Table Of ContentGeoGraphies of obesity
Geographies of health
Series Editors
allison Williams, associate professor, school of Geography and earth
sciences, McMaster University, Canada
susan elliott, Dean of the faculty of social sciences,
McMaster University, Canada
there is growing interest in the geographies of health and a continued interest in
what has more traditionally been labeled medical geography. the traditional focus
of ‘medical geography’ on areas such as disease ecology, health service provision
and disease mapping (all of which continue to reflect a mainly quantitative
approach to inquiry) has evolved to a focus on a broader, theoretically informed
epistemology of health geographies in an expanded international reach. as a result,
we now find this subdiscipline characterized by a strongly theoretically-informed
research agenda, embracing a range of methods (quantitative; qualitative and the
integration of the two) of inquiry concerned with questions of: risk; representation
and meaning; inequality and power; culture and difference, among others. Health
mapping and modeling, has simultaneously been strengthened by the technical
advances made in multilevel modeling, advanced spatial analytic methods and
GIS, while further engaging in questions related to health inequalities, population
health and environmental degradation.
This series publishes superior quality research monographs and edited collections
representing contemporary applications in the field; this encompasses original
research as well as advances in methods, techniques and theories. The Geographies
of Health series will capture the interest of a broad body of scholars, within the
social sciences, the health sciences and beyond.
Also in the series
sense of place, health and Quality of Life
Edited by John Eyles and Allison Williams
isbN 978 0 7546 7332 3
Primary Health Care: People, Practice, Place
Edited by Valorie A. Crooks and Gavin J. Andrews
isbN 978 0 7546 7247 0
There’s No Place Like Home: Place and Care in an Ageing Society
Christine Milligan
isbN 978 0 7546 7423 8
Geographies of obesity
environmental Understandings of the obesity epidemic
Edited by
JaMie pearCe
University of Edinburgh, UK
KareN WitteN
Massey University, New Zealand
© Jamie pearce and Karen Witten 2010
all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Jamie pearce and Karen Witten have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the editors of this work.
published by
ashgate publishing Limited ashgate publishing Company
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Union road 101 Cherry street
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Geographies of obesity : environmental understandings of
the obesity epidemic. -- (Geographies of health)
1. Obesity--Etiology. 2. Lifestyles--Health aspects.
i. series ii. pearce, Jamie. iii. Witten, Karen.
614.5'9398-dc22
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Geographies of obesity : environmental understandings of the obesity epidemic /
[edited] by Jamie pearce and Karen Witten.
p. ; cm. -- (Ashgate’s geographies of health series)
includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7546-7619-5 (hardback) 1. Obesity--Epidemiology. 2. Obesity--Prevention.
i. pearce, Jamie. ii. Witten, Karen.
[DNLM: 1. Obesity--epidemiology. 2. Obesity--prevention & control. 3. Environment. 4.
Risk Factors. 5. World Health. WD 210 G352 2009]
rC628.G476 2009
614.5'9398--dc22
2009031068
ISBN 9780754676195 (hbk)
ISBN 9780754699415 (ebk.III)
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
Contributors’ Biographies xi
Foreword xxi
Acknowledgements xxiii
Part I IntrODUCtIOn
1 Introduction: Bringing a Geographical Perspective
to Understanding the ‘obesity epidemic’ 3
Jamie Pearce and Karen Witten
2 The Emerging Obesity Epidemic: An Introduction 15
Barry M. Popkin
3 Contextual Determinants of Obesity: An Overview 39
Daniel Kim and Ichiro Kawachi
Part II FOOD EnvIrOnmEnt anD OBEsIty (EnErGy In)
4 Changing Food Environment and Obesity: An Overview 57
Janet Hoek and Rachael McLean
5 Understanding the Local food environment and obesity 79
Lukar E. Thornton and Anne M. Kavanagh
6 Childhood obesity and the food environment 111
Mat Walton and Louise Signal
Part III PhysICaL aCtIvIty, EnvIrOnmEnt anD OBEsIty
(EnErGy OUt)
vi Geographies of Obesity
7 the role of the Changing built environment in shaping our shape 131
Billie Giles-Corti, Jennifer Robertson-Wilson,
Lisa Wood and Ryan Falconer
8 Understanding the Local physical activity environment and obesity 151
Gavin Turrell
9 Childhood obesity, physical activity and the physical environment 175
Melody Oliver and Grant Schofield
Part Iv OBEsOGEnIC EnvIrOnmEnts anD POLICy
rEsPOnsEs
10 policy responses and obesogenic food environments 207
Katrina Giskes
11 policy responses and the physical environment 227
Mylène Riva and Sarah Curtis
Part v FUtUrE rEsEarCh ChaLLEnGEs
12 residential environments and obesity – estimating Causal effects 251
Graham Moon
13 Measuring obesogenic environments – representing place
in studies of obesity 277
Dianna Smith, Kim Edwards, Graham Clarke and Kirk Harland
14 Recourse to Discourse: Talk and Text as Avenues to Understand
environments of obesity 297
Robin Kearns
Part vI COnCLUsIOns
15 Conclusions: Common Themes and Emerging Questions 313
Jamie Pearce and Karen Witten
Index 323
List of figures
1.1 examples of environmental characteristics at a range of spatial
scales that potentially influence i) food consumption
(energy in) and ii) physical activity (energy out) 5
2.1 Global overweight and obesity 17
2.2 obesity patterns across the world 18
2.3a Overweight and underweight prevalence in women 20-49y
in 36 developing countries ranked by gross national income
(gni) per capita – Urban women 19
2.3b Overweight and underweight prevalence in women 20-49y
in 36 developing countries ranked by gross national income
(gni) per capita – Rural women 20
2.4 annual absolute change in the prevalence of overweight
and obesity in seven countries from 1985/1995 to 1995/2006 22
2.5 relationship between the percentage of energy from fat
and GNp per capita, 1962 and 1990 25
2.6 relationship between levels of gross national product
per capita and caloric sweetener 27
3.1 International Obesity Task Force Working Group
conceptual model 44
5.1 Conceptual framework for the study of nutrition environments 81
6.1 Children’s food environment 114
9.1 Percentage of youth meeting guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity 176
9.2 Conceptual model of environmental factors
that may influence children’s physical activity 177
10.1 Components of the food supply chain 210
11.1 Policy levels, environments and settings influencing
physical activity 229
viii Geographies of Obesity
13.1 provision scores for access to food outlets in Cardiff, 2002 280
13.2 Fruit and vegetable consumption (>5 portions/day) by OA 287
13.3 Childhood obesity across Leeds (proportion of measured
children, in each area, who are obese) 287
13.4 Output areas (the dark shading) where key local determinants
of childhood obesity differ from the key global determinants 288
List of tables
3.1 The ANGELO conceptual framework 42
5.1 a brief overview of studies investigating objective measures
of the food environment with individual dietary behaviours
and health outcomes 85
8.1 physical and social characteristics of the neighbourhood
environment that have been examined in relation to obesity 154
9.1 Environmental associates of activity in children:
Studies reviewed and key findings 179
10.1 policy instruments under the jurisdiction of different levels
of governance that may address the food environment 212
12.1 the bradford hill criteria for causation 253
12.2 the hierarchy of epidemiological evidence 255
13.1 estimating variations in factors associated with obesity 286
14.1 summary of complementary case studies 298
