Abstract
Public health risks such as obesity are influenced by numerous personal characteristics, but the local spatial structure such as an area’s built environment can also affect the obesity rate. This study analyzes and discusses how a greenbelt plan as a tool of urban containment policy has an effect on obesity. This study conducted spatial econometric regression models with five factors (13 variables) including transportation, socio-economic, public health, region, and policy factors. The relationship was analyzed between two policy effects of a greenbelt (i.e., a green buffer zone) and obesity. The variables for two policy effects of greenbelt zones are the size of the greenbelt and the inside and outside areas of the greenbelt. The results indicate that the two variables have negative effects on obesity. The results of the analyses in this study have several policy implications. Greenbelts play a role as an urban growth management policy, leading to a reduced obesity rate due to the influence of the transportation mode. In addition, greenbelts can also reduce the obesity rate because they provide recreation spaces for people.
Highlights
Policies related to obesity have focused on improving individuals’ behavior, such as eating habits and exercise
This study sought to analyze the effects of a greenbelt on the obesity rate given certain urban containment policies (UCPs)
For the variables affecting the obesity rate, it was found that some factors had significantly negative effects on the obesity rate, such as the rate of public transportation use, the apartment residence rate, income, the number of doctors in the area, the greenbelt area, and the areas inside the greenbelt
Summary
Policies related to obesity have focused on improving individuals’ behavior, such as eating habits and exercise. The public health sector reported that obesity is a major factor causing severe diseases that threaten personal health, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and respiratory disease [2]. Public health risks such as obesity are influenced by personal characteristics including genetics, diet, lifestyle, and other factors. Most studies have focused on the relationship between public health and urban built environments as an important aspect of micro policies (whose field-specific policy formulations or their results tend to be concerned with the behaviors or everyday decisions of citizens and, are nuanced) and have examined the physical
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