Townshend Tim, Lake Amelia
Newcastle University, Claremont Tower, UK.
Durham University, Durham, UK.
Perspect Public Health. 2017 Jan;137(1):38-44. doi: 10.1177/1757913916679860.
Obesity is one of the most significant global health and social problems, with rates rising dramatically over the past few decades. While the basic drivers of obesity are obvious (more energy consumed than expended), the causes are multifactorial and complex. A decade ago, it was suggested that exploring the ways in which the built environment influenced physical activity and dietary behaviours might provide fertile ground for investigation. This article overviews current evidence and, in particular, emergent themes that are of significance for the United Kingdom.
This article is based on literature extracted from keyword searching of electronic databases. A timeframe of 2006-2016 was used.
In the past decade, the research base has grown significantly; while frustratingly some results are still inconclusive or contradictory, it might be argued enough evidence exists to act upon. Themes such as the importance of the journey to school for young people and the multiple environments in which people spend their time are examples of where real progress has been made in the evidence base.
Progress towards real change in policy and practice may seem slow; however, the opportunities afforded for health and planning professionals to work together provide a step towards the whole systems approaches to tackle obesity that are desperately needed.
肥胖是全球最重大的健康和社会问题之一，在过去几十年中发病率急剧上升。虽然肥胖的基本驱动因素很明显（摄入的能量超过消耗的能量），但其成因是多因素且复杂的。十年前，有人提出探索建筑环境影响身体活动和饮食行为的方式可能为研究提供丰富的素材。本文概述了当前的证据，特别是对英国具有重要意义的新出现的主题。
本文基于从电子数据库关键词搜索中提取的文献。使用的时间范围是2006 - 2016年。
在过去十年中，研究基础有了显著增长；虽然有些结果仍令人沮丧地不确定或相互矛盾，但可以说已有足够的证据采取行动。诸如年轻人上学路程的重要性以及人们度过时间的多种环境等主题，就是在证据基础方面取得实际进展的例子。
在政策和实践中实现真正变革的进展可能看起来很缓慢；然而，健康和规划专业人员共同合作所提供的机会，为采取迫切需要的应对肥胖的全系统方法迈出了一步。
