Obesity and environments external to the body

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Obesity research traditionally uses proxies for energy balance and diet to identify behavioral changes and inform policy.
• The built and food environments are recognized as critical external factors influencing obesity.
• Integrating sociality into obesity research offers new perspectives on obesity development through social stress, diet, and activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the multifaceted roles of built, food, and social environments in obesity production and amelioration.
• To examine how changing urban forms and social dynamics, including digital influences, impact obesity.
• To assess the relative importance of sociodemographic factors versus new technologies in the context of obesity.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of existing epidemiological and environmental studies on obesity.
• Analysis of urban form, social environmental hybridity, and their association with obesity rates.
• Consideration of sociodemographic factors and digital technologies in obesity research.

Main Results:

• Larger, polycentric cities demonstrate lower obesity rates compared to smaller or dispersed urban configurations.
• Rural populations are experiencing the most rapid increases in obesity globally.
• Sociodemographic factors are considered more influential in obesity than emerging digital technologies.

Conclusions:

• Built, food, and social environments are crucial determinants of obesity.
• Urban planning and social structures significantly influence population health regarding obesity.
• Understanding complex environmental interactions is key to addressing the obesity epidemic.