There are a variety of factors that play a role in obesity. Genetics and the environment may increase the risk of personal weight gain. However, the choice a person makes in physical activity also contributes to overweight and obesity. Can the community you live in be the cause for your obesity?
According to a study conducted on the residents of New York City, city dwellers living in areas evenly balanced between residences and commercial use had significantly lower BMIs compared to New Yorkers who lived in mostly residential or commercial areas.
Researchers found that people chose to walk rather than drive to the shop or a restaurant when they were near to their residence and thereby burnt more calories resulting in lower BMIs. Communities, homes, schools, workplaces and parks can all influence people’s health decisions. People work on computers for 8-10 hrs a day, use a lift to reach down and walk a few steps to the car, reach home and spend a few hours in front of the idiot box before walking another few steps to the bed. The number of calories burned is anyone’s guess!
A mixture of commercial and residential land uses puts commercial facilities that you need for everyday living within walking distance. You’re not going to get off the couch to walk to the corner store if there’s no corner store to walk to.
says study’s lead author Andrew Rundle of the Mailman School of Public Health.
If city planners can create environments in these locations by including parks, shops and recreational blocks with proper sidewalks, it would be easier for people to engage in physical activity and have a healthier lifestyle.
Image:mccullagh
Via:Livescience
