title: Geospatial and Contextual Approaches to Energy Balance and Health.
abstract: In the past 15 years, a major research enterprise has emerged that is aimed at understanding associations between geographic and contextual features of the environment (especially the built environment) and elements of human energy balance, including diet, weight, and physical activity. Here we highlight aspects of this research area with a particular focus on research and opportunities in the United States as an example. We address four main areas: 1) The importance of valid and comparable data concerning behavior across geographies, 2) The ongoing need to identify and explore new environmental variables, 3) The challenge of identifying the causally relevant context, and 4) The pressing need for stronger study designs and analytical methods. Additionally, we discuss existing sources of geo-referenced health data which might be exploited by interdisciplinary research teams, personnel challenges and some aspects of funding for geospatial research by the US National Institutes of Health in the past decade, including funding for international collaboration and training opportunities.
authors.affiliation: Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berrigan
authors.affiliation: Brown School and Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
authors.forename: J Aaron
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hipp
authors.affiliation: Urban Form Lab, Department of Urban Design and Planning, College of Built Environments, University of Washington, Box 354802, Seattle, WA, 98195-4802, USA.
authors.forename: Philip M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Hurvitz
authors.affiliation: Departments of Environmental Health and Epidemiology, Harvard TH CHAN School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive-0628, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628, USA.
authors.forename: Marta M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Jankowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive-0628, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.affiliation: Departments of Environmental Health and Epidemiology, Harvard TH CHAN School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Francine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laden
authors.affiliation: Economics Department, University of Dallas, 1845 East Northgate Drive, Irving, TX 75062-4736, USA.
authors.forename: Tammy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.affiliation: Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Robin A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: McKinnon
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Tiffany M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Powell-Wiley
authors.affiliation: Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Hines VA Hospital, Hines, IL 60141, USA; College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tarlov
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Zenk
keywords: contextual; energy balance; geospatial; obesity; physical activity; spatial