More than two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and African Americans are particularly vulnerable to obesity when compared to Caucasians. Ecological models of health suggest that lower individual and environmental socioeconomic status and the built environment may be related to health attitudes and behaviors that contribute to obesity. This cross-sectional study measured the direct associations of neighborhood physical activity resource attributes with body mass index (BMI) and body fat among low-income 216 African Americans (Mean (M) age = 43.5 years, 63.9% female) residing in 12 public housing developments. The Physical Activity Resource Assessment instrument measured accessibility, incivilities, and the quality of features and amenities of each physical activity resource within an 800-m radius around each housing development. Sidewalk connectivity was measured using the Pedestrian Environment Data Scan instrument. Ecological multivariate regression models analyzed the associations between the built environment attributes and resident BMI and body fat at the neighborhood level. Sidewalk connectivity was associated with BMI (M = 31.3 kg/m(2); p < 0.05). Sidewalk connectivity and resource accessibility were associated with body fat percentage (M = 34.8%, p < 0.05). Physical activity resource attributes and neighborhood sidewalk connectivity were related to BMI and body fat among low-income African Americans living in housing developments.

Obesity has become a global crisis. Although most would agree that eating better and being more physically active are the answer to the problem, researchers have recently become aware that the problem goes beyond just changing individual behaviors. We can convince people of the benefits of healthful eating and regular physical activity, but what happens when they go home to a neighborhood where fresh vegetables are not available and opportunities for physical activity are hard to find? If the environment doesn’t help support healthy lifestyles, the change will be next to impossible to sustain. In Reversing the Obesogenic Environment, leading researchers Lee, McAlexander, and Banda introduce the concept of the obesogenic environment—an environment that leads people to become obese—and explore ways that changing our environment can encourage healthier choices. Although most of the current literature focuses on the food supply and dietary habits, Reversing the Obesogenic Environment takes a broader view of the current obesity problem. It looks at all of the elements that combine to create the obesogenic environment: • The ways that the built environment, access to resources, and active transportation systems can either foster or discourage regular physical activity • The multiple factors that encourage consumption of calorie-laden, nutritionally inadequate foods that can lead to obesity • The positive and negative impact of public policy • The influence of family, culture, socioeconomic status, and other social factors on an individual’s health behaviors as well as access to physical activity opportunities and healthier food options • The role that media and marketing play in food purchasing decisions With Reversing the Obesogenic Environment, readers will get a cutting-edge view of this emerging body of research with applications that can be realistically implemented in their communities. The book goes beyond defining the issues that contribute to the obesity epidemic—it offers tools that will help practitioners start to reverse it. Throughout the book, the authors incorporate practical recommendations based on the latest research. Sample programs and policies, checklists, and potential solutions offer readers a starting point for changes in their own communities. The obesity epidemic is a multifaceted issue influenced by factors ranging from international trade and national policy to individual behaviors. Reversing the problem will take coordinated multilevel efforts. These efforts may take years to come to fruition, but it isn’t too late to take action. Reversing the Obesogenic Environment is the ideal guide to taking the first steps toward change. Reversing the Obesogenic Environment is part of the Physical Activity Intervention Series (PAIS). This timely series provides educational resources for professionals interested in promoting and implementing physical activity and health promotion programs to a diverse and often-resistant population.

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) adoption is essential for obesity prevention and control, yet ethnic minority women report lower levels of PA and are at higher risk for obesity and its comorbidities compared to Caucasians. Epidemiological studies and ecologic models of health behavior suggest that built environmental factors are associated with health behaviors like PA, but few studies have examined the association between built environment attribute concordance and PA, and no known studies have examined attribute concordance and PA adoption.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to associate the degree of concordance between directly and indirectly measured built environment attributes with changes in PA over time among African American and Hispanic Latina women participating in a PA intervention.MethodWomen (N = 410) completed measures of PA at Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2); environmental data collected at T1 were used to compute concordance between directly and indirectly measured built environment attributes. The association between changes in PA and the degree of concordance between each directly and indirectly measured environmental attribute was assessed using repeated measures analyses.ResultsThere were no significant associations between built environment attribute concordance values and change in self-reported or objectively measured PA. Self-reported PA significantly increased over time (F(1,184) = 7.82, p = .006), but this increase did not vary by ethnicity or any built environment attribute concordance variable.ConclusionsBuilt environment attribute concordance may not be associated with PA changes over time among minority women. In an effort to promote PA, investigators should clarify specific built environment attributes that are important for PA adoption and whether accurate perceptions of these attributes are necessary, particularly among the vulnerable population of minority women.

Purpose To measure the concordance of directly and indirectly measured neighborhood attributes and to determine the correlates of the concordance between directly and indirectly measured built environment attributes. Design Environmental cross-sectional design. Setting Urban and suburban neighborhoods within Harris County, Houston, and Travis County, Austin, Texas. Subjects Community-dwelling African-American and Hispanic or Latina women. Measures Physical activity resource accessibility, path maintenance, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities were measured directly and indirectly. Directly or objectively measured neighborhood attributes were measured by the Physical Activity Resource. Assessment and Pedestrian Environmental Data Scan instruments. Indirectly measured or self-reported neighborhood attributes were measured by the International Physical Activity Prevalence Study environmental survey module. Analysis Logistic regression was used to measure the concordance between directly and indirectly measured neighborhood attributes with ethnicity as a covariate. Residual values were calculated to determine the strength and direction of concordance. Results Participants’ (N = 409) average body mass index (BMI) was classified as obese (MBMI = 34.5 kg/m2, SD = 7.9), and the mean body fat percentage was 42.8% (SD = 7.1). The correlates BMI, body fat percentage, physical activity, and ethnicity were not significantly associated with any built environment attribute or concordance value, and none of our models significantly predicted indirectly measured built environment attributes. Conclusion Being less familiar with certain built environment attributes may not be associated with weight status or physical activity levels among African-American and Hispanic or Latina women. (Am J Health Promot 2012;26[4]:239–244.)