The relationship between health risk factors and the neighbourhood environment / Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

"The design of neighbourhoods can influence our health in various ways. It can affect how much physical activity we do, our access to nutritious food, where we work, our contact with nature, and the spaces we have for social interactions. These factors can affect health risk factors, such as obesity, and the associated risk of developing chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This report examines whether selected elements of the neighbourhood environment are associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and health risk factors. It explores how a person's socioeconomic position and proximity from where they live to fast-food outlets, supermarkets, and public open spaces are associated with obesity, insufficient physical activity, insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption, and daily consumption of sugar sweetened drinks. The report uses the 2017-18 Australian Bureau of Statistics' National Health Survey and looks only at Australian adults aged 18 and over. The effects of population density (that is, how many people live in the neighbourhood) and the distances they travel to work are also examined."--Summary.