Study: Property Values Predict Obesity Rates Better Than Education or Income

According to an Aug. 29 press release, a recent study conducted by the University of Washington Health Sciences and the U of W Medicine concluded that economics do affect obesity rates. Previous studies have examined and compared obesity rates among racial and ethnic minorities and groups of lower education and incomes, but this was the first study of its kind to look at obesity rates by ZIP code areas' indexes of poverty and wealth.

First, a telephone survey was conducted in King County, Wash., by the local health department and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Then an analysis of the 8,000 responses was done. The study found six-fold disparities in obesity rates across the Seattle metropolitan area, which was evaluated according to ZIP code areas. In the poorest ZIP code areas, the obesity rates were at 30 percent. The rates were around 5 percent in the most affluent areas. By using respondents' ZIP codes, the researchers were able to make a more detailed analysis on a finer geographic scale. According to the CDC, 20 to 24 percent of Washington's population is obese, having a BMI equal to or greater than 30.

The socioeconomic status of a ZIP code area was determined by residential property values, versus income. Dr. Adam Drewnowski is the director of the U of W Center for Obesity Research, as well as the study's leader. He explained that "incomes are not the same as assets and wealth. The chief financial asset for most Americans is their home. Knowing more about the geography of obesity will allow us to identify the most vulnerable neighborhoods."

Another possible factor in the diversity of obesity rates between the poor and the affluent is that those who live in ZIP code areas with higher property values also are likely to have better access to healthy foods, or opportunities for exercise.

In previous studies of obesity rates among racial and ethnic minorities and populations of lower education and incomes in King County, Wash., it was found that 26 percent of African Americans were obese; 16 percent of whites were obese. Of people with incomes below $15,000 per year, 20 percent were obese. Of those with incomes over $15,000 per year, 15 percent were obese. Interestingly, the "ZIP code study" found higher disparities, which suggests that social and economic differences are more important in predicting obesity than researchers previously believed.

Dr. Drewnowski concluded that this latest study "shows that geography, social class, and economic standing all play huge roles in the obesity problem. Some of the most disadvantaged areas - those hardest hit by low income, low education, and low property values - are also the ones most affected by the obesity epidemic."

According to the CDC, one of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15 percent. Unfortunately, current statistics indicate the national obesity epidemic is worsening rather than improving. Specifically, says the CDC, surveys show that the prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20-74 increased from 15 percent in a 1976-1980 survey, to almost 40 percent in a 2003 - 2004 survey.

Sources:

Press release, ZIP Codes and Property Values Predict Obesity Rates; http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/532906/

CDC; http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/