Neighborhood Influences Activity Levels at He's Fit

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Neighborhood Influences Activity Levels

Posted March 27, 2008 at 03:00 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Cardio Training, Alt. Therapies, His Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health

move A recent study looking at Chicago neighborhoods found that where you live may have a major influence on how much you exercise.

The researchers found that people who live in neighborhoods with higher levels of poverty, lower levels of education, and more families headed by women are less likely than others to exercise. But this doesn’t mean that poorer people are least likely to exercise, said the researchers, who found that individual income wasn’t as important as neighborhood in determining exercise levels.

Neighborhood-related factors that influenced exercise levels included: amount of trust among neighbors, perceived violence in the community, and beliefs that neighbors help each other. The study also found that neighborhood was more important for women than men in determining exercise levels.

Overall, the findings suggested that a wide variety of social and economic factors outside of a person’s control can have an impact on physical activity.

Research sources and for more information: [HealthDay]; [picture]