Does your neighborhood affect how much you exercise?

A recent press release points to a study in the Urban Studies journal that highlighted the impact of neighborhood type on exercise. Basically, the following neighborhood characteristics were associated with less exercise:

• higher levels of poverty
• lower levels of education
• more families headed by women

The author’s interpretation of these results was that individuals are less likely to spend recreational time outside when they perceive a higher level of danger in their neighborhood. It certainly makes sense: anyone would be far more comfortable being active outside in a neighborhood that feels safe than one that appears “shady”. Also, one could assume that a poorer neighborhood would have less access to indoor exercise equipment, whether it be individually owned or at a gym. It would be interesting to see the difference in the density of fitness centers/gyms between the neighborhoods examined.

Another interesting finding from the study was that the impact of neighborhood characteristics on exercise was more pronounced in women than men. I wonder if this difference was due to a) concern for safety and/or b) child-rearing duties. There are obviously many complicated socioeconomic factors in play here – I don’t dare speculate too much.

But, income alone was not a reliable predictor of exercise. Lower income did not necessarily associate with lower amounts of exercise. As I discussed in a previous post, fitness is not exactly a luxury. I’m reminded of this every time I see mention of the wealthiest individuals in the world or the “Billionaire List” – ever take a look at how many of them are grossly overweight? Money doesn’t buy fitness. [And don't think Bill Gates is thin because he's a fitness guru - he looks like an under-eating waif who's been a stick figure his entire life. I bet he can't do a single pull-up.]