Link between threatening neighborhood and obesity is revealed

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Neighborhood fear factors could contribute to obesity in certain areas.
Many factors contribute to obesity - it's not just about eating too much. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveal that factors in the built environment influence whether someone will become obese.

They looked into the prevalence of obesity among 1,140 adults aged 50 to 70 residing in one of 65 Baltimore neighborhoods. They found that the overall obesity rate was 38 per cent but this varied from 53 per cent to 27 per cent. Those in hazardous built environments were more likely to be obese than those in more congenial neighborhoods. Issues such as vacant houses, liquor stores, crime and lack of public safety were important in determining whether a neighborhood was hazardous. It could be that people are afraid to go out and exercise if they perceive their environment is unsafe. Therefore, solutions focused upon improving the built environment could make an important contribution towards reversing the current 'epidemic' of obesity in the USA.

Source
American Journal of Preventive Medicine November 2006

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