Crime, Perceived Danger, and Adiposity: The Role of Gender

Objectives: We examine whether police-reported crime is associated with adiposity and examine to what extent the association between crime and adiposity is explained by perceived neighborhood danger with a particular focus on gender differences. Method: Data are drawn from the wave of 2010-2011 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project merged with information on neighborhood social environment and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) crime report. We use burglary as a main predictor. Waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) are used to assess adiposity. Results: Living in neighborhoods with higher levels of burglary is associated with a larger WC, a higher BMI, and greater adiposity risk for women, but not for men. These associations are partially explained by perceived danger among women. Discussion: Our findings identify neighborhood burglary rates as a contextual risk in later-life adiposity and highlight that perceived neighborhood safety contributes to gender differences in health outcomes.