Geospatial and contextual approaches to energy balance and health

Abstract

In the past 15 years, a major research enterprise has emerged that is aimed at understanding associations between geographic and contextual features of the environment (especially the built environment) and elements of human energy balance, including diet, weight and physical activity. Here we highlight aspects of this research area with a particular focus on research and opportunities in the United States as an example. We address four main areas: (1) the importance of valid and comparable data concerning behaviour across geographies; (2) the ongoing need to identify and explore new environmental variables; (3) the challenge of identifying the causally relevant context; and (4) the pressing need for stronger study designs and analytical methods. Additionally, we discuss existing sources of geo-referenced health data which might be exploited by interdisciplinary research teams, personnel challenges and some aspects of funding for geospatial research by the US National Institutes of Health in the past decade, including funding for international collaboration and training opportunities.

Keywords:

• spatial
• contextual
• geospatial
• energy balance
• physical activity
• obesity

Acknowledgements

We thank the organizers of the Forum where this work was originally presented, Anne Rodgers for editorial assistance and Penny Randall-Levy for formatting the bibliography.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for Dr Powell-Wiley is provided by the Division of Intramural Research of the National Institutes of Health. This work was also supported by the NCI Centers for Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) [U54 CA155626, U54 CA155435, U54 CA155850, U54 CA155796, U54 CA116850].