Explaining the Inverse Association between Altitude and Obesity

Table 1

Summary of selected county-level variables in the contiguous United States.

	No.	Mean	SD	Median	Min	Max	Pearson correlation coefficient with % adult obesity
Environmental
Altitude (m)—weighted	3,106	414.3	487.4	263.1	−9.5	3471.4	−0.333
Altitude < 500 meters	2,412	208.2	129.2	212.3	−9.5	500.0
Altitude 500−999 meters	367	699.7	140.8	676.3	500.6	997.0
Altitude 1,000−1,499 meters	169	1,226.4	150.2	1,207.0	1,002.6	1,498.1
Altitude 1,500−1,999 meters	88	1,721.5	150.6	1,699.6	1,500.5	1,993.7
Altitude 2,000−2,499 meters	47	2,185.2	134.4	2,162.0	2,007.4	2,475.5
Altitude 2,500 meters	23	2,885.1	257.9	2,804.8	2,524.6	3,471.4
Avg daily sunlight (kJ/m^2)	3,106	16,398.3	1,605.0	16,102.9	12,689.0	21,191.1	−0.024
Avg daily maximum air temperature (F)	3,106	65.4	9.3	64.8	38.4	87.5	0.227
Avg PM2.5 (μg/m^3)	3,108	9.0	2.0	9.4	3.0	19.7	0.260
Avg daily precipitation (mm)	3,106	2.7	0.9	3.0	0.2	7.1	0.236
Demographic and lifestyle
% female	3,108	49.9	2.2	50.3	26.8	56.9	0.058
% non-Hispanic white	3,108	76.3	19.9	83.6	2.7	97.9	−0.089
% black	3,108	9.1	14.4	2.3	0.0	85.4	0.314
% Hispanic	3,108	9.7	13.9	4.4	0.6	96.4	−0.193
% rural	3,107	58.5	31.4	59.4	0.0	100.0	0.174
% some college	3,108	57.9	11.8	58.0	15.0	100.0	−0.372
Median household income	3,108	52,659.6	13,822.1	50,514.5	25,385.0	1,40,382.0	−0.427
% food insecure	3,108	13.28	3.97	13.00	3.00	36.00	0.367
% limited access to healthy foods	3,089	8.55	8.23	6.00	0.00	72.00	−0.001
Food Environment Index	3,089	7.5	1.1	7.7	0.0	10.0	−0.241
% adult smokers	3,108	17.4	3.6	17.0	6.0	41.0	0.501
% adult physical inactive	3,108	27.5	5.7	27.0	10.0	50.0	0.561