foodconsumer.org: Good Neighborhoods Provide Support of Health Seekers

Good Neighborhoods Provide Support of Health Seekers
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admin on 10/13/2009 21:41:00
 
By Rachel Howell Stockton
The journal Archives of Internal Medicine is reporting on a study comparing
environment and susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers analyzed data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a
population based survey, and found that those who lived in neighborhoods that
encouraged walking, bicycling and other physical activities are less likely to
develop Type 2 diabetes.
And exercise isn’t the only positive lifestyle choice neighborhoods can
provide; the study showed, that along with being exercise conducive, those areas
that provided easy access to healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables reduced a
person’s risk for Type 2 diabetes by a significant 38%.
Researchers were encouraged by the fact that modifying the environment can
influence a person’s lifestyle choices for the better.
The Neighborhood Store
A study out of Temple University that coincides with the results from the
population survey above looked at what children who walk to school are eating,
before and after school.  Although the researchers maintained that school time
intervention is helpful in reducing the obesity problem, those efforts can
easily be sabotaged by unhealthy snacks kids can purchase on their way home.
“We realized that a majority of kids were eating and drinking on their way to
and from school and that the corner stores were playing a big role,” stated
lead researcher, Stephanie Vander Veur, M.P.H. and director of clinical research
at Temple University.
The Importance of Support
One of the likely reasons that environmental influence is so strong is based on
the fact that support is essential when it comes to making significant lifestyle
changes.
According to WebMd, positive reinforcement should ideally come from family,
co-workers, friends and neighbors.  On the flip side of this, however, is that
some of those people expected to provide support may actually sabotage a
person’s best efforts, making it even more important for the environment to be
one that encourages change.
We are not islands unto ourselves; the support aspect of staying fit is every
bit as important as the specific dietary and activity changes we intend to make.
 While it may not exactly take a village to stay fit and healthy, it definitely
takes adequate support from those who want us to succeed.