Research
Adherence
Increasing access to supermarkets and places to exercise, along with improving neighborhood safety, are promising strategies to reduce obesity-related health disparities in disadvantaged populations.
For communities with high obesity rates, simply providing information on healthy eating is insufficient. Interventions must prioritize structural changes: increasing the number of supermarkets with affordable produce, ensuring safe, accessible places for physical activity, and improving neighborhood safety to encourage outdoor movement.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Based on the authors’ review, increasing supermarket access, places to exercise, and neighborhood safety may also be promising strategies to reduce obesity-related health disparities.
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review of 45 studies, though heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis.
Source
Built Environments and Obesity in Disadvantaged Populations
Gina S. Lovasi et al. · Epidemiologic Reviews · 2009
DOI 10.1093/epirev/mxp005
systematic_reviewCited 815×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Disadvantaged populations (low SES, Black, Hispanic) are disproportionately exposed to obesogenic built environment characteristics, including fewer supermarkets, more convenience stores, and less safety.Good
- Walkable urban form (density, connectivity) has weaker or non-significant associations with physical activity and BMI for disadvantaged groups compared to advantaged groups.Moderate
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- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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