A common picture of the country life includes living in open spaces and eating food fresh from the farm.
It just may be those are two reasons why a recent study reveals that rural residents are more likely to be obese than urbanites.
In the second part of Monday's Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with Christie Befort, Ph.D. of the University of Kansas Medical Center. She led the study published in the Fall 2012 Journal of Rural Health which analyzed data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. They'll look at the roles cultural diet and physical isolation play in rising obesity among those living in the country and why where one lives should be recognized as a factor when considering obesity health issues.
Credit University of Kansas Medical Center
Christie Befort, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Universtiy of Kansas Medical Center. She received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. Focusing on research that examines strategies for improving behavioral obesity and exercise adherence, Christie collaborates with a multidisciplinary team from various departments across KU. In addition to this most recent study of rural obesity, Befort's research - supported by the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program, the American Cancer Society and the KUMC Research Institute – has included an evaluation of the impact of affective responses to exercise, treating obesity in diverse populations, and the study of school environments and their relationship to childhood obesity.
