Obesity More of a Problem in Rural Areas Than in Urban Areas

People who live in rural areas are more likely to struggle with obesity compared to those who live in urban areas, according to a new study published in the Journal of Rural Health.

The study was conducted by researchers at University of Kansas who analyzed data from the National Center for Health Statistics and found that around 39.6 percent of the rural population was obese and 31.2 percent was overweight compared to 33.4 percent of the urban population being obese and 33.7 percent being overweight.

Lead researcher Christie Befort said that the combination of rich homemade food and, compared to the urban population, a lack of access to health care that could help them control their weight could be the reason for a higher section of rural population struggling with weight issues.

"There is a definite cultural diet in rural America, full of rich, homemade foods including lots of meat and dessert. Access is often about travel time in a rural area, but it can also be that there's no place to go, literal physical isolation. It's tough to get to a gym if you live outside of a town without one", Befort said.

Source: Medindia