Low-income, minority community redevelopment may reduce obesity disparities
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Key takeaways:
- Adults living in the redeveloped community had decreased waistlines and adiposity.
- These residents reported fewer barriers to healthy diets and physical activity, lower stress and greater community cohesion.
SAN ANTONIO — Redevelopment of low-income minority communities may help to reduce obesity disparities in this patient population, according to findings presented at ObesityWeek.
“It is well known that there are that there are large socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in health, generally, but in particular in the U.S. These inequalities are believed to arise largely from the opportunities and communities in which these people are living,” Tadeja Gracner, PhD, research scientist/senior economist with the Center for Social and Economic Research (CESR) at the University of Southern California, said during the presentation. “For that reason, there have been several efforts made to improve these major social determinants of health, but largely these were interventions targeting a specific fragment with a missing link, such as lack of access by opening a supermarket, improving infrastructure by planes or adding more green space. It is believed that community interventions are going to be more effective, especially in the long run.”
Gracner and colleagues utilized longitudinal data from a cohort of 421 public housing residents (mean age, 42.1 years; 84% women) in Watts, Los Angeles with obesity measures from baseline to follow up. Researchers compared changes in adiposity outcomes from 2018 to 2020 vs. after redevelopment began from 2021 to 2022 for those living in the redeveloped community compared with those living in a similar, non-redeveloped community.
The primary outcomes were measured waistline and adiposity status. Secondary outcomes included self-reported diet, physical activity, community perceptions and stress.
Overall, the cohort had a mean waistline for 102 cm and 74% had adiposity.
At follow-up, researchers observed no significant differences in outcomes between groups. However, evidence of a dose-response relationship was noted. Compared with adults living in a non-redeveloped community, those living inside the redeveloped community had a decrease in waistline by 2.3% and decreased adiposity by 10 percentage points.
Adults living in the redeveloped community also reported fewer barriers to adhering to a healthy diet and physical activity, decreased added sugar consumption, reduced stress and greater community cohesion vs. those living in a non-redeveloped community.
“For the future, we believe there is definitely worthwhile follow-up on this cohort because, so far, only one redevelopment was completed,” Gracner said. “We hope to see larger funding in the future.”
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Gracner T, et al. Oral-082. Presented at: ObesityWeek; Nov. 3-6, 2024; San Antonio.
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