How Access to Healthy Food and Exercise Facilities Impacts Diabetes
A member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, Tim Penix is a retired serviceman who currently serves as a health coach at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Sepulveda, California. To offer the best care possible, Tim Penix stays informed on sports medicine as well as news on healthy food and lifestyle. In June of 2015, US News & World Report released an article about a study concerning access to healthy food and fitness facilities and the impact of that access on diabetes. In terms of fitness facilities, the study took into consideration gyms as well as areas that promoted leisurely walks. The study found that neighborhoods making nutritious foods easily accessible to residents showed a 12 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes; those establishing safe environments that encourage exercise had a reduced risk of 21 percent. It also analyzed the expense of healthy foods, noting that greater access to markets with fresh produce alone did not translate to lower diabetes risk. Rather, the ability for people to afford the food played a significant role in creating and sustaining nutritious food buying habits.