Cities with varied development types and green space are known to be protective for cardiometabolic health, while those with higher traffic-related pollution, access to calorie-dense food and poorer perception of safety are detrimental. These factors should be considered when planning urban developments in lower-income and middle-income countries to reduce cardiometabolic disease burden.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$189.00 per year
only $15.75 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Get just this article for as long as you need it
$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References
Jaacks, L. M. et al. The obesity transition: stages of the global epidemic. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 7, 231–240 (2019).
Anza-Ramirez, C. et al. The urban built environment and adult BMI, obesity, and diabetes in Latin American cities. Nat. Commun. 13, 7977 (2022).
Ezeh, A. et al. The history, geography, and sociology of slums and the health problems of people who live in slums. The Lancet 389, 547–558 (2017).
Creatore, M. I. et al. Association of neighborhood walkability with change in overweight, obesity, and diabetes. JAMA 315, 2211–2220 (2016).
Hartig, T., Mitchell, R., De Vries, S. & Frumkin, H. Nature and health. Annu. Rev. Public Health. 35, 207–228 (2014).
Sarkar, C., Webster, C. & Gallacher, J. Association between adiposity outcomes and residential density: a full-data, cross-sectional analysis of 419 562 UK Biobank adult participants. Lancet Planet. Health 1, e277–e288 (2017).
Sarkar, C. & Webster, C. Urban environments and human health: current trends and future directions. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. 25, 33–44 (2017).
Pillon, N. J., Loos, R. J. F., Marshall, S. M. & Zierath, J. R. Metabolic consequences of obesity and type 2 diabetes: Balancing genes and environment for personalized care. Cell. 184, 1530–1544 (2021).
Subbiah, V. The next generation of evidence-based medicine. Nat. Med. 29, 49–58 (2023).
Rose, G. A. Strategy of Preventive Medicine. (Oxford University Press, 1992).
Acknowledgements
C.S. acknowledges support from Hong Kong Research Grant Commission and General Research Fund (GRF grant 17613220), and is a recipient of US National Academy of Medicine — The University of Hong Kong Fellowship in Global Health Leadership.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sarkar, C., Lai, K.Y. Urban built environments: interventions for reducing cardiometabolic risks. Nat Rev Endocrinol 19, 315–316 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-023-00827-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-023-00827-2