Where You Live affects Your Diabetes Risk, Researchers Suggest

Lisa Franchi January 17, 2014

Diet, fitness level and weight are the most common factors that affect an individual’s risk of diabetes. But according to new research, where people live may just be as important. In this study, scientists found that a walk-friendly, densely-populated neighbourhood may actually help reduce people’s risk of developing diabetes. Meanwhile, the more car-dependent the neighbourhood is, the greater the risk of diabetes and obesity becomes.

Neighbourhood predicts diabetes risk

Researchers from St Michael’s Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences investigated the walkability and residential density of the different neighbourhoods in Toronto to see how these factors influenced the risk of obesity and diabetes among the residents. They found that not only did such factors independently predict the health of the residents – when taken together; the walkability and density of the neighbourhood became an even more powerful predictor.

In particular, the results showed that living in a walk-friendly and dense neighbourhood made people more likely to go biking, walking, or taking public transportation, whilst living in a less-walkable neighbourhood increased the likelihood of driving to do errands.

In an earlier study, the same researchers found that people living in walk-unfriendly neighbourhoods had 50 per cent higher risk of developing diabetes than those who live in walk-friendly areas.

"Although diabetes can be prevented through physical activity, healthy eating and weight loss, we determined the environment in which one lives is also an important indicator of one’s risk," says study researcher Dr Gillian Booth, an endocrinologist and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital.

The current findings, which were published in the journal Plos One, once again, highlight the importance of staying active in the prevention and even management of diabetes. Not only does an inactive lifestyle make people vulnerable to this lifelong disease, but inactivity has also been shown to increase the risk of premature death. In England alone, inactivity kills 36,815 people each year, according to a 2012 study by the South West Public Health Observatory (SWPHO) and charity Sustrans. If you want a healthier 2014, perhaps one of your biggest priorities this year is to get more active.

Source of this article:

Residents Of Walk-Friendly, Dense Neighborhoods May Have Lower Diabetes Risk