Hartford health insurer Aetna is investing $1 million through its philanthropic arm to support five research studies designed to better understand the causes of the nation’s obesity epidemic and develop viable solutions to the core problems.
The funding from the Aetna Foundation will include $150,000 to the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at Yale University for a study of the role of the neighborhood environment on childhood obesity risk factors and health outcomes.
That study will look at a variety of built environment factors in six low-income, predominately minority neighborhoods in New Haven, as well as those factors closer to schools to see which of these might have a greater influence on the children’s body mass index, diet and exercise. The study will also look at whether environmental factors have different effects on adults versus children.
Other grants will support separate studies at New York University School of Medicine, Boston University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania.
 “While on its surface, the nation’s obesity epidemic appears simple – we consume too many calories and don’t get enough exercise – the issue is far more complex and the data available on what drives these unhealthy behaviors, particularly in urban, poor or minority communities, is scant,” said Anne C. Beal, president of the Aetna Foundation. “To help build the knowledge base and support development of effective policies that will foster healthier communities and a healthier nation, we are supporting these key research projects. These studies will consider issues such as the availability of broad food choices and the pricing of food, as well as the impact these factors have on individual food choices. The studies also will look at the role of our neighborhoods – and the impact of what is or isn’t in the ‘built
Other grants include:
- $250,000 to New York University School of Medicine for a two-year study of the impact of the introduction of supermarkets through tax credits and other incentives in areas that are classified as “food deserts.” This study will examine the impact of the introduction of a supermarket on the local food environment in the Bronx, as well as the corresponding impact it may have on healthy eating habits of residents in local communities in the area, which include large Latino and African-American populations.
- $233,000 to Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center for a two-year study of factors that influence obesity among African-American women, including both individual and neighborhood-level factors, and the identification of the most effective small changes individuals can make to decrease obesity rates among African-American women
- $248,000 to the University of Michigan for a two-year study of how the built environment in an urban setting – in this case Detroit – may influence the risk of obesity among residents. The study seeks to identify specific features of the built and social environments that can be influenced to reduce racial and ethnic inequalities in obesity and related morbidity and mortality.
- $250,000 to the University of Pennsylvania’s African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network for a one-year study of how variations in food prices influence food and beverage purchases among African-American women. The project will study the typical food shopping patterns in a sample of African-American women and seek to understand how food prices influence those patterns.
