Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that living within 1 km of the grocery store you are half as likely to be overweight than those who live in neighborhoods without a food store. And the more stores,the better:every additional store within a kilometre translated into an 11 per cent reduction in the likelihood of being overweight. Study author Lawrence Frank notes this is not really news and points out that it’s not just grocery stores that have an impact. The more goods and services of all kinds within walking distance,the more likely people are to walk.
Here’s another finding of interest:“The study found that people whose neighbourhoods includes stores that front directly onto a sidewalk ? rather than those where a parking lot separates the store from the sidewalk ? were half as likely to be overweight as those living in neighbourhoods without sidewalk-front stores.”
- Vancouver Sun via Worldchanging