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. 2021 Apr;22(4):e13171.
doi: 10.1111/obr.13171. Epub 2020 Dec 27.

Associations between the built environment and dietary intake, physical activity, and obesity: A scoping review of reviews

Brittney N Dixon  1 , Umelo A Ugwoaba  2 , Andrea N Brockmann  2 , Kathryn M Ross  2
Affiliations

Associations between the built environment and dietary intake, physical activity, and obesity: A scoping review of reviews

Brittney N Dixon et al. Obes Rev. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

There exists a large body of literature examining the association between built environment factors and dietary intake, physical activity, and weight status; however, synthesis of this literature has been limited. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review of reviews and identified 74 reviews and meta-analyses that investigated the association between built environment factors and dietary intake, physical activity, and/or weight status. Results across reviews were mixed, with heterogeneous effects demonstrated in terms of strength and statistical significance; however, preliminary support was identified for several built environment factors. For example, quality of dietary intake appeared to be associated with the availability of grocery stores, higher levels of physical activity appeared to be most consistently associated with greater walkability, and lower weight status was associated with greater diversity in land-use mix. Overall, reviews reported substantial concern regarding methodological limitations and poor quality of existing studies. Future research should focus on improving study quality (e.g., using longitudinal methods, including natural experiments, and newer mobile sensing technologies) and consensus should be drawn regarding how to define and measure both built environment factors and weight-related outcomes.

Keywords: built environment; diet; obesity; physical activity; scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no disclosures or conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram for study inclusion.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Results of included reviews investigating the association of built environment factors on physical activity.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Results of included reviews investigating the association of built environment factors on weight status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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