Dak
mentat
I agree with this, but don't follow why declining birth rates in cities (i.e. the absence of children) translates into an increase in medical diseases.
Because children typically don't have diabetes, cardiopulmonary diseases, or cancer. The middle-aged and elderly do. As your population skews towards the latter, so will these disease rates.
I think this is less of an issue than you make it out to be. Cars move slowly in cities, and most drivers are overly cautious about runners and cyclists (sometimes to an annoying degree).
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/28/6991...hs-reach-highest-level-in-decades-report-says
Attempting to get to work on foot, walk the dog or enjoy a simple after-dinner stroll is becoming an increasingly risky activity, according to new estimates by the Governors Highway Safety Association, which found the number of pedestrian deaths in the U.S. has reached a 28-year high.
A new report by the GHSA determined about 6,227 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2018 — a 4 percent increase over 2017 and the highest mortality rate since 1990.
"While we have made progress reducing fatalities among many other road users in the past decade, pedestrian deaths have risen 35 percent" since 2008, Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said in a statement.
35% increase since 2008, which is incidentally approximately when smartphones emerged.
https://www.outsideonline.com/2390525/bike-commuter-deaths
The relative %s are low, but trending in the wrong direction. I've been nearly hit on three separate occasions over the last 3 years when trying to run in a relatively busy more suburban area by female college students overshooting stops because they were looking at their cellphones (I avoided being hit because I stopped before they hit me). Since the third occasion I've shifted to almost strictly trail running and indoor track.
The time for exercise declines among the working poor, I agree; I just don't see why rural areas negate this factor. You still have people working multiple jobs, or long hours, plus you have the lack of motivation as a result of isolation and immobility.
This is true. I don't think that's something that's alleviated by rural areas. The mechanisms for physical health and mental health are different hear, I don't want to suggest that simply being in a rural or suburban type area is going to improve physical health. That stats are going to flip because of demographic reasons, not because suburban or rural people are going to be exercising more.