Property Prices Major Indicator Of Obesity

where property was very cheap the obesity rates went up to as much as 30 percent

Research conducted at the University of Washington in America shows that looking at the values of property in various neighbourhoods and cities in America is an extremely good way of predicting the number of these people in the area. They saw that rather than looking at the incomes or the educational level of individuals to determine obesity rates the values of houses was a much more accurate gauge of the problem.

The research that was published by the journal called Social Science and Medicine saw that for every extra $100,000 increase in the median cost of houses around America the obesity rates of the people fell by two percent. The researchers saw for example that in Seattle the most expensive areas only had a five percent obesity problem whereas the areas where property was very cheap the obesity rates went up to as much as 30 percent.

Doctor Adam Drewnowski who led this fascinating survey said that there was no doubt that obesity is an “economic issue” and said that this study could be used to help health authorities identify areas in America where obesity was most prevalent. At Ukmedix News we have seen tons of research that shows that poorer people are the more likely to be overweight or obese.

There are a number of ideas as to why this is the case such as the fact that poor people tend to favour fast food restaurants that produce very unhealthy food very cheaply. Another theory is that the richer proportion of the population has better access to nutritional information and good medical advice which deters them from eating unhealthy food. Also eating good and tasty food that is healthy requires time and money, two things which are the preserve of the more wealthy parts of society.

At Ukmedix News we hope that the health authorities in America are will put this research to good use so that educational and nutritional programs can be devised for the poorer parts of society.