4 ms·
my anecdotal look at the bay area is inline with the grandparent comment, this seems to be basically a poverty map. I'm sure you could find places that has stra
by dougmccune 11y ago
my anecdotal look at the bay area is inline with the grandparent comment, this seems to be basically a poverty map. I'm sure you could find places that has strange discrepancies where obesity and poverty don't directly correlate, but my guess is that in general they do pretty closely.
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoPoverty may correlate with historical cultural makeup. And culture historically correlates strongly with genes. And genes are largely responsible for obesity. Its complicated to be sure!
- emddudley 11y agoGenetics certainly contribute to obesity, but they aren't typically a primary factor, are they? Surely diet, exercise, and lifestyle are far more relevant. These are directly impacted by poverty.
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoIn some population genetics is a strong driver of obesity. Pacific Islanders, Inuit, some Aboriginal America groups come to mind. Any isolated place experiencing periodic famine, supports genes to hoard calories.
- alistairSH 11y agoGreat Falls, in Virginia (west of DC) is surprisingly obese, given it's an EXTREMELY wealthy area (avg home price is >$1 million) and also not racially diverse. Compare it with the nearby Herndon and Reston areas, both of which are very mixed, both economically and racially. Interestingly, this pattern is the opposite of what you see when comparing NW DC with the rest of the city. NW DC is more white and wealthy, but slimmer. The rest of the city is relatively poorer and more diverse, and also more obese.
- dougmccune 11y agoThanks for the specific counterpoint! Definitely makes me want to dive into the data and identify other clusters that are atypical like that.