Abstract

In recent decades, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes has risen substantially in North America and worldwide. To address these dual epidemics, researchers and policymakers alike have been searching for effective means to promote healthy lifestyles at a population level. As a consequence, there has been a proliferation of research examining how the ‘built’ environment in which we live influences physical activity levels, by promoting active forms of transportation, such as walking and cycling, over passive ones, such as car use. Shifting the transportation choices of local residents may mean that more members of the population can participate in physical activity during their daily routine without structured exercise programs. Increasingly, this line of research has considered the downstream metabolic consequences of the environment in which we live, raising the possibility that ‘healthier’ community designs could help mitigate the rise in obesity and diabetes prevalence. This review discusses the evidence examining the relationship between the built environment, physical activity, and obesity-related diseases. We also consider how other environmental factors may interact with the built environment to influence metabolic health, highlighting challenges in understanding causal relationships in this area of research.

中文翻译：

---

地方的重量：建筑环境与肥胖和糖尿病相关

摘要

近几十年来，肥胖和糖尿病的患病率在北美和全世界大幅上升。为了解决这些双重流行病，研究人员和政策制定者一直在寻找有效的方法来促进人群健康的生活方式。因此，越来越多的研究通过提倡步行和骑自行车等主动交通方式，而不是汽车等被动交通方式，来检验我们生活的“建成”环境如何影响身体活动水平。改变当地居民的交通选择可能意味着更多的人可以在没有结构化锻炼计划的情况下在日常生活中参加体育锻炼。日益，这一系列研究考虑了我们生活环境的下游代谢后果，提高了“更健康”的社区设计有助于缓解肥胖和糖尿病患病率上升的可能性。这篇综述讨论了检查建筑环境、身体活动和肥胖相关疾病之间关系的证据。我们还考虑了其​​他环境因素如何与建筑环境相互作用以影响代谢健康，突出了理解该研究领域因果关系的挑战。