Built environment correlates of overweight and obesity among adults in Chennai, India

ABSTRACT

Overweight and obesity are steadily rising in South Asia, the world’s most populous region. India, a low- and middle-income country in South Asia is experiencing an obesity epidemic. Built environment features may profoundly influence physical activity and counter the risk from overweight and obesity. This cross-sectional study investigated built environment correlates of overweight and obesity among adults (N = 370, 47.2% female, mean age = 37.9 years) in Chennai, India. Participants from low-socioeconomic status households were more likely to be overweight/obese (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1–2.9) than participants from high-socioeconomic status households. Driving to work predicted a three-fold increase in overweight or obesity compared to active commuting (OR = 2.9, 95%CI = 1.3–6.4). Household car ownership was linked with an increased likelihood of overweight or obesity (OR = 1.5, 95%CI = 0.7–3.2). Low walkability neighbourhoods significantly predicted an increase in odds of overweight or obesity (OR = 1.8, 95%CI = 1.1–2.8). By 2030, Indian cities are projected to add 250 million people accompanied by a 9.9% annual motor vehicle growth rate. As car ownership increases across Southern Asia, there is an urgent need to develop interventions to promote physical activity.

KEYWORDS:

• Obesity
• overweight
• physical activity
• active commuting
• built environment
• India

This article is related to:

Asian city futures: research to help inform spatial form and health

Acknowledgements

Dr. Adlakha was funded by the International Field Dissertation Research Award at the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, USA. The authors would like to thank Professor James F. Sallis and members of the IPEN Coordinating Center at University of California, San Diego, USA, for their assistance with adaptation of study protocols. The authors acknowledge the support of the following research assistants, language interpreters and translators in Chennai, India: Priyadarshini Chidambaram, Avinash Ramu, S. Gayathri, R. Dhivya, Gomathi Srinivasan, V. Sridevi, and Shanthi.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Deepti Adlakha

Dr. Adlakha is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, UK. She is a licensed architect, urban designer, and a recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship (2009). Dr. Adlakha’s research focuses on chronic disease prevention through environmental and policy change in low- and middle-income countries.

Ross C. Brownson

Prof. Brownson directs the Prevention Research Centre at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a leading expert on chronic disease prevention and an expert in the area of applied epidemiology. Dr. Brownsonis regarded as one of the great intellectual, educational and practice leaders in the field of evidence-based public health.

J. Aaron Hipp

Dr. Hipp is Associate Professor of Community Health and Sustainability, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, USA. His research interests include how, where, and why our public built environments impact health behaviours such as physical activity and recreation.