title: The Implications of Rapid Economic Growth for Health-Related Behaviors and Chronic Metabolic Diseases: An Exploratory Study in Post-Earthquake West China.
abstract: A devastating earthquake struck west China in 2008. Reconstruction efforts have focused on urbanization and modernization, hastening economic growth in the area. This rapid growth provides a unique opportunity to explore the potential impact of rapid environmental changes on metabolic disease risk. The study objective was to gather qualitative information from residents of a rapidly changing area in China to determine perceived changes in food- and physical activity-related aspects of the environment and their perceived effects on health. We conducted extensive interviews with 30 residents of an area where towns were rapidly rebuilt after being destroyed by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Findings suggest that a longitudinal investigation of children and their families in this rapidly developing region may identify mechanisms by which environmental factors influence the development of diet-related chronic illnesses.
authors.affiliation: University of California at San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gipson
authors.affiliation: West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Jinrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Cui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Yen-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seto
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: May C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wang