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Comment
. 2009 Feb 15;169(4):409-12; discussion 413-4.
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwn394. Epub 2009 Jan 19.

Invited commentary: built environment and obesity among older adults--can neighborhood-level policy interventions make a difference?

Yvonne L Michael  1 , Irene H Yen
Affiliations
Comment

Invited commentary: built environment and obesity among older adults--can neighborhood-level policy interventions make a difference?

Yvonne L Michael et al. Am J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Obesity is more prevalent and its consequences severe among middle-aged and older adults. Efforts to understand and address neighborhood-level causes of obesity in this population offer the potential to enhance health and reduce the costs of obesity for everyone. The accompanying paper by Li et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2009;169(4):401-408) presents new data on the apparently significant interaction between neighborhood and individual characteristics on 1-year change in body weight and waist circumference. Despite methodological limitations in measurement, this paper supports the importance of future research that considers the complex relation between people and where they live. Efforts to design neighborhood-level policy interventions to effectively address the problem of obesity will require greater interdisciplinary collaboration.

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References

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