Longitudinal assessment of urban form and weight gain in African-American women.

Background: Numerous cross-sectional studies have found higher levels of obesity among residents of auto-oriented, sprawling areas compared to residents of more urban areas.

Purpose: The association between neighborhood urban form and 6-year weight change was prospectively analyzed in the Black Women's Health Study, a cohort study of U.S.

Prospective study of urban form and physical activity in the Black Women's Health Study.

The authors used data from the Black Women's Health Study to assess the association between neighborhood urban form and physical activity. Women reported hours/week of utilitarian and exercise walking and of vigorous activity in 1995 and on biennial follow-up questionnaires through 2001. Housing density, road networks, availability of public transit, sidewalks, and parks were characterized for the residential neighborhoods of 20,354 Black Women's Health Study participants living in New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California.