Exploring Housing Determinants of Obesity Prevalence Using Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression in Chicago, Illinois

Abstract

To date, research has largely ignored residential determinants of obesity prevalence. There is very little information on whether these impacts change spatially and operate at different spatial scales. As a result, the purpose of this study is to identify the housing determinants of obesity in Chicago, Illinois, using multiscale geographically weighted regression. The main factors associated with obesity prevalence in Chicago, according to the findings, are housing affordability and housing stability. The rising burden of housing rent expenses, in particular, is related to an increase in the percentage of obese people. Additionally, the study found that the relationships between housing covariates and obesity are spatially heterogeneous and operate at various spatial scales. Finally, this study calls for multiscale and multidisciplinary policies to reduce obesity prevalence.

目前的研究, 忽视了肥胖率的居住决定因素, 很少探讨这些影响是否在空间上不同、是否发生在不同空间尺度。本文利用多尺度地理加权回归, 确定了美国伊利诺伊州芝加哥市肥胖率的住房决定因素。结果表明, 芝加哥肥胖率的主要相关因素是住房承担能力和住房稳定性。住房租金负担的增加, 尤其与肥胖率的增加有关。此外, 住房协变量与肥胖率的关系具有空间上的异质性, 并体现在不同空间尺度上。最后, 本文呼吁, 应采取多尺度和多学科的政策来降低肥胖率。

En gran medida, hasta este momento, la investigación ha ignorado los determinantes que hacen prevalente la obesidad. Hay muy poca información sobre si estos impactos cambian espacialmente, y si operan a diferentes escalas espaciales. Por eso, el propósito del presente estudio es identificar los determinantes de la obesidad en Chicago, Illinois, aplicando la regresión geográficamente ponderada a escala múltiple. Los principales factores asociados con la prevalencia de la obesidad en Chicago, de acuerdo con los hallazgos logrados, son la asequibilidad y la estabilidad de la vivienda. El aumento creciente de los costos de alquiler de vivienda, en particular, está relacionado con un incremento en el porcentaje de gente obesa. Adicionalmente, el estudio encontró que las relaciones entre las covariables de la vivienda y la obesidad son espacialmente heterogéneas y operan a varias escalas espaciales. Por último, este estudio propugna por políticas multiescalares y multidisciplinarias para disminuir la prevalencia de la obesidad.

Key Words:

• housing determinants
• obesity prevalence
• spatial models
• spatial scales

关键词:

• 住房决定因素
• 肥胖率
• 空间模型
• 空间尺度。

Palabras clave:

• determinantes de la vivienda
• escalas espaciales
• modelos espaciales
• prevalencia de la obesidad

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aynaz Lotfata

AYNAZ LOTFATA is an Assistant Professor of the Urban Planning and GIS at Chicago State University, Chicago, IL 60628. E-mail: [email protected]. Her cross-disciplinary research focuses on environmental justice and urban health.

Mateusz Tomal

MATEUSZ TOMAL is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Real Estate and Investment Economics at Cracow University of Economics, Cracow 31510, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include housing markets, real estate economics, behavioral economics, econometric modeling, spatial analysis, and local government efficiency.