoms.ca's Forum is Live!

We received many emails from members and visitors to the site looking for and requesting an urbanmoms.ca forum. Well, here it is!  This is a place where you can go to relax and chat with other urban moms about what's happening on the site or in other areas of your life.  The forum would also be a great place to get information and resources from urban moms in your community.  So sit back, make yourself a cup of tea or pour yourself a glass of wine and hang out with your friends on urbanmoms.ca!

Connect with us in the forum today on - Advice on helping a younger sibling feel "big", Date Night Ideas, Jogging Strollers, and Looking for a Painter

We hope that by creating these forums we will enable urban moms to connect at any time.  We will be conducting and surveys and will also be participating in the forum to gather ideas and make sure urbanmoms.ca reflects what's going on in your lives.

Enjoy!

Jen

My Beautiful, Bald Little Girl

Today was one of the most strangely difficult days of my parenting career.  I am not exactly sure why but I am an emotional wreck.  My 2 1/2 year old daughter.  My little beauty with flowing shoulder length hair (see pic to the left) was playing at a friend's house when the friend's brother decided to chop off her hair.  I don't mean a chunk or something that could be fixed into a cute, little bob, I mean ALL of it.  She is bald, at least in patches.

When I first saw her I cried.  Partly out of shock because I didn't recognize her but also because of how bad it could have been.  Her hair was cut so short in parts that she has grazes on her scalp.  He even cut around her ears.  What if his hands had slipped?  What if she had turned quickly?   

The crazy thing is, she doesn't even care.  I am trying so hard not to care either, but I do.  Her hair was so cute -  the ponytails and braids, headbands and clips.  I know.  It will be cute again but in the meantime I have to explain to everyone that my daughter is not a boy and is not recovering from a round of chemo.  She was merely the victim of a 5 year old, overly enthusiastic barber!

My own vanity shocks me.  Why does it matter?  She is not hurt.  She doesn't care.  I spent half an hour trying to get hair clips to stay in the remaining stubble and even suggested we get her ears pierced so people know she's a girl.  I told my husband I want to protect her from others' reactions - but maybe I want to protect myself.

I know that in a few years, probably even less, we will laugh and think how funny and cute she looked with her brush cut.  But for now, I must go and tidy up.  The hair elastics and cute headbands I bought to match her fall outfits are mocking me.

Jen

Please share your comments below or email me with ideas for topics or experiences you would like to share.

The Importance of Learning Through Play

  My son started grade one this year. He has gone from a 1/2 day of social interaction and play, to homework and scheduled play time. I think he is ready for more structure but many kids have a hard time adjusting to their new academic careers. What we know intuitively, and studies are reinforcing, is that kids learn a heck of a lot from unstructured play.

Obviously, they can't play all of the time but a recent study from the Economic and Social Reserach Council in England shows that the strong focus on literacy and academics in 4 and 5 year olds does not leave enough time for play and could actually slow their academic development.  The study called for more play time and outdoor play spaces so that children could have more choice over materials, locations, and playmates. 

Margaret Morrissey, from the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, said many parents were concerned about the issues raised in the report.

"We would like to see less emphasis on keeping small children focused on classroom working," she said. "We know, as parents, that young children learn at their best when they are learning through play. It is really important. We are putting too much emphasis as a nation on formal learning for very small children. We have really lost our way on this."

Although many schools in Canada do focus on a balance between play and work in the primary years, a recent study by KaBOOM!, a U.S. non-profit group and advocate for children's play, illustrates a disturbing trend outside of school.  75% of pediatricians surveyed report that there has been a decline in unstructured play for children over the last 5 years.  The majority of physicians surveyed believe that unstructured play is important to help build children's social skills and confidence (96%), to help a child from becoming overweight (89%), and to help kids improve problem solving skills (82%).

The major factor contributing to the decline in play? 97% of pediatricians surveyed cited children spending more time in front of a TV or computer. Alarmingly, 99% of these doctors believe that the obesity rate among their patients has increased over the last 5 years.

Ever been by an Elementary school at recess? You will experience first hand a young child's need for play. The difficult part is finding the right balance between structured learning and unstructured play. Offering children both will enable them the freedom to explore their interests while still making room for their ABCs.

Please share your comments below or send me an email with suggestions.

Jen