Introduction
obesity, weight loss
OBESITY, DISEASE
The prevalence of adult obesity with Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30 is expected to reach nearly 50% of the United States (U.S.) population by 2030 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Studies have documented the effect of neighborhood social conditions, including social support and cohesion, a sense of community, crime and violence, and informal social control, on how people interact with others and with the environment (Bursik & Grasmick, The built environment may influence individuals’ health by either facilitating or impeding healthy lifestyle behaviors, including adequate physical activity (Barnett et al., Prevalent crime as a component of the built environment, may be a barrier to walkability and physical activity (Gomez et al., Perceptions of neighborhood safety may influence these contradictory findings (Giles-Corti & Donovan, Interestingly, Foster and colleagues (Foster et al., This study aims to elucidate the role of walkability and neighborhood crime on weight loss using data from older Chicago residents participating in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) lifestyle intervention. This original RCT included predominantly Black older adults who lived on the South Side of Chicago, which is highly racially segregated and affected by increased crime. We hypothesized that neighborhood walkability and homicide would have differential effects on participants’ weight loss and physical activity. Specifically, pre- and post-intervention weight loss would be greater for participants living in neighborhoods with high walkability and lower for participants living in neighborhoods with high homicide rates.