Document Type
Article
Abstract
Obesity is a growing concern in the United States. Obesity results from eating more calories than one’s body can use as energy per day. To lose weight one must either eat fewer calories or use more energy. Some suggest that certain public amenities may encourage healthy lifestyles. Others suggest public amenities have no effect on personal activity levels. This paper looks at the influence the built environment has on obesity rates in U.S. cities. An Ordinary Least Squares regression model is used and finds that significant characteristics of the built environment include acres of parkland, number of recreation facilities, commute times, and active travel rates in a city.
Publication Date
Spring 2011
Journal Title
Major Themes in Economics
Volume
13
Issue
1
First Page
93
Last Page
107
Copyright
©2011 by Major Themes in Economics
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Cowell, Charlie
(2011)
"The Built Environment’s Effect on Obesity in the United States,"
Major Themes in Economics, 13, 93-107.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/mtie/vol13/iss1/7