IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i21p7746-d433509.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Compact Built Environment Help to Reduce Obesity? Influence of Population Density on Waist–Hip Ratio in Chinese Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Chun Yin

    (Research Center for China Administrative Division, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
    Institute of Eco-Chongming, Shanghai 202162, China
    Future City Lab, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China)

  • Bindong Sun

    (Research Center for China Administrative Division, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
    Institute of Eco-Chongming, Shanghai 202162, China
    Future City Lab, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China)

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the non-linear association between population density and obesity in China and to provide empirical evidence for the public health orientated guideline of urban planning. By conducting a longitudinal study with data collected from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) between 2004 and 2011, we applied fixed-effect models to assess the non-linear association between the compact built environment and waist–hip ratio (WHR), controlling for sex, age, nationality, education, employment status, marital status, household size, household income, and residents’ attitudes. Our findings reveal that the built environment is one of the key determinants of obesity. The U-shaped influence of population density on WHR was observed. Moreover, influence differs according to sex and weight status. Our findings indicate healthy city planning has the potential to improve the built environment to reduce obesity risk and promote public health.

Suggested Citation

  • Chun Yin & Bindong Sun, 2020. "Does Compact Built Environment Help to Reduce Obesity? Influence of Population Density on Waist–Hip Ratio in Chinese Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:7746-:d:433509
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/7746/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/7746/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Cao, Xinyu, 2008. "Examining the impacts of residential self-selection on travel behavior: A focus on methodologies," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 204-228, March.
    2. Cynthia Chen & Hongmian Gong & Robert Paaswell, 2008. "Role of the built environment on mode choice decisions: additional evidence on the impact of density," Transportation, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 285-299, May.
    3. Sobal, Jeffrey & Rauschenbach, Barbara S. & Frongillo Jr., Edward A., 1992. "Marital status, fatness and obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 915-923, October.
    4. Burkhauser, Richard V. & Cawley, John, 2008. "Beyond BMI: The value of more accurate measures of fatness and obesity in social science research," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 519-529, March.
    5. Mata, Jutta & Frank, Ronald & Hertwig, Ralph, 2015. "Higher body mass index, less exercise, but healthier eating in married adults: Nine representative surveys across Europe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 119-127.
    6. Mark R. Stevens, 2017. "Response to Commentaries on “Does Compact Development Make People Drive Less?”," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 83(2), pages 151-158, April.
    7. Mark R. Stevens, 2017. "Does Compact Development Make People Drive Less?," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 83(1), pages 7-18, January.
    8. Cawley, John (ed.), 2011. "The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199736362.
    9. She, Zhaowei & King, Douglas M. & Jacobson, Sheldon H., 2019. "Is promoting public transit an effective intervention for obesity?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 162-169.
    10. Sun, Bindong & Yan, Hong & Zhang, Tinglin, 2017. "Built environmental impacts on individual mode choice and BMI: Evidence from China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 11-21.
    11. Melia, Steve & Parkhurst, Graham & Barton, Hugh, 2011. "The paradox of intensification," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 46-52, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lingling Su & Suhong Zhou, 2022. "Long-Term Residential Environment Exposure and Subjective Wellbeing in Later Life in Guangzhou, China: Moderated by Residential Mobility History," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-18, October.
    2. Faisal Bin Sulaiman, 2023. "Compact City: What Is the Extent of Our Exploration for Its Meanings? A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    3. Jessica Yu & Paul Gustafson & Martino Tran & Michael Brauer, 2022. "Assessing Trade-Offs and Optimal Ranges of Density for Life Expectancy and 12 Causes of Mortality in Metro Vancouver, Canada, 1990–2016," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-17, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Faizeh Hatami & Jean-Claude Thill, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Evaluation of the Built Environment’s Impact on Commuting Duration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    2. Aston, Laura & Currie, Graham & Kamruzzaman, Md. & Delbosc, Alexa & Teller, David, 2020. "Study design impacts on built environment and transit use research," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    3. Mitra, Suman K. & Saphores, Jean-Daniel M., 2019. "Why do they live so far from work? Determinants of long-distance commuting in California," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    4. Mitra, Suman K. & Saphores, Jean-Daniel M., 2017. "Carless in California: Green choice or misery?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1-12.
    5. Chetan Doddamani & M. Manoj, 2023. "Analysis of the influences of built environment measures on household car and motorcycle ownership decisions in Hubli-Dharwad cities," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 205-243, February.
    6. Lin, Tao & Wang, Donggen & Guan, Xiaodong, 2017. "The built environment, travel attitude, and travel behavior: Residential self-selection or residential determination?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 111-122.
    7. Zhao, Juanjuan & Ren, Huan & Gu, Yan & Pan, Haojie, 2023. "Relationships between the residential environment, travel attitude and behaviour among knowledge workers: The role of job types," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    8. Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2019. "Influences of the built environment on travel: A household-based perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 710-724.
    9. Marcus Adolphson, 2022. "Spatial Lifestyle Clusters and Access to the City: Evidence from the Stockholm Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, November.
    10. Charles Raux & Ayana Lamatkhanova & Lény Grassot, 2021. "Does the built environment shape commuting? The case of Lyon (France)," Post-Print halshs-03010833, HAL.
    11. Erick Guerra & Shengxiao Li & Ariadna Reyes, 2022. "How do low-income commuters get to work in US and Mexican cities? A comparative empirical assessment," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(1), pages 75-96, January.
    12. Adam Millard-Ball & Jeremy West & Nazanin Rezaei & Garima Desai, 2022. "What do residential lotteries show us about transportation choices?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(2), pages 434-452, February.
    13. Faan Chen & Adriano Borges Costa, 2024. "Exploring the causal effects of the built environment on travel behavior: a unique randomized experiment in Shanghai," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 215-245, February.
    14. Jae-Hong Kwon & Gi-Hyoug Cho, 2023. "The Long-Lasting Impact of Past Mobility Dependence on Travel Mode Share in a New Neighborhood: The Case of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, South Korea," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-16, October.
    15. Charles Raux & Ayana Lamatkhanova & Lény Grassot, 2020. "Does the built environment shape commuting? The case of Lyon (France)," Working Papers halshs-03010833, HAL.
    16. Donggen Wang & Tao Lin, 2019. "Built environment, travel behavior, and residential self-selection: a study based on panel data from Beijing, China," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 51-74, February.
    17. Rahman, Mashrur & Sciara, Gian-Claudia, 2022. "Travel attitudes, the built environment and travel behavior relationships: Causal insights from social psychology theories," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 44-54.
    18. Ding, Chuan & Cao, Xinyu & Yu, Bin & Ju, Yang, 2021. "Non-linear associations between zonal built environment attributes and transit commuting mode choice accounting for spatial heterogeneity," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 22-35.
    19. Arefeh Nasri & Carlos Carrion & Lei Zhang & Babak Baghaei, 2020. "Using propensity score matching technique to address self-selection in transit-oriented development (TOD) areas," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 359-371, February.
    20. Fang, Jia & Yan, Xiang & Bejleri, Ilir & Chen, Changjie, 2022. "Which trip destination matters? Estimating the influence of the built environment on mode choice for home-based complex tours," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:7746-:d:433509. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.