Oral

The Built Environment and its relationship to obesity has come under increasing scrutiny from a number of research standpoints, including health, social, environmental, and economic. A sprawling, disconnected built environment is found in major portions of the United States, especially those developed since the ascendance of the automobile. In this session utilitarian and recreational physical activity opportunities and related community design characteristics are looked at through a variety of investigative approaches. From models predicting walking behavior among various age groups to greenways design to using geocoding of data to discern discordancy in attaining population benefits of walkable environments to food outlets in sprawling locations, this session takes a look at “if we build it, they will come”, and more!

Session Objectives: 1. List factors amenable and resistant to change which provide opportunities for less obesity by promoting more physical activity and healthier eating. 2. Describe built environment-related research and data factors which may contribute to our knowledge of who is most at risk of becoming obese in today’s society. 3. Suggest two or more ways in which design of our communities has overall economic benefits.