USA TODAY: ….“This research shows how important the environment can be for people’s health,” says the study’s lead author, Jens Ludwig, a professor of social service administration, law and public policy at the University of Chicago.
Obesity increases people’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems. People in poorer neighborhoods are at a higher risk of becoming too heavy because they may not have access to grocery stores that are well-stocked with healthy fare such as fresh fruits and vegetables, often don’t have safe places to be physically active and may have greater concerns about safety, which could impact their psychological stress and eating habits, Ludwig says..
Ludwig says the difference between the cost of public housing and the rent-subsidy vouchers for private housing is negligible, but both are expensive. The number of people living in high-poverty neighborhoods is going up, he says. “This may explain part of the increase in obesity and diabetes,” Ludwig says… (more)
