A closer examination of the relationship between children's weight status and the food and physical activity environment

Abstract

Objectives Conflicting findings on associations between food and physical activity (PA) environments and children’s weight status demand attention in order to inform effective interventions. We assess relationships between the food and PA environments in inner-city neighborhoods and children’s weight status and address sources of conflicting results of prior research. Methods Weight status of children ages 3–18 was assessed using parent-measured heights and weights. Data were collected from 702 children living in four low-income cities in New Jersey between 2009 and 2010. Proximity of a child’s residence to a variety of food and PA outlets was measured in multiple ways using geo-coded data. Multivariate analyses assessed the association between measures of proximity and weight status. Results Significant associations were observed between children’s weight status and proximity to convenience stores in the 1/4 mile radius (OR = 1.9) and with presence of a large park in the 1/2 mile radius (OR = 0.41). No associations were observed for other types of food and PA outlets. Conclusions Specific aspects of the food and PA environments are predictors of overweight and obese status among children, but the relationships and their detection are dependent upon aspects of the geospatial landscape of each community.

Longitudinal quality of life improvement in underserved rural youth with obesity

“…While some areas report declines in paediatric obesity rates, there remains a clear disparity between ethnic groups, with Hispanic/Latino youth being among the highest in rates of childhood obesity (3)(4)(5), especially if they are from lower socioeconomic areas (2,6). Risk for childhood obesity is complex and influenced by a variety of known factors including but not limited to infant feeding practices, socioeconomic status, parent-child relationships, culture and language, food security status, and parental body weight (7)(8)(9)(10)(11).…”

Physical Activity States of Preschool-Aged Latino Children in Farmworker Families: Predictive Factors and Relationship With BMI Percentile

“…34 Children with greater access to parks have been reported as having smaller skinfolds 34 and lower weights. 35, 36 Parents are more likely to encourage PA when they perceive their neighborhood as generally safe, 37 and a high level of neighborhood disorder has been associated with higher BMI z-scores after adjusting for other variables. 38 …”

Factores obesogénicos en el entorno escolar público costarricense durante 2015-2016

“…En los últimos años, las meriendas se han caracterizado por incluir alimentos y bebidas de alta densidad energética, favorecedoras del incremento de la obesidad (Roblin, 2007;Ibarra, Llobet y Fernández, 2012;Rodríguez, 2012;Rosique, García y Villada, 2012;Britos, Saraví y Chichizola, 2014;Sánchez, Reyes y González, 2014), las cuales son adquiridas con frecuencia por la población infantil o sus padres en los alrededores del centro educativo, donde existe alta disponibilidad de locales comerciales que ofrecen alimentos de bajo costo económico pero de alta densidad energética (Cetateanu y Jones, 2014). Importante señalar al respecto que la proximidad y la densidad de este tipo de establecimientos se asocian con una mayor probabilidad de que la población estudiantil presente exceso de peso (Fox, Dodd, Wilson y Gleason, 2009;Smith, Cummins, Clark y Stansfeld, 2013;Ohri, Lloyd, DeLia, Tulloch y Yedidia, 2013;Masse, de Niet-Fitzgerald, Watts, Naylor y Saewyc, 2014;Watts, Lovato, Barr, Hanning y Mâsse, 2015;Chen y Wang, 2016 gratuita para toda la población estudiantil de los centros educativos públicos del país (Programa Mundial de Alimentos [WFP], 2014). La evidencia internacional ha señalado que la alimentación brindada dentro del recinto educativo tiene un rol clave en el desarrollo de los hábitos alimentarios de estudiantes (Raulio, Roos y Prättälä, 2010;Ohri, Turner y Chaloupka, 2012), por lo tanto, las intervenciones ambientales que incluyan cambios en la composición de los menús escolares, junto al desarrollo de políticas reguladoras, son efectivas en el fomento de hábitos saludables (Aranceta et al, 2008;Haroun, Harper, Wood y Nelson, 2010;Bertin, Lafay, Calamassi-Tran, Volatier y Dubuisson, 2011;Evans, Christian, Cleghorn, Greenwood y Cade, 2012;Pearce, Wood y Stevens, 2013;Cohen, Richardson, Parker, Catalano y Rimm, 2014;Schwartz, Henderson, Read, Danna y Ickovics, 2015).…”