Over the past couple of decades, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity rates in North America. Measures of socioeconomic disadvantage including neighborhood poverty and low parental/guardian education are related to family obesity rates. Poverty may impact obesity rates through lack of physical activity, inadequate sleep habits, and parental monitoring (Ludwig, 2011). The recent dramatic increase are unlikely due to biological and genetic changes at the individual level, but rather, are linked to the social and economic status among communities. The reason behind the differences in communities that have low economic status contributes to larger health disparities (Bodor, 2010). On a basic level, without community funding there is not any additional money to improve on the infrastructure of the area. For instance, lack of funds means: lack of sidewalks, bike routes and community parks where physical exercise is promoted. Or, if the community is fortunate enough to have these amenities, then high crime rates are an issue and force families to stay indoors. Poor community layout and design also contributes to high rates of obesity in multiple ways. Lastly, statistically speaking, ethnic group populations have the highest obesity rates in these areas. Overall, the purpose of this research paper is to examine the relationship between areas with low-socioeconomic areas and the prevalence of obesity in the residents.
In response to the continuing obesity epidemic in the United States, researchers have begun to assess the role of community development and neighborhood design in relationship to the potential impact on obesity rates (Bodor, 2010). Public health researchers found that the existence of supermarkets within a low income zip code had an 11% decrease in obesity rates, compared to neighborhoods who did not have a supermarket in close proximity (Simen-Kapeu, 2010).
