International Nutrition Report: Obesity, Environment and Health

This report examines the challenges of international nutrition, with a specific focus on obesity and its environmental determinants. It highlights the role of obesogenic environments, including factors such as limited access to healthy foods, lack of physical activity opportunities, and the influence of readily available unhealthy food options. The report also explores how community planning and urban design can influence health outcomes, particularly through the development of safe, walkable communities with access to green spaces and fresh food options. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of residential community planning, and how it can promote the wellbeing of residents by addressing issues such as safe water supply, waste management, and the creation of spaces that encourage physical activity and social interaction. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for integrated strategies that address both individual behaviors and the broader environmental factors that contribute to obesity and other health issues.

Running head: INTERNATIONAL NUTRITION
Question and answers on international nutrition
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Answer 1
The term obesogenic environment refers to certain environmental factors that support
presence of obesity. Such factors are known to promote weight gain and are not conducive to
weight loss. Urban regions have less public spaces. Unsafe walking paths, unkempt parks and
lack of recreational opportunities greatly contribute to the above. Presence of conducive areas far
away from place of residence also inhibits exercise and physical activity. Limited accessibility to
fresh fruits and vegetables and the lure of junk food joints and ready-to-eat meals also
significantly contribute to an obesogenic environment (Guthman 2013).
High calorie and fat content in these foods add to the body weight. Moreover, diets rich
in saturated fats and carbohydrates are less expensive when compared to whole grains and fiber.
Thus, low socioeconomic status is another factor. In addition, spending more screen time in
watching television or playing games in mobiles and laptops are also linked to obesity as they
lead to a sedentary lifestyle (Colls and Evans 2014).
Answer 2
Most residential community planning in Australia follow the community health and
wellbeing strategic plans. Planners play an important role in shaping a residential environment
that promotes the wellbeing of the residents. The planning authorities look after proper
installation of sewerage systems, garbage disposal, and create provisions for providing
uncontaminated and safe drinking water supply to all residents. Concurrent with improved
transport network, the community planners advocate for designs that separate the residential
buildings from highly polluting industrialized zones (Omran 2005). Efforts are being adopted by
some planning organizations to create spaces that will support residents to engage in physical

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activity. Communities are also being built in a way that presents a safe environment, to
encourage social activity and prevent injuries.
The planners also design communities with an improved access to healthy food. Most
often movement networks are connected, and there are provisions for safe and convenient public
transport, walking and cycling opportunities. This helps in making a better land use diversity.
Increased access to variety of open spaces creates significant positive impacts on health (Badland
et al. 2014). The residential communities are also planned in a way that promotes growing
healthy foods in community or private gardens for local consumption. This decreases the
dependency on fast food.

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References
Badland, H., Whitzman, C., Lowe, M., Davern, M., Aye, L., Butterworth, I., Hes, D. and Giles-
Corti, B., 2014. Urban liveability: emerging lessons from Australia for exploring the potential for
indicators to measure the social determinants of health. Social science & medicine, 111, pp.64-
73.
Colls, R. and Evans, B., 2014. Making space for fat bodies? A critical account of ‘the obesogenic
environment’. Progress in Human Geography, 38(6), pp.733-753.
Guthman, J., 2013. Too much food and too little sidewalk? Problematizing the obesogenic
environment thesis. Environment and Planning A, 45(1), pp.142-158.
Omran, A.R., 2005. The epidemiologic transition: a theory of the epidemiology of population
change. The Milbank Quarterly, 83(4), pp.731-757.