Geography and Obesity
A study published in the lastest issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion
finds a possible relationship between childhood obesity and the available of local parks and green space.
The authors studied 7,334 children between the ages of 3 and 18 residing in Marion County, Ind., and determined whether they were overweight by calculating their body mass index (BMI). They then looked at amounts of green landscapes and also proximity to food retail — fast food restaurants, convenience stores and supermarkets — of each child’s home using satellite imagery and geographic information.
...those who lived in higher population density regions with less greenery were more likely to have a BMI above the 85th percentile, putting them “at risk for overweight.”
