Weight & Obesity According to Counties
and Sprawl
Weight Loss Study Background
Weight loss experts agree that most Americans are too sedentary and weigh
too much. Obesity has reached epidemic levels, and diseases associated
with inactivity are also on the rise. But weight loss researchers are
starting to pay attention to the other half of the weight-gain equation:
Americans low levels of exercise.
Weight Loss Study Method
This weight loss report presents the first national study to show a clear
association between the type of place people live and their activity levels,
weight, and health.
It compared the county sprawl index to the health characteristics of more
than 200,000 individuals living in the 448 counties studied, using a large
national health survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
(BRFSS), which is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
Weight Loss Study Results
The results show that people in more sprawling counties are likely to
have a higher body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of weight-to-height
that is used to determine if people are overweight or obese. A 50-point
increase in the degree of sprawl on the county sprawl index was associated
with a weight gain of just over one pound for the average person. Looking
at the extremes, the people living in the most sprawling areas are likely
to weigh six pounds more than people in the most compact county. Obesity,
defined as a BMI of 30 or higher, followed a similar pattern. The odds
that a county resident will be obese rises ten percent with every 50-point
increase in the degree of sprawl on the county sprawl index.
Source: Urban Sprawl - Report 2003
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