Health & Medicine - Posted by Patricia Donovan-Buffalo on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 11:59 - 1 Comment 
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"We have attempted here to explain the paradox of high BMI rates among women living in highly walkable inner city neighborhoods," says study leader Samina Raja. (Credit: iStockphoto)
BUFFALO (US)—The greater the number of restaurants within a five-minute walk of a woman’s home, the higher her body mass index (BMI).
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A recent study also found that women with homes closer to a supermarket, relative to a convenience store, had lower BMIs.
“The interaction of the food environment and the built environment in a neighborhood carries significant consequences for obesity,” says study leader Samina Raja, professor of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo. “For example, a diverse land-use mix, while beneficial for promoting physical activity, is tied to a net increase in BMI when that land is dominated by restaurants.”
The exploratory, neighborhood-scale study involved 172 participants and was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Planning Education and Research.
Raja points out that more than one-third of U.S. adults were reported to be obese in 2006, with the prevalence of obesity slightly greater among women than men.
“The prevalence of obesity is a significant public health concern because it places individuals at a risk for a variety of diseases,” she says, “and the role of environmental factors in contributing to obesity has received a lot of attention. We have attempted here to explain the paradox of high BMI rates among women living in highly walkable inner city neighborhoods.
Raja says the study has several limitations, among them, the fact that the researchers did not know where their subjects shopped for food, only what outlets were closest geographically.
The also were not able to classify restaurants based on their quality—fast-food and sit-down restaurants were treated as a single category, even though they know that quality varies widely across different types of restaurants.
“The study raises several questions to be addressed in future research,” she says, “and suggests that innovative research designs will be necessary to develop greater evidence of causality—perhaps longitudinal studies that look at how moving one’s residence (thus changing exposure to a particular food, food type, or built environment) affects physical activity, eating behavior, and health outcomes.”
The study identifies planning strategies and tools available to improve community food and built environments to support healthy eating behavior.
“Comprehensive plans, regulatory mechanisms, and financial incentives can be used individually or in concert to improve food environments,” the researchers say.
In the study they cite recent efforts in Madison and Dane County, Wis.; Marin County, Calif.; Harrison County, Miss.; special regulations adopted in New York City that offer zoning incentives (e.g. allowing denser development and reduction in parking requirements) for development projects that dedicate a greater store floor area to fresh foods in underserved neighborhoods; and Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative
More news from the University at Buffalo: www.buffalo.edu/news/
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1 Comment
Baker, Fredrick
“high BMI rates among women living in highly walkable inner city neighborhoods”
Where was this research published?
In the old days we called this a “spurious” relationship or simply poorly operationalized measures.
Highly walkable inner city – that is a minefield, especially for women. Having sidewalks doesn’t mean women use them, especially in the inner city. High BMI is more likely due to a non-active lifestyle (in part, due to living in an environment where walking is not an option due to concerns over public safety). Declairing an area walkable due to its physical infrasture completely ignores the social and psychological context.
I had the misfortune of visiting Buffalo several years ago and did not see many pedestrians, let alone women strolling along the blvds. It is hardly NYC. Since my visit, Buffalo’s crime rates have increased. Walkers in that city, do so at their own risk. There is also a correlation between stress and BMI, maybe walking in Buffalo results in higher BMI because people who walk are stressed out about becoming a crime statistic.