People who eat out often at buffets and cafeterias and who perceive their community to be unpleasant for physical activity are more likely to be obese.
People who eat out often at buffets and cafeterias and who perceive their community to be unpleasant for physical activity are more likely to be obese.
"It's not that people don't want to get physical activity or eat healthy foods, but we've made it difficult in many communities," says Ross Brownson, Ph.D., senior author of the study and a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.
"People in small towns spend a great deal of time in cars, and they also may not have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables in their markets."
Thirty percent of U.S. adults are obese, which increases their risk for health conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Rural adults have higher levels of obesity and are less active in their leisure time than urban and suburban U.S. adults, says Brownson, a faculty scholar of Washington University's Institute for Public Health and a professor at the School of Medicine.
The findings revealed that respondents who ate out often, especially at buffets, cafeterias and fast food restaurants, were more likely to be obese. Those with a high school education or less reported limited access to fruits and vegetables and were more likely to shop at convenience stores.
The findings are published in the December issue of Preventive Medicine
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