Scientists from the United States have claimed that moving from a poor area to one that is better off could help lower obesity levels and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The study, which was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that those people who moved into somewhere with better socioeconomic conditions were at a substantial less risk of having a high body mass index (BMI) and elevated levels of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) than people who stayed in poor areas.
The researchers from the University of Chicago claimed that such a move was associated “with modest but potentially important reductions in the prevalence of extreme obesity and diabetes.”
The team examined data from nearly 5,000 women with kids living in public housing in poor urban areas from a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) voucher scheme carried out between 1994 and 1998. The health of participants, such as height, weight, and HbA1c levels, was then assessed between 2008 and 2010.
The report concluded that the findings increased the “possibility that clinical or public health interventions that ameliorate the effects of neighborhood environment on obesity and diabetes could generate substantial social benefits.” It was also revealed that moving to a low-poverty area was associated with a reduced chance of extreme obesity and diabetes for the female heads-of-households.

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