The
closer a woman lives to the grocery store, the greater is her BMI, found a
study.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo conducted a
neighbourhood-scaled exploratory study that tested the association between the
food environment, the built environment and women's body mass index
(BMI).
And they have found that women with homes closer to a
supermarket, relative to a convenience store, had lower BMIs, and that the
greater the number of restaurants within a five minute walk of a woman's home,
the higher her BMI.
The study, led by Dr. Samina Raja UB professor of
urban and regional planning, involved 172 participants.
"In
particular, three findings are significant," said Raja.
"First, a
greater number of restaurants within a five-minute walk of a subject's house was
associated with a greater BMI, holding other factors
constant.
Second, on average, women who live within relative
proximity to supermarkets and grocery stores (as opposed to convenience stores)
tend to have lower BMIs.
Third, and perhaps most important, the
interaction of the food environment and the built environment in a neighbourhood
carries significant consequences for obesity. For example, a diverse land-use
mix, while beneficial for promoting physical activity, is tied to a net increase
in BMI when that land is dominated by restaurants,” she
added.
She said that future research on the built environment and
health must take into account the role of the food environment on women's
health.
And the study offers suggestions for how food environments
may be improved using planning strategies.
The study was published
in the
Journal of Planning Education and
Research
.
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