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conference
series
.com
Volume 7, Issue 7 (Suppl)
J Obes Weight Loss Ther, an open access journal
ISSN:2165-7904
Obesity & Fitness Expo 2017
November 13-15, 2017
November 13-15, 2017 | Atlanta, USA
17
th
World Fitness Expo
16
th
International Conference and Exhibition on
Obesity & Weight Management
&
Green space and adult obesity in the U.S.
T
his paper analyzes the relationship between green space and body mass index (BMI) in the U.S. We find that accounting
for the heterogeneity of green space matters: BMI is significantly lower in counties with larger forestland per-capita, but
not in those more abundant in rangeland, pastureland or cropland. This is after controlling for state-specific heterogeneity, a
range of environmental and natural amenities, including the presence of state parks, proximity to national parks and outdoor
recreation resources in the county, all of which have the expected negative correlation with BMI. Hence, the findings suggest
that forests, public recreation lands, along with publicly available outdoor recreation resources can be valuable resources to
help reduce obesity and associated public health problems.
Biography
Ramesh Ghimire is an economist at Atlanta Regional Commission. He has a Ph.D. in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from the University of
Georgia, USA and a M.S. in Development and Natural Resource Economics from the University of Life Sciences, Norway. He has published nearly 20 research
papers in highly respected international peer reviewed journals, such as Ecological Economics, Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Environment and
Development Economics, World Development and Water Resources Research. Dr. Ghimire is interested in understanding how natural resources and amenities
help improve public health, human well-being and overall quality of human life.
rghimire@atlantaregional.orgRamesh Ghimire
Atlanta Regional Commission, USA
Ramesh Ghimire, J Obes Weight Loss Ther 2017, 7:7 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7904-C1-54