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Can the Built Environment Reduce Obesity? The Impact of Residential Sprawl and Neighborhood Parks on Obesity and Physical Activity

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  • Deliana Kostova

    (Department of Economics, Emory University, 1602 Fishburne Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322-2240, USA.)

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of the built environment on obesity while looking for causation in the presence of unobserved individual characteristics. Unobserved heterogeneity is addressed with instrumental variables. Two features of the built environment are considered: residential sprawl and proximity to neighborhood parks. Standard single equation results indicate that less sprawl and better park access are both significantly associated with lower levels of obesity. However, these effects disappear in the two-stage specification, implying that the built environment may not causally affect obesity. This conclusion is further supported by the finding that neither parks nor sprawl seems to influence the occurrence of physical activity.

Suggested Citation

  • Deliana Kostova, 2011. "Can the Built Environment Reduce Obesity? The Impact of Residential Sprawl and Neighborhood Parks on Obesity and Physical Activity," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 37(3), pages 390-402.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:easeco:v:37:y:2011:i:3:p:390-402
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    Cited by:

    1. Hamdi Lemamsha & Chris Papadopoulos & Gurch Randhawa, 2018. "Perceived Environmental Factors Associated with Obesity in Libyan Men and Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Catherine Deri Armstrong & Rose Anne Devlin & Forough Seifi, 2023. "Build it and they will come: Volunteer opportunities and volunteering," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(3), pages 989-1006, August.
    3. Lenzen, Sabrina & Gannon, Brenda & Rose, Christiern & Norton, Edward C., 2023. "The relationship between physical activity, cognitive function and health care use: A mediation analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    4. Cappelli, Federica & Guastella, Gianni & Pareglio, Stefano, 2020. "Institutional Fragmentation and Urbanisation in the EU Cities," FACTS: Firms And Cities Towards Sustainability 305212, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) > FACTS: Firms And Cities Towards Sustainability.
    5. Shima Hamidi, 2020. "Urban sprawl and the emergence of food deserts in the USA," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(8), pages 1660-1675, June.
    6. Reid Ewing & Shima Hamidi & James B Grace, 2016. "Urban sprawl as a risk factor in motor vehicle crashes," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(2), pages 247-266, February.

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