ArticleAmerican journal of public health2014
Obesity and the natural environment across US counties.
Article in American journal of public health, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gender differences and climate zones in overweight and obesity prevalence in European elementary school children from 2000 to 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Beyond the Surface: Mechanistic Intersections Between Obesity and UVB Exposure.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Review
- Obesity and the experienced cultural, economic, and climate variations among immigrants to high-income countries: An umbrella review of the literature.Public health nutrition · 2026Review
- Associations of Longitudinal BMI-Percentile Classification Patterns in Early Childhood with Neighborhood-Level Social Determinants of Health.Childhood obesity (Print) · 2025Article
- The impact of exposure to green or bluespace on dietary intake and food choices among adults-A systematic literature review.Food science & nutrition · 2024Review
- Spatial analysis of the prevalence of abdominal obesity in middle-aged and older adult people in China: exploring the relationship with meteorological factors based on gender differences.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- A Review of the Role of Built Environment and Temperature in the Development of Childhood Obesity.Cureus · 2023Review
- Investigation of the Seasonal Variation in Fat Patterning of Ellisras Rural Children and Adolescents, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Environmental cues for healthy food marketing: The importance of in-store research into three conversions.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Article
- Estimates of Childhood Overweight and Obesity at the Region, State, and County Levels: A Multilevel Small-Area Estimation Approach.American journal of epidemiology · 2021Article
- Income Inequality and Obesity among US Adults 1999-2016: Does Sex Matter?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Regional Differences in Height, Weight, and Body Composition may Result from Photoperiodic Responses: An Ecological Analysis of Japanese Children and Adolescents.Journal of circadian rhythms · 2021Article
- The Hispanic paradox in the prevalence of obesity at the county-level.Obesity science & practice · 2021Article
- Long-Term Exposure to Ambient PMFrontiers in endocrinology · 2021Article
- Nutrition Indicators, Physical Function, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2020Article
- Article
- Spatiotemporal predictions of obesity prevalence in Chinese children and adolescents: based on analyses of obesogenic environmental variability and Bayesian model.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2019Article
- Identification of Factors Associated With Variation in US County-Level Obesity Prevalence Rates Using Epidemiologic vs Machine Learning Models.JAMA network open · 2019Article
- Day length is associated with physical activity and sedentary behavior among older women.Scientific reports · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesWe estimated the association between obesity and features of the natural environment. We asked whether the association is mediated by diet or by physical activity.
methodsUsing county-level data from the contiguous United States, we regressed adult obesity prevalence on 9 measures of the natural environment. Our regression model accounted for spatial correlation, and controlled for county demographics and the built environment. We included physical activity and diet (proxied by food purchases) as potential mediators.
resultsObesity was more prevalent in counties that are hot in July or cold in January. To a lesser degree, obesity was more prevalent in counties that are dark in January or rainy (but not snowy) year-round. Other aspects of the natural environment-including wind, trees, waterfront, and hills and mountains-had little or no association with obesity. Nearly all of the association between obesity and the natural environment was mediated by physical activity; none was mediated by diet.
conclusionsHot summers and cold winters appear to promote obesity by discouraging physical activity. Attempts to encourage physical activity should compensate for the effects of extreme temperatures.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.