Thursday, October 20, 2011

Herman Cain will not accept the results of this experiment

What if the government were to take some Black women from poor neighborhoods and move them to higher income neighborhoods, then ten years later determine whether the moved people had better health ten years later than did those left in the poor neighborhoods?

The experiment was tried. Women who were moved to better neighborhoods had significantly better health results, especially lower diabetes results and less extreme obesity. Why might that be?
the study was not designed to answer what it is about more affluent neighborhoods that would cause someone to be healthier. But the authors listed four theories:

_ The availability of healthier food is worse in lower-income neighborhoods.

_ Opportunities for physical exercise are scarcer, and fear of crime can make people afraid to jog or play in parks.

_ There may be fewer doctors' offices and other medical services.

_ The long-term stress of living in such an environment may alter the hormones that control weight.
The results are not based on personal decisions. They are based on environment. That does not mean that personal decisions are not a factor in obesity and diabetes, just that environment is also an important factor.

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