Food environment and weight change: does residential mobility matter? The Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)
Authors:
Andrew Karter, Barbara Laraia, Dean Schillinger, Howard Moffet, J Downing, Maggi Kelly, Margaret E Warton, Nancy Adler, SD Blanchard, W Dow, YT Zhang
Tags:
BMI, body mass index, built environment, diabetes, food environment, healthy foods, nutrition, obesity, weight loss
Journal:
American Journal of Epidemiology
Year Published:
2017
Policy Summary
Kelly et al examined the effects of living in a healthful food environment on the body mass index of adults with Type II Diabetes. They found that living in a healthy food environment is associated with a 1-pound decrease in body mass index for people who did not move over the course of the study. There was no significant change in body mass index for participants who did move. This paper suggests that for individuals who want to lose weight, living next to good food options is not enough to spur weight loss. Additional programs or diets are needed for meaningful change.
