The Effect of Neighborhood-level Resources on Children’s Physical Development: Trajectories of Body Mass Index and Pubertal Development and the Influence of Child Biological Sex

Thorpe, Daneele; Klein, Daniel N.

doi:10.1007/s10964-021-01547-4

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies, [34][35][36] which reported that exposure to neighborhoods with higher disadvantage was associated with higher BMI and increased risk of obesity across childhood. Previous studies, however, have often been limited by small samples (approximately 500 participants), 36 lack of geographical diversity, 34,35 and insufficient variation in individual-level characteristics, 3,37 all of which might have hampered the ability to detect these associations. Moreover, most existing work on the association between neighborhoods and childhood BMI did not examine neighborhood characteristics in very early life or were limited to cross-sectional designs that omitted the temporal nature of these associations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

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Associations of Neighborhood Opportunity and Social Vulnerability With Trajectories of Childhood Body Mass Index and Obesity Among US Children

et al. 2022

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ImportancePhysical and social neighborhood attributes may have implications for children’s growth and development patterns. The extent to which these attributes are associated with body mass index (BMI) trajectories and obesity risk from childhood to adolescence remains understudied.ObjectiveTo examine associations of neighborhood-level measures of opportunity and social vulnerability with trajectories of BMI and obesity risk from birth to adolescence.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study used data from 54 cohorts (20 677 children) participating in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program from January 1, 1995, to January 1, 2022. Participant inclusion required at least 1 geocoded residential address and anthropometric measure (taken at the same time or after the address date) from birth through adolescence. Data were analyzed from February 1 to June 30, 2022.ExposuresCensus tract–level Child Opportunity Index (COI) and Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) linked to geocoded residential addresses at birth and in infancy (age range, 0.5-1.5 years), early childhood (age range, 2.0-4.8 years), and mid-childhood (age range, 5.0-9.8 years).Main Outcomes and MeasuresBMI (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by length [if aged &lt;2 years] or height in meters squared) and obesity (age- and sex-specific BMI ≥95th percentile). Based on nationwide distributions of the COI and SVI, Census tract rankings were grouped into 5 categories: very low (&lt;20th percentile), low (20th percentile to &lt;40th percentile), moderate (40th percentile to &lt;60th percentile), high (60th percentile to &lt;80th percentile), or very high (≥80th percentile) opportunity (COI) or vulnerability (SVI).ResultsAmong 20 677 children, 10 747 (52.0%) were male; 12 463 of 20 105 (62.0%) were White, and 16 036 of 20 333 (78.9%) were non-Hispanic. (Some data for race and ethnicity were missing.) Overall, 29.9% of children in the ECHO program resided in areas with the most advantageous characteristics. For example, at birth, 26.7% of children lived in areas with very high COI, and 25.3% lived in areas with very low SVI; in mid-childhood, 30.6% lived in areas with very high COI and 28.4% lived in areas with very low SVI. Linear mixed-effects models revealed that at every life stage, children who resided in areas with higher COI (vs very low COI) had lower mean BMI trajectories and lower risk of obesity from childhood to adolescence, independent of family sociodemographic and prenatal characteristics. For example, among children with obesity at age 10 years, the risk ratio was 0.21 (95% CI, 0.12-0.34) for very high COI at birth, 0.31 (95% CI, 0.20-0.51) for high COI at birth, 0.46 (95% CI, 0.28-0.74) for moderate COI at birth, and 0.53 (95% CI, 0.32-0.86) for low COI at birth. Similar patterns of findings were observed for children who resided in areas with lower SVI (vs very high SVI). For example, among children with obesity at age 10 years, the risk ratio was 0.17 (95% CI, 0.10-0.30) for very low SVI at birth, 0.20 (95% CI, 0.11-0.35) for low SVI at birth, 0.42 (95% CI, 0.24-0.75) for moderate SVI at birth, and 0.43 (95% CI, 0.24-0.76) for high SVI at birth. For both indices, effect estimates for mean BMI difference and obesity risk were larger at an older age of outcome measurement. In addition, exposure to COI or SVI at birth was associated with the most substantial difference in subsequent mean BMI and risk of obesity compared with exposure at later life stages.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study, residing in higher-opportunity and lower-vulnerability neighborhoods in early life, especially at birth, was associated with a lower mean BMI trajectory and a lower risk of obesity from childhood to adolescence. Future research should clarify whether initiatives or policies that alter specific components of neighborhood environment would be beneficial in preventing excess weight in children.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Associations of Neighborhood Opportunity and Social Vulnerability With Trajectories of Childhood Body Mass Index and Obesity Among US Children

et al. 2022

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“…COI consists of 18 indicators and advances the study of neighborhood impact by acknowledging that it goes beyond just poverty and involves other social determinants. Using the COI, studies have found significant associations between neighborhood resources and various aspects of child health, including physical health ( 14 ), earlier puberty ( 15 ), asthma hospitalizations ( 16 ), and pediatric care use ( 17 ). Furthermore, a systematic review of multilevel studies of the association between neighborhood-level SES and children’s health and well-being found small to moderate effects of children’s health outcomes, such as birth weight, injuries, behavioral issues, and child maltreatment ( 18 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status and prevalence of teacher-reported health disorders among Canadian kindergarten children

Janus,

Brownell,

Reid-Westoby

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe evidence on the association between neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) and health disorders in young children is scarce. This study examined the prevalence of health disorders in Canadian kindergarten (5–6 years old) children in relation to neighborhood SES in 12/13 Canadian jurisdictions.MethodsData on child development at school entry for an eligible 1,372,980 children out of the total population of 1,435,428 children from 2004 to 2020, collected using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), were linked with neighborhood sociodemographic data from the 2006 Canadian Census and the 2005 Taxfiler for 2,058 neighborhoods. We examined the relationship using linear regressions. Children’s HD included special needs, functional impairments limiting a child’s ability to participate in classroom activities, and diagnosed conditions.ResultsThe neighborhood prevalence of health disorders across Canada ranged from 1.8 to 46.6%, with a national average of 17.3%. The combined prevalence of health disorders was 16.4%, as 225,711 children were identified as having at least one health disorder. Results of an unadjusted linear regression showed a significant association between neighborhood-level SES and prevalence of health disorders (F(1, 2051) = 433.28, p < 0.001), with an R2 of 0.17. When province was added to the model, the R2 increased to 0.40 (F(12, 2040) = 115.26, p < 0.001). The association was strongest in Newfoundland & Labrador and weakest in Ontario.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that the prevalence of health disorders among kindergarten children was higher in lower SES neighborhoods and varied by jurisdiction in Canada, which has implications for practice and resource allocation.

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Schools’ Neighborhoods and Characteristics: Implications for Standardized Academic Achievement in Passaic, NJ’s Elementary, Middle and High Schools

et al. 2022

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The Effect of Neighborhood-level Resources on Children’s Physical Development: Trajectories of Body Mass Index and Pubertal Development and the Influence of Child Biological Sex

Cited by 9 publications

References 51 publications

Associations of Neighborhood Opportunity and Social Vulnerability With Trajectories of Childhood Body Mass Index and Obesity Among US Children

Associations of Neighborhood Opportunity and Social Vulnerability With Trajectories of Childhood Body Mass Index and Obesity Among US Children

Neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status and prevalence of teacher-reported health disorders among Canadian kindergarten children

Schools’ Neighborhoods and Characteristics: Implications for Standardized Academic Achievement in Passaic, NJ’s Elementary, Middle and High Schools

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