Neighborhood Characteristics can Reduce the Risk of Obesity
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It is increasingly clear that neighborhoods play an important role in stimulating exercise and reducing the risk of obesity. A series of RAND studies has examined how neighborhood characteristics promote physical activity and reduce residents' risk of obesity.
- Residents who live within a mile of a park are much more likely to exercise (see figure 1).
- School playgrounds are an underused resource for weekend exercise.
- Having four or more different types of businesses in a neighborhood can increase the number of walking trips among residents.
- In neighborhoods where residents have strong social bonds and are willing to help each other (as gauged by a measure that researchers call "collective efficacy,") children are less likely to be overweight (see figure 2).
Figure 1: Most Park Users Live Within One Mile of the Park
Figure 2: Adolescents in Neighborhoods with Greater Collective Efficacy Are Less Likely to Be Overweight
SOURCE: Cohen D, Sehgal A, Williamson S, Sturm R. et al., "How Neighborhoods Can Reduce the Risk of Obesity," RAND Corporation, RB-9267.
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