Unsafe Neighborhoods and Obesity

Your neighborhood may be to blame for your weight gain.

By Colin Allen, published on April 01, 2003 - last reviewed on December 22, 2008

The quality of your neighborhood may be a factor in obesity, according to research published in the American Journal of Health Promotion. People who live in unsafe neighborhoods are one-and-a-half times more likely to be overweight than those who live in friendlier ones. The lack of physical activity raises the obesity levels for people living in unpleasant surroundings.

The researchers found that the more participants perceived their neighborhood as dangerous, the more likely they are to be overweight. In fact, the more negative qualities reported, the higher the obesity rate. In the study, 60 percent of adults were overweight. Author Ross Brownson, Ph.D., argues that unsafe traffic, crime, and a lack of scenery may keep residents from being active.

"The link is poverty," says Steven Edwards, Ph.D., professor of applied health and education psychology at Oklahoma State University. "It's not about facilities. If you have tennis shoes, you can get out your front door and walk." He notes that the strong link already established between diet and economic status is enough to explain why unsafe neighborhoods have more overweight individuals. It doesn't help that "the majority of Americans don't exercise," notes Edwards. "Exercise is not seen as an important part of daily health—whereas something like brushing your teeth is."