Is your ZIP code making you fat?

Posted on Dec 2nd 2007 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson

Filed Under: Healthy Places, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements

It's easy to blame our diet and exercise woes on outside factors. We're too busy, too tired, too poor to afford a gym membership. There's a zillion excuses for explaining why we eat junk food, why we ditch our fitness routines, why we pack on the pounds. Most of them relate to our individual behavior. But environment plays a part too. In fact, your very own ZIP code may be at fault for that extra jiggle you're carrying around. Chris Sparling took this topic for a spin on Thursday. Here are some more details.

Zip code 98103 is one of Seattle's skinniest ZIP codes. Is it because the neighborhoods in this area have destination parks, crosswalks, corner grocers, and one of the densest concentrations of farmers markets in the city? Yep. These perks are exactly what makes this ZIP code so popular -- and what keeps its residents so fit and trim. In other areas, with a lack of access to fresh produce, health insurance, and nutritious and affordable groceries, obesity rates are higher. In ZIP code 98133, obesity rates are higher than 20 percent.

The strongest predictor of obesity rates isn't income or education, according to University of Washington researchers. It's property values. Each additional $100,000 in median home value for a ZIP code corresponded in one study with a drop in obesity of two percentage points.

What do you think? Is your ZIP code making you fat?

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Clearly environment matters in the fight against obesity. And now that this is evident, it's possible to make amends.

"If people are concentrated in a neighborhood with no grocery store and little access to fresh fruits, this is not the place to go in and say, 'Eat nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables and play a bit of tennis,'" says Adam Drewnowski, director of the UW Center for Obesity Research. "Get a grip. The strategies need to be targeted and sensitive."

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Tags: code, diet, environment, exercise, fitness, food, Jacki Donaldson, JackiDonaldson, nutrition, obesity, seattle, weight, ZIP

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

T 12-03-2007 @ 10:24AM

fine deduction, there my dear, Watson....in fact it is the truth about the zip codes affecting the ag. growth of the community.

jb 12-03-2007 @ 11:26AM

NO, NO, NO, Its the fat thats making you fat, not where you live.

geowiz 12-04-2007 @ 3:27PM

If you believe this article, then you likely qualify as a climate scientist. Notice the similarity? A correlation is proof of a cause and effect.

sarah 12-03-2007 @ 10:41AM

well at least i know now its where i live and not my poor eating habits is why i am overweight (Smile)

C20chris 12-03-2007 @ 11:26AM

this is great...I wonder how much money is wasted on studies like this... you want healthier people take the money that is spent on things like this and make eating healthy and excericise cheaper.... In some areas it is unaffordable for gym memberships and healthy food...plain and simple

CEB 12-03-2007 @ 12:45PM

Are you kidding me? Someone actually blamed unhealthy weight gain on unaffordable gym memberships! Put on your jogging shoes and walk out of the front door, regardless of where you reside! If you can't afford jogging shoes go barefoot at the local High School track.

stew 12-03-2007 @ 11:26AM

instead of making excuses for the way we eat, look, or think how about making better choices.
we all have the ability to think and decide what is best for us.
our CHOICES in life make us what we are. sometimes we make good choices, and sometimes bad, but, these have been our decisions.
stop blaming things like "where we live", "the commercial made me do it",or, "my friends all do it".
think before you act, and make a better choice for yourself!!

Messaline 12-03-2007 @ 11:25AM

What they're saying, you dolts, is that Where you live affects your diet, for example access to fresh foods from the farmers market as opposed to processed veggies and fruits from cans....or even trucked in but treated with preservatives......as well as other your weight-regulating behaviors, such as going to the park , having crosswalks, bike paths, etc. to encourage healthier modes of travel.

Venetia1 12-03-2007 @ 4:04PM

It's the chicken and egg again. It is so obvious to anyone who has a little psychology behind them. People seek areas to live that have other like minded individuals with similar lifestyles. How you were raised will be a determining factor of where you live. People are drawn to this area because they are close to a lot of things besides where they shop. People who like to live downtown see themselves walking everywhere and they tend to be more affluent due to the cost of living. If you check incomes you will see another correlation of whether someone is obese or not. I hate to say it, I wish it weren't so but the more affluent you are tends to predict intellegence and whether or not you have learned how to take care of yourself. The quality of food is not the issue. Supermarkets are full of organic food now and they are located everywhere.

na 12-03-2007 @ 11:30AM

i have heard of many stupid things but this i believe tops it.

na 12-03-2007 @ 11:43AM

i have heard of many stupid things but this i believe tops it.

bill 12-03-2007 @ 12:32PM

Could this also be the chicken or the egg phenom. Desire for better eating habits and exercise causes you to want to live in these areas, and also causes the demand the drives up property values.

CARSON 12-03-2007 @ 11:37AM

Could it be possible that mainly fit, motivated, skinny people were the ones who just happen to live in this area? We have parks and fresh fruits available where I live and there are still plenty of overweight folks around.

Jennifer 12-03-2007 @ 2:17PM

In my post #25, I know this neighborhood, it is the area with week to week hotels, and junkies galore. This is crack and meth land.

tankacy2 12-03-2007 @ 12:30PM

WHATEVER!! EVEN IF YOU LIVE OUT AND NOT NEAR THE FRESH FOOD MARKETS IT DOESNT HAVE TO MAKE YOU BE HEAVIER. WHEN YOU GO TO THE GROCERY STAY IN THE PRODUCE DEPT AND OUT OF THE LITTLE DEBBIE ISLE, THE PRE- PACKAGED MEALS IN THE FROZEN SECTION, THE COOKIE AND SNACK ISLE...COME ON ITS OUR CHOICE SO WHY NOT GO FOR SOMETHING YOU MAY ACTUALLY HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF AND NOT JUST A BOX YOU THROW IN THE MICROWAVE. ILL BET THE AVERAGE KID HAS NEVER BEEN SERVED BROCOLLI, SPINACH, SHREDDED WHEAT, OATS, BLUEBERRIES ETC UNLESS IT WAS IN A "WARM IN MICROWAVE" PACKAGE.

J.T. 12-03-2007 @ 7:18PM

To quote Ellen: "A disturbing new study finds that studies are disturbing."

sylvia 12-03-2007 @ 12:31PM

as of ten minutes ago, my entire neighborhood put its homes on trailers. we are all moving to memphis where we will be loved for who we are and not what we eat

Kitty 12-03-2007 @ 12:31PM

WOW...Most of these comments are laughably retarded...Way to completely miss the point of the article. Maybe they should do a study on the link between stupidity/zipcode/obesity...

nutritionist 12-03-2007 @ 12:31PM

This zip code is one big hill. People who live there burn more calories whenever they walk any distance from home because of the hills.

Lexi 12-04-2007 @ 11:25AM

I live in this zip code and I agree. It's not that where you live makes you fat but in the area I live it makes eating right and getting daily excersize very convienent. I live across from a lake that is 3 miles around and it's common for people in the area to walk around it daily with friends or family. Everything is in walking distance so there is no point in driving and our resturants offer mostly healthy options like vegtables and fish.

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