July 29, 2021
Aspects of built environments do not play expected role in weight gain
According to a University of Washington-led study on obesity, certain features of the built environment, such as proximity to fast food restaurants and supermarkets, do not impact weight.
The study is part of a 12-year collaboration between the UW and Kaiser Permanente Washington for the research project, Moving to Health. After examining more than 100,000 Kaiser Permanente Washington patients’ anonymized data, researchers were able to refute previously held beliefs that built environment amenities contribute to weight changes.
The study found that people living in neighborhoods with higher residential and population density weigh less than people living in less-populated areas. These findings suggest that urban density appears to have a negative association with body weight, but the impact of this is relatively small.
The researchers conclude that community-level differences in obesity are more likely driven by systematic factors, such as income inequality. Such systematic factors more strongly impact health choices and obesity outcomes than the built environment.