Research
Adherence
Disadvantaged populations (low SES, Black, Hispanic) are disproportionately exposed to obesogenic built environment characteristics, including fewer supermarkets, more convenience stores, and less safety.
Public health efforts must recognize that disadvantaged neighborhoods often lack basic infrastructure for health. Solutions require targeted investment in these specific areas to correct the imbalance in food and exercise access.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
There is also evidence that disadvantaged groups were living in worse environments with respect to food stores, places to exercise, aesthetic problems, and traffic or crime-related safety.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies cited in the review, including national data.
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
- 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.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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