Moving to Socio-Economically Deprived Neighborhoods Tied to Weight Gain

If you are one of the millions out there struggling to lose weight, then first look at your surroundings, it may not be helping.  Researchers found that people who moved to more socio-economically deprived neighborhoods gained additional weight.

Since certain regions in the United States are characterized by higher rates of obesity, it has been presumed that a person's socioeconomic, physical, and social environments can help or hinder opportunities for healthy behaviors.

The Research used data of over 3,000 Dallas County residents aged 18-65 years, who they at which time 1,835 participants completed a detailed survey. The study found that people who moved to more socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods gained weight.

Participants were asked 18 survey questions on their perception of the neighborhood to assess perceived neighborhood violence, physical environment, and social cohesion.

"Longitudinal studies specifically examining the relationship between neighborhood SES change and obesity as a cardiovascular risk factor are rare and have had methodologic limitations," said lead investigator Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley, M.D., M.P.H., a clinical investigator for the National Institutes of Health and lead author of the study.

"This study sheds important light on the impact that changes in neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation by moving can have on weight change and subsequent obesity."

The study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, underlines the fact that living environments can have a great impact on body size and health. "Addressing neighborhood deprivation as a risk factor for obesity and obesity-related cardiovascular disease requires consideration of public policy that can address sources of deprivation," the study authors conclude.