NYU Study Links Urban Living to ADHD and Obesity Rates

A recent study by researchers at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering and Italy’s Istituto Superiore di Sanità reveals how urban environments affect the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity. This research, published in the journal PLOS Complex Systems, identifies urban factors that contribute to rising obesity rates among individuals with ADHD.

The study examined public health data from 915 U.S. cities, employing an engineering-based method grounded in urban scaling laws. These laws explain how various characteristics of cities change relative to their population size, similar to biological traits in living organisms. The findings indicated that both ADHD and obesity rates decline as city populations grow, while access to mental health services and education increases more rapidly than city size.

Senior author Maurizio Porfiri, a professor at NYU Tandon and director of the NYU Center for Urban Science + Progress, emphasized the importance of urban scaling and causal discovery methods in revealing overlooked relationships in traditional health research. To refine their analysis, the researchers introduced Scale-Adjusted Metropolitan Indicators (SAMIs) to capture city-specific deviations from expected health outcomes, such as lower obesity rates in smaller cities or inadequate mental health care access in larger metropolitan areas.

Porfiri noted, “By accounting for population effects, we can identify the genuine pathways linking ADHD and obesity and understand how urban environments influence these connections.” The research found that children with more severe ADHD symptoms are more likely to be obese, particularly in households with lower physical activity levels and education.

Tian Gan, a doctoral student at NYU Tandon, explained the significance of the SAMIs, stating that they help clarify the effects of city size on health metrics, allowing for a more accurate assessment of health disparities across regions. The analysis revealed that cities in the Southeastern and Southwestern U.S. exhibited greater disparities in the prevalence of ADHD and obesity, mental health access, and food insecurity compared to other areas.

The study utilized data from over 19,000 children across the United States, confirming earlier findings that increased ADHD severity correlates with higher obesity rates. The results suggest that ADHD contributes to lower physical activity levels, leading to increased obesity, while better access to mental health services and education correlates with improved health outcomes.

Simone Macrì, a senior scientist at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, highlighted that understanding these urban dynamics can pinpoint effective intervention strategies that would otherwise go unnoticed.

This study aligns with previous research by Porfiri and colleagues concerning firearm ownership and gun violence, demonstrating the utility of urban scaling frameworks in reshaping public health policies. The findings underscore the need for tailored strategies to improve mental health access, education, and physical activity in urban areas, particularly where the ADHD-obesity link is most pronounced.