ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the link between the neighbourhood environment and bodyweight and the now large volume of work examining neighbourhoods and physical activity is only used as supporting material and is not reviewed in depth. Joshu examined the association between obesity and perceptions of the availability of streetlights and heavy traffic. From a public health perspective, increased residential density sustains alternative modes of travel by facilitating pedestrian activity such as walking and cycling, and the use of public transport. Social capital has been defined as features of social organization such as trust, norms, and networks that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated actions. Rutt and Coleman used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to measure the total length of sidewalks in each respondent's neighbourhood and found no association between sidewalk length and Body Mass Index (BMI).
