The Impact of Neighborhood Characteristics on Physical Activity and Obesity in Low-Income Children
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Date
2007-06
Authors
Quillen, Lori
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of Planning, Public Policy & Management, University of Oregon
Abstract
The prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity has received much attention in recent
years as a serious public health issue. There is a growing body of research concerning
the role of the built environment in the obesity epidemic. For low income children, who
are more likely to be obese, it is also likely that neighborhood safety plays an important
factor in physical activity. In this study we examine how neighborhood safety and the
built environment, influence the physical activity and obesity levels among low-income
children. The study was based on two primary research questions:
• To what degree do neighborhood safety and the built environment impact lowincome
children’s physical activity levels?
• Do these factors influence whether or not low income children are obese?
Methods. Data was collected from a cross-sectional survey of 800 parents of children
receiving Medicaid in four Florida counties. The survey included questions about
perceived neighborhood safety, physical activity, and demographics. The child’s body
mass index (BMI) was calculated based on parent-reported of height and weight.
Our measures of the built environment were developed at the zip code level using
Geographic Information System (GIS). We calculated four measures that have been
shown in prior studies to contribute to “walkability” in neighborhoods: street
connectivity, intersection density, density of major and local road miles, and the ratio of
major road miles to local road miles.
Findings. Results indicate that low income children’s physical activity is influenced by
both neighborhood safety and walkability factors. In bivariate analysis, children more
frequently walked for 10 or more minutes, and were more likely to walk or bike to
school in areas where there was higher street intersection density. Children whose
parents reported keeping their children inside due to safety concerns were less likely to
take walks. Measures of neighborhood safety exhibited a positive relationship on
parents’ satisfaction with the amount of exercise their children got. However, neither
neighborhood safety nor walkability appears to influence obesity.
Description
Examining committee: Jessica Greene, chair, Yizhao Yang