Obesity requires a wider view

People, like all things in nature, are drawn to the path of least resistance.

That's one reason so many of us, in this sedentary and food-rich society, weigh more and are less healthy than we'd like to be. It's also one of the reasons we don't solve the problem. We tend to look for a simple, one-note solution, usually to tell people to eat less and get off their butts, when removing an obstacle or two would have more impact.

I was glad to see a UW study that matched obesity data with ZIP codes shed some light on one often-ignored aspect of our fitness problem — the environmental and social context.

The study found that income doesn't matter much but neighborhood does. In areas where house prices were low, weight tended to be higher, and vice versa, putting more emphasis on environment than on a poor-vs.-rich analysis.

The data does conjure up the usual image of a neighborhood full of fast-food joints, poor grocery stores and minimal options for safe exercise.

Recently the Los Angeles City Council started talking about a moratorium on new fast-food places in South Central to fight poor health. But it's not that simple. Are upscale restaurants going to rush in? Do residents not know fries are fattening?

Fast-food restaurants thrive for a reason. They are convenient, cheap, flavorful and, of course, fast.

Rainier Valley is one of Seattle's heavier neighborhoods. Drive down Rainier and you'll see most of the big chains represented: McDonald's, KFC, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Subway, Jack in the Box.

There are some alternatives, but people have reasons for their choices.

At the Rainier Beach McDonald's, I sat near two women, each with a baby. They would have looked at home on Mercer Island.

Shannon Cumming said she's not a fast-food regular.

She used to live in Ravenna, but she and her husband moved south because they could afford a better house in that area. Her friend, Angie Kraft, moved from Capitol Hill to Skyway for the same reason.

They were at McDonald's for two reasons. They wanted to go for a walk and they wanted an afternoon snack. There weren't many options for either, so they walked to the restaurant. Being in a different neighborhood affected their behavior.

Ruth Egger and Diana Vinh are nudging people in the Valley toward healthier behavior.

Vinh is a nurse and works for the King County's Steps to Health program. Egger is a research coordinator at the UW.

People know what they should eat and that they should exercise, Vinh told me, but there needs to be social support for doing those things.

Vinh and Egger created the Healthy and Active Rainier Valley Coalition. Individuals and representatives of agencies and businesses pool resources and work on projects. They talk with consumers about nutrition at Safeway and encourage neighborhood restaurants to offer healthier fare. They get seniors out to exercise.

They want to create a core of people whose healthy habits will spread to their friends and family and beyond.

Their work recognizes that sometimes you have to change the environment to make it easier to walk a better path.

Jerry Large: 206-464-3346 or jlarge@seattletimes.com