[acb-hsp] Your Neighborhood Is Why You're Fat

[peter altschul]

Your Neighborhood Is Why You're Fat
  And it's also why you're not.  Data shows that there is 
something as important as what you eat to your overall health: 
how where you live is laid out.
  Academic literature defines an "obesogenic environment" as 
"promoting gaining weight and one that is not conducive to weight 
lossddb But therebs a simpler way of putting it: It is a 
neighborhood that makes you fat.
  The developed world is full of them: suburbs where the only 
option is driving, and where stores and recreation are too far 
away for walking or cycling.  No wonder we have an obesity 
crisis, with a third of adults, and 17% of children, classified 
as unhealthily overweight.  It's not all about what we eat.
  The good news, though, is that the opposite is also true.  If 
people have options to shop and exercise locally, they will take 
them, and health can improve.  A recent study from Western 
Australia, which surveyed 1,400 people before and after 
relocating to new developments, found that nearby stores 
increased walking by an average of 5 to 6 minutes per week, and 
that access to a park or beach increased physical activity by 21 
minutes a week.
  "The study demonstrates the potential of local infrastructure 
to support health-enhancing behaviors," says Billie Giles-Corti 
professor at the University of Melbourne.
  Another study published last year reached a similar conclusion.  
Researchers looked at neighborhoods in San Diego and Seattle, 
assigning scores based on walkability, parks, and access to fresh 
fruit and vegetables within half a mile (access to junk food 
counted negatively).  Children aged 6 to 11 were 59% less likely 
to be obese if they came from a high-scoring area (the study 
accounted for other factors, such as family income).
  Finally, a recent study from the San Francisco Bay Area found 
that increasing commuting by walking or cycling from 4 to 22 
minutes per person could cut their incidences of cardiovascular 
disease and diabetes by 14%.  "Increased physical activity 
associated with active transport could generate a large net 
improvement in population health," the researchers say.
  The three studies show the same thing: There's a strong 
relationship between neighborhood planning and health.  Think 
about that the next time you're not walking to the store.
  Ben Schiller is a staff writer for CoddExist, and also 
contributes to the FT, and Yale e360.
  Copyright 2013 Mansueto Ventures, LLC.