Does this house make my butt look big?

University of Washington researchers recently found wide disparities in obesity rates among King County ZIP codes. The rates range from less than 10 percent in parts of central Seattle and Bellevue to more than 25 percent in some south county neighborhoods.

(From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

The strongest predictor of obesity rates wasn’t income or education but property values, the study found. Each additional $100,000 in median home value for a ZIP code corresponded with a drop in obesity of 2 percentage points.

It’s further evidence, experts say, that weight isn’t solely about individual behavior and that the environment you live in matters.

As the Seattle P-I notes in “Overweight? Blame your zipcode”:

“If you have this mind-set that obesity has to do with the individual alone, then ZIP codes or areas really should not come into this. But they do, big-time,” said Adam Drewnowski, director of the UW Center for Obesity Research.

It’s common sense that a lack of access to fresh produce and nutritious groceries, plus an excess of fast-food restaurants, might contribute to packing on the pounds. Add that to being in a neighborhood that might be unsafe to walk or exercise, and the result is the residents tend to be overweight.

This post was found on 360Digest
Follow the link to get to the orginal message.