top of page

Image from stepbystep.com

 

 

 

Image from MADE4LLCOM 

Abstract:

       Obesity rates within the United States continue to rise, jeapordizing the quality of life of a large portion of the population and  the integrity of the country’s health care system.   The project presented on this site serves to better understand the underlying causes of this major health crisis by testing the findings presented by Roberts & Edwards’ (2010) in their book The Energy Glut.  These researcher’s claim that the increased use of energy daily(through the increased use of motorzed vehicles, ownership of TVs, etc), and thus the decrease in daily activeness, is at fault for the current global obesity pandemic rather than a change in diet.  This study is conducted from a geographical perspective through the use of regression and grouping analyses and a variety of data pulished by the USDA, US CDC, US Census and EIA.  While the results show flaws in Richards and Edwards findings (eg. it does not account for areas with high numbers of recreation and fitness facilities), overall, energy usage and obesity doappear to be correlated.  Results also sway strongly in favour of exercise as being a more influential factor than cosumption of fast food.  The findings overall, however, suggest that there are many other factors, aside from diet and exercise, that cause some areas of the US to be more obese than others.  The most convincing of these alternative variables within this study was poverty, suggesting that a change in the welfare state, for example, may be one of the most important steps towards decreasing obesity in America.

Project by: Laura Jickling 

Semester 1 (Dec) 2013

Class: Geob 370, UBC

Contact: laura_jickling@hotmail.com

 

bottom of page