Study suggests healthy neighborhoods are linked to lower diabetes risk

NEW YORK Individuals living in neighborhoods conducive to physical activity and providing access to healthy foods may have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in a five-year period, according to a report in the Oct. 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Amy Auchincloss, an associate professor at Drexel University School of Public Health, and colleagues observed 2,285 adults ages 45 to 84 years who were initially examined between 2000 and 2002. Blood glucose levels were obtained from study participants at baseline and at three follow-up examinations, during which other individual characteristics also were assessed — including diet, body mass index BMI and physical activity levels.

Measures of neighborhood resources were obtained from a separate assessment, the community survey, in which other residents of the same neighborhoods (defined as the area within a 20-minute walk or a mile from their homes) rated the suitability of their environment for physical activity and access to healthy foods. The study found over a median of five years of follow-up, 233 of the 2,285 participants (10.2%) developed diabetes. Average neighborhood scores were 3.68 for physical activity and 3.36 for healthy foods.

The neighborhood data observed included Baltimore, Md., Forsyth County, N.C.; and New York City/Bronx.

"Better neighborhood resources, determined by a combined score for physical activity and healthy foods, were associated with a 38% lower incidence of Type 2 diabetes," the authors wrote. This was similar to the reduction in risk observed among individuals whose BMI was five points lower. "The association remained statistically significant after further adjustment for individual dietary factors, physical activity level and body mass index."