Parks, Walkability and the Role They Play in Obesity

The study, conducted by researchers at St. Louis and Washington Universities, found that "African Americans wanting to walk for exercise were a lot more likely to encounter uneven sidewalks, obstructions and physical disorder."

Researchers found a significant number of inner-city parks had poorly maintained equipment and cracked, uneven sidewalks -- deterrents to maintaining health by walking.

"Even if people were informed enough to know what to do, "they were in an environment that fought against them doing that,"" said one researcher.