Body mass index and overweight in relation to residence distance and population density: experience from the Northern Finland birth cohort 1966

Abstract

BackgroundThe effect of urban sprawl on body weight in Finland is not well known. To provide more information, we examined whether body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of overweight are associated with an individual’s distance to the local community centre and population density in his/her resident area.MethodsThe sample consisted of 5363 men and women, members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC), who filled in a postal questionnaire and attended a medical checkup in 1997, at the age of 31 years. Body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) and the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2) were regressed on each subject’s road distance to the resident commune’s centre and on population density in the 1 km2 geographical grid in which he/she resided, using a generalized additive model. Adjustments were made for sex, marital status, occupational class, education, leisure-time and occupational physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking.ResultsThe mean BMI among the subjects was 24.7 kg/m2, but it increased by increasing road distance (by 1.3 kg/m2 from 5–10 to 20–184 km) and by decreasing population density (by 1.7 kg/m2 from 1000–19,192 to 1–5 inhabitants/km2). The respective increases in overweight (overall prevalence 41%) were 13 per cent units for distance and 14 per cent units for population density. Adjusted regressions based on continuous explanatory variables showed an inverse L-shaped pattern with a mean BMI of 24.6 kg/m2 at distances shorter than 5 km and a rise of 2.6 kg/m2 at longer distances, and an increase of 2.5 kg/m2 from highest to lowest population density. The associations with road distance were stronger for women than men, while the sex difference in association with population density remained indeterminate.ConclusionsWe conclude that young adults in Northern Finland who live far away from local centres or in the most sparsely populated areas are fatter than those who live close to local centres or in densely populated areas. The likely explanations include variations in everyday physical activity in different residential environments, although causality of the associations remains to be confirmed.

Values, Norms, and Peer Effects on Weight Status

“…We find that population density uniformly and negatively correlates with individual BMI (columns 1–3). This is in line with the negative associations between population density and individual BMI reported by Näyhä et al [36] for the Northern Finland, Rundle et al [37], and Zhao and Kaestner [34] for the US.…”

Urban green space and obesity in older adults: Evidence from Ireland

“…If this hypothesis is verified, the health benefits implied from these different shares of green space could have serious implications for the development of urban planning guidelines in both urban and more rural areas. This relate to the literature regarding the contribution made by urban density/sprawl and the ‘walkability’ of the built environment to obesity rates (see Ellis et al, 2016 , Näyhä et al, 2013 , Sallis et al, 2012 , Zhao and Kaestner, 2010 ).…”

Urban sprawl, obesity, and cancer mortality in the United States: cross-sectional analysis and methodological challenges

“…However, international interest in the environmental and health consequences of sprawl is also increasing [15,16]. Independent of the analysis of urban sprawl, there is also a long and global history of examining the effect of cities and residence in urban areas on health outcomes, including cancer [17-19].…”

“…Research on urban sprawl has been particularly prominent in the United States, in part because this kind of development has been very common, notably in the past 30 years [ 14 ]. However, international interest in the environmental and health consequences of sprawl is also increasing [ 15 , 16 ]. Independent of the analysis of urban sprawl, there is also a long and global history of examining the effect of cities and residence in urban areas on health outcomes, including cancer [ 17 - 19 ].…”