More than seven million Californians are obese, and obesity rates have risen over the past decade to encompass one-quarter of the adult population, according to a recent study by researchers Janet Wolstein, Susan Babey and Dr. Allison Diamant of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

On Wednesday, July 15, noon-1 p.m., Wolstein and Babey will present “The Environmental Factors Driving Rising Obesity in California,” a free health policy seminar open to the public. Wolstein and Babey will describe the structural challenges to fighting obesity in California, including the built environment, neighborhood safety and economic access issues that prevent Californians from practicing healthy behaviors.

Wolstein was recently featured in this brief interview posted on the center’s website:

Does obesity arise from more than poor health habits?
​Yes. Some see the increasing rates of obesity and think it's solely based on genetics or bad choices ― eating junk food instead of healthier foods and playing video games instead of getting exercise. But being overweight or obese often results from a lack of opportunities to make better choices. The poor tend to live in neighborhoods where they feel unsafe or don't have access to safe parks, which limits their ability to exercise outdoors; they live in areas where fresh fruits and vegetables are less available or affordable, so they can’t eat the recommended amount; and they have transportation constraints and can't get to better-stocked grocery stores where there are healthier options, so they eat the less healthy foods available in their neighborhoods. These and many other social and environmental problems also factor into why Californians are becoming more obese.

Did obesity rates go down anywhere in California during the 10-year span you studied?
The rate went down in four counties, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo and Yolo, but these decreases were not statistically significant, meaning the differences we found may not be reliable estimates of what occurred in those counties. Unfortunately, we also found that rates went up significantly in 16 counties and in 6 of those counties the rates increased by at least 10 percentage points. Tehama/Glenn/Colusa counties had the largest increase of 14 percentage points. 

Is teen obesity less of a problem than it's been in the past?
​Not really. Seventeen percent of teens were obese and 16 percent were overweight, statewide. It’s encouraging that these figures have not changed drastically in California since 2001 but teen overweight and obesity is still high. Additionally, there is a great deal of variation by county: from 13.7 percent of teens in Marin County to 48.7 percent in Solano County. Studies have found that overweight or obese teens often grow up to be obese as adults, so it is important to instill healthy habits from a young age. We need to address the sources of these disparities and invest in the health of our youth so they have the opportunity to become healthier adults.