Contrary to what you might believe, living near a variety of restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets and even fast food outlets actually lowers your risk for obesity, according to a new study from the University of Utah.
Surprisingly, people who live more than a half mile away from any food outlets are the ones who tend to be fatter.
"Having access to a range of food options in your neighborhood affects both your energy input and output," says Cathleen Zick, coauthor of the study and professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah. "A healthy grocery option may influence the food you choose to buy, while having multiple food destinations within walking distance might encourage you to walk, rather than drive, to your next meal."
The study suggests that placing restrictions on fast food outlets may not be effective, but that initiatives to increase healthy neighborhood food options may reduce individuals' obesity risks, especially if focused on low-income neighborhoods.
In a 2008 study, Zick and colleagues found that residents were at less risk of being obese or overweight if they lived in walkable neighborhoods-those that were more densely populated, pedestrian friendly and had a range of destinations for pedestrians.
Folding food environment into the mix, their current study demonstrates how important proximity to healthy food options can be to your waist line.
The study, to be published in the November issue of Social Science and Medicine, compared the body mass index of nearly 500,000 Salt Lake County residents with food-related business addresses within their neighborhoods. Researchers found that residents were 10 percent less likely to be obese if they lived in a neighborhood with a diversity of food options-healthy groceries, full-service restaurants, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants-compared with residents with no food options in their neighborhoods.
The study also found that neighborhood income level plays a role in obesity. The researchers found that residents in low-income neighborhoods-defined as having an average household income in the lowest quartile of the 2000 census-were 26 percent less likely to be obese if there was one or more healthy grocery options within walking distance, compared with low-income residents without neighborhood retail food outlets.
"Food environment matters differently for poor and non-poor neighborhoods," says Zick. "A full-service grocery store means more in low-income neighborhoods where access to private transportation may be limited."
Zick adds that residents in non-low-income neighborhoods do not benefit the same from having a full-service grocery nearby. Rather, it is the presence of full-service restaurants in such neighborhoods that is associated with a lower obesity level.
"We can speculate this is because people with access to private transportation are more likely to drive to the grocery store anyway, whereas having restaurants within walking distance may encourage walking," she says. "It is residents with no nearby food options who are at greatest risk of obesity. Not only are they without healthy grocery options nearby, there are no destinations to walk to, not even fast food. They must drive."
Zick and colleagues used three sources to analyze body mass index in relationship to neighborhood characteristics such as walkability and food environment.
Using data from the 2000 census, researchers assessed walkability features of 566 census-block groups in Salt Lake County, looking at population density and the fraction of residents who walk to work. Both factors related to body mass index in the 2008 study.