Obesity and Its Relationship with Urban Pattern in Italian Regions

Overweight and obesity are currently major health issues in Italy, where their prevalence has been increasing over the last few decades. The built environment plays an important role in this sense. In this study, we aimed to investigate this association within Italian regions. Urban sprawl/sprinkling can be defined as urban patterns where large percentages of the population live in low density residential areas. It is quantified for each Italian region using the CI (Compactness Index). In the 20 Italian regions, the average obesity rate (defined as BMI ≥ 30) in 2021 was 9.75%. Our analysis showed a significant association of the CI with the obesity rate. People living in sprinkling areas seem to be more likely to gain weight than those living in more compact places. This could be related to the possibility of walking for daily activities. Combined with other research from public health, there is moderate support for the assertion that urban layout can have significant influences on health and health-related behaviors. Some possible developments of this project could be to define a demarcation threshold between pedestrian/cycle and motorized mobility in terms of distance and to suggest a clinical strategy to address obesity promoting active commuting, calibrated to the urban characteristics of the area. The research is fully in line with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular with regard to the goals “Good health and well-being, Gender quality and Sustainable cities and communities”.