The Road to Obesity or the Path to Prevention: Motorized Transportation and Obesity in China

Abstract

BELL, A. COLIN, KEYOU GE, AND BARRY M. POPKIN. The road to obesity or the path to prevention: motorized transportation and obesity in China. Obes Res. 2002;10:277-283. Objective: Dependence on motorized forms of transportation may contribute to the worldwide obesity epidemic. Shifts in transportation patterns occurring in China provide an ideal opportunity to study the association between vehicle ownership and obesity. Our objective was to determine whether motorized forms of transportation promote obesity. Research Methods and Procedures:A multistage randomcluster sampling process was used to select households from eight provinces in China. Data were included on household vehicle ownership and individual anthropometric and sociodemographic status. Cross-sectional data (1997) from 4741 Chinese adults aged 20 to 55 years were used to explore the association between vehicle ownership and obesity. Cohort data (1989 to 1997) from 2485 adults aged 20 to 45 years in 1989 (59% follow-up) were used to measure the impact of vehicle acquisition on the odds of becoming obese. Results: Our main outcome measure was current obesity status and the odds of becoming obese over an 8-year period. In 1997, 84% of adults did not own motorized transportation. However, the odds of being obese were 80% higher (p Ͻ 0.05) for men and women in households who owned a motorized vehicle compared with those who did not own a vehicle. Fourteen percent of households acquired a motorized vehicle between 1989 and 1997. Compared with those whose vehicle ownership did not change, men who acquired a vehicle experienced a 1.8-kg greater weight gain (p Ͻ 0.05) and had 2 to 1 odds of becoming obese.Discussion: Encouraging active forms of transportation may be one way to protect against obesity.

Under- and overnutrition dynamics in Chinese children and adults (1991–2004)

“…Varying patterns of change in weight status for Chinese children and adults are hypothesized to be influenced by biological differences in adults and children, variations in how children and adults are affected by environmental change and possible interaction between biological and environmental factors . Increases in the overweight prevalence among adults have been linked with decreases in work-and transport-related physical activity, while a relationship between overweight and a high-fat, low-fiber diet has been found for both children and adults (Paeratakul et al, 1998;Bell et al, 2001Bell et al, , 2002Wang et al, 2003). More research is needed in order to better understand the relationship between weight status changes for children and adults.…”

China's transition: The effect of rapid urbanization on adult occupational physical activity

“…Investigations assessing the environmental effects on activity tend to primarily explore recreational or leisure time activity (De Bourdeaudhuij, Sallis, & Saelens, 2003;Reis, Bowles, Ainsworth, Dubose, Smith, & Laditka, 2004), as well as transportation activity via walking or bicycling (Bell, Ge, & Popkin, 2002;Owen, Humpel, Leslie, Bauman, & Sallis, 2004;Saelens, Sallis, & Frank, 2003). To our knowledge there have been no earlier studies examining the effect of macro-level environmental characteristics on occupational physical activity as we do in this paper.…”

“…Occupational activity is the major source of activity for adults in China, since leisure time activity and sports have not become prevalent means of exercise as they have in more developed nations (Bell, Ge, & Popkin, 2001;Bell, Ge, & Popkin, 2002;Fu & Fung, 2004;. In fact, fewer than 10% of Chinese adults report participating in any leisure time physical activity at all.…”

Obesity during growth in Switzerland: role of early socio-cultural factors favouring sedentary activities

“…12,14,15 The pathophysiological importance of motorized transportation and the use of the car pertaining to the rise in prevalence of obesity is illustrated by the results of a study looking at a random-cluster population sample (n ¼ 4741, aged 30-55 years) from eight Chinese provinces spanning the time period of 1989 to 1997. 16 The odds of being overweight were approximately 80% higher for individuals from households who owned a motorized vehicle as compared to those not owning a motorized vehicle, and men who acquired a vehicle experienced a 1.8 kg greater weight gain and had a 2 to 1 odds to become overweight . 16 In Switzerland, the importance of land structure in the inverse relation between childhood obesity and physical activity is reflected in data from the Ticino childhood obesity study.…”

“…16 The odds of being overweight were approximately 80% higher for individuals from households who owned a motorized vehicle as compared to those not owning a motorized vehicle, and men who acquired a vehicle experienced a 1.8 kg greater weight gain and had a 2 to 1 odds to become overweight . 16 In Switzerland, the importance of land structure in the inverse relation between childhood obesity and physical activity is reflected in data from the Ticino childhood obesity study. 6 These indicate that in the rural population in which the prevalence of obesity was the lowest, the physical activity level was the highest, as assessed by visual analogue scales by the teachers as well as the self-assessed degree of physical activity by the children (ANOVA, Po0.0001).…”