Minorities diminished return and walkability: the impact of race on the prevalence of obesity in different urban environments

Walkability is closely interlinked with both racial demographics and the urban environment. Drawing upon data on obesity prevalence across U.S. states and racial groups from 2011 to 2020, this study aims to examine the complex relationships between obesity rates, racial identity, temporal trends, and the number of skyscrapers—employed here as a proxy indicator for urban versus rural settings. The findings indicate a U-shaped relationship between obesity prevalence and the number of skyscrapers for both non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black individuals. However, the curve for non-Hispanic Black individuals is steeper, rises across most of the domain, and spans a considerably higher range (32–85%) compared to the flatter and lower range observed for non-Hispanic White individuals (18–29%). While it is commonly assumed that densely built urban environments foster walkability and thereby help to mitigate obesity, the model nonetheless forecasts a notable increase in obesity prevalence among the non-Hispanic Black population as the number of skyscrapers rises—potentially affecting up to 85% of this demographic. These results are consistent with existing literature highlighting the phenomenon of diminished returns experienced by minority populations in areas such as obesity, sleep quality, neighbourhood conditions, and life expectancy. The insights derived from this study may offer valuable guidance for policymakers, particularly in addressing health disparities within urban non-Hispanic Black communities.