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Fat nation: Deciphering the distinctive geographies of obesity in England

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  • Moon, Graham
  • Quarendon, Gemma
  • Barnard, Steve
  • Twigg, Liz
  • Blyth, Bill

Abstract

Much attention is focused on obesity by both the media and by public health. As a health risk, obesity is recognised as a contributing factor to numerous health problems. Recent evidence points to a growth in levels of obesity in many countries and particular attention is usually given to rising levels of obesity among younger people. England is no exception to these generalisations with recent studies revealing a clear geography to what has been termed an 'obesity epidemic.' This paper examines the complexities inherent in the geography of adult obesity in England. Existing knowledge about the sub-national geography of obesity is examined and assessed. Multilevel synthetic estimation is then used to construct an age-sex-ethnicity disaggregated geography of obesity. These differing geographies are compared and contrasted with pre-existing findings and explored at multiple scales. A complex picture of the geography of obesity in England is revealed.

Suggested Citation

  • Moon, Graham & Quarendon, Gemma & Barnard, Steve & Twigg, Liz & Blyth, Bill, 2007. "Fat nation: Deciphering the distinctive geographies of obesity in England," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 20-31, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:65:y:2007:i:1:p:20-31
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sund, Erik Reidar & Jones, Andy & Midthjell, Kristian, 2010. "Individual, family, and area predictors of BMI and BMI change in an adult Norwegian population: Findings from the HUNT study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(8), pages 1194-1202, April.
    2. Dianna M Smith & Graham P Clarke & Kirk Harland, 2009. "Improving the Synthetic Data Generation Process in Spatial Microsimulation Models," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(5), pages 1251-1268, May.
    3. Harrington, Daniel W. & Elliott, Susan J., 2009. "Weighing the importance of neighbourhood: A multilevel exploration of the determinants of overweight and obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 593-600, February.
    4. Moon, Graham & Twigg, Liz & Jones, Kelvyn & Aitken, Grant & Taylor, Joanna, 2019. "The utility of geodemographic indicators in small area estimates of limiting long-term illness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 47-55.

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