Climate Amenity and BMI

The influence of geographic life environments on cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review, a methodological assessment and a research agenda

“…Regarding street and road network characteristics, four out of eight studies reported that living in areas with high street connectivity was associated with lower weight status (33,39) and two studies found that people in areas with higher densities of highways were more likely to be overweight (28,40)). Additionally, studies investigating whether environmental scores of walkability, land‐use mix or sprawl (e.g.…”

The Relationships between Weather-Related Factors and Daily Outdoor Physical Activity Counts on an Urban Greenway

“…Merrill and colleagues recently found that inclement weather is associated with lower rates of PA [6]. Climate is also related to variations in total PA with geographic areas of moist tropical conditions having a lower percentage of the population reporting PA levels meeting recommendations [7]. Seasonal trends have also been demonstrated in these studies indicating that PA is lower in colder months compared to warmer months [8–12].…”

“…The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey is a commonly used instrument which indirectly measures PA through self report and uses geographic location to determine weather conditions at participant’s location at the time of the interview [6]. This method, while insightful, is not specific to outdoor PA, is subject to recall bias, and may be inaccurate in matching of participant’s geographic location with weather conditions [7]. …”

‘Health-Oriented Agriculture’ for Nutritional Security versus Climate Change Risks in the Mediterranean Basin

“…Climate warming was also suggested to increase overweight and obesity [12], and was found to put a higher burden on overweight individuals [13,14]. In the last 4-5 decades, economic opportunities and availability of indoor climate control have enabled a greater percentage of the US population to reside in places with less desirable climate.…”

“…Even though multiple factors contribute to the epidemic of obesity, a recent study suggests that urban design and planning must consider the comfort level of public spaces, especially in less amenable regions or areas, though the effects of climate amenity have been found to cut across socioeconomic and racial groups. In particular, low-income counties that tend to have a low climate amenity, might thus be doubly disadvantaged if there are no community facilities that provide opportunities for indoor physical activities [12]. Further, overweight and obesity, more prevalent in low socioeconomic populations, also increase vulnerability to climate change and higher temperatures [13,14].…”