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Author: Plantinga, Andrew J.
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Plantinga, Andrew J.
Bernell, Stephanie
Can Urban Planning Reduce Obesity? The Role of Self-Selection in Explaining the Link between Weight and Urban Sprawl
Review of Agricultural Economics 29,3 (Fall 2007): 557-563.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4624865
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); Data Linkage (also see Record Linkage); Geocoded Data; Geographical Variation; Obesity; Residence; Rural/Urban Differences; Weight

Research by Plantinga and Bernell suggests that an individual's body weight is a factor determining the desirability of a residential location. They found the relationship between obesity and urban sprawl can be explained by the way people sort themselves by personal preference. < p/> In a follow-up study, Plantinga and Bernell used a national data set to test whether body mass index influences the decisions of adults to locate in counties with a high or low degree of sprawl. To measure body weight, the researchers used data from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which has tracked statistics on thousands of individuals since their youth in 1979. The researchers examined many factors, among them ethnicity, gender, age, income, education, marital status and body weight.
Bibliography Citation
Plantinga, Andrew J. and Stephanie Bernell. "Can Urban Planning Reduce Obesity? The Role of Self-Selection in Explaining the Link between Weight and Urban Sprawl." Review of Agricultural Economics 29,3 (Fall 2007): 557-563.
2. Plantinga, Andrew J.
Bernell, Stephanie
The Association Between Urban Sprawl And Obesity: Is It A Two-Way Street?
Journal of Regional Science 47,5 (December 2007): 857-879.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9787.2007.00533.x/abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); Data Linkage (also see Record Linkage); Demography; Geocoded Data; Geographical Variation; Marital Status; Modeling, Instrumental Variables; Neighborhood Effects; Obesity; Urban and Regional Planning; Urbanization/Urban Living; Weight

Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1017961 or DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9787.2007.00533.x

We empirically examine the relationship between obesity and urban development patterns where individuals reside. Previous analyses treat urban form as exogenous to weight, and find higher body mass indices (BMI) among residents of areas with sprawl patterns of development. Using samples of recent movers, we find that the causality runs in both directions. Individuals who move to denser locations lose weight. As well, BMI is a determinant of the choice of a dense or sprawling location. In sum, while moving to a dense area results in weight loss, such locations are unlikely to be selected by individuals with high BMI.

Bibliography Citation
Plantinga, Andrew J. and Stephanie Bernell. "The Association Between Urban Sprawl And Obesity: Is It A Two-Way Street?" Journal of Regional Science 47,5 (December 2007): 857-879.