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Is the Environment Near Home and School Associated with Physical Activity and Adiposity of Urban Preschool Children?

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Abstract

Preventing sedentary behavior and adiposity in childhood has become a public health priority. We examined urban social and built environment characteristics as correlates of physical activity and anthropometry among 428 preschool children from low-income families in New York City. We measured the children’s height, weight, skinfold thicknesses, physical activity by accelerometer, and covariates. We geocoded home and Head Start center addresses and estimated the following for an area within 0.5 km of those two locations using a detailed geographic database: neighborhood composition, walkability, crime and traffic safety, and aesthetic characteristics. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the associations of area characteristics with physical activity or adiposity, adjusted for characteristics of the child, mother, and home. Participants were 2–5 years old, 53% female, 83% Hispanic, and 43% either overweight or obese. Of the walkability indicators, land use mix was associated with physical activity (26 more activity counts/minute per standard deviation increase in mixed land use, p = 0.015) and subway stop density was associated with adiposity (1.2 mm smaller sums of skinfold thicknesses sum per standard deviation increase in subway stop density, p = 0.001). The pedestrian–auto injury rate, an indicator of traffic safety problems, was associated with physical activity and adiposity (16 fewer activity counts/minute, p = 0.033, and 1.0 mm greater skinfold thickness per standard deviation increase in pedestrian–auto injuries, p = 0.018). Children living in areas with more street trees were more physically active and those living in areas with more park access had smaller skinfolds. However, many of the tested associations were not statistically significant and some trends were not in the hypothesized direction. Efforts to enhance walkability, safety, and green spaces in the local environment may be relevant to physical activity and adiposity, and therefore to the health of preschool-aged children from low-income families.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (grant #HL068236), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (grants #P30 ES009089 and 5R01ES014229), and the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars program for their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Gina S. Lovasi, Judith S. Jacobson & Andrew Rundle

  2. Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    James W. Quinn

  3. Center for Health and the Social Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kathryn M. Neckerman

  4. Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Maxine N. Ashby-Thompson

  5. 722 W 168th St., 8th Floor, Room 804, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Gina S. Lovasi

Authors
  1. Gina S. Lovasi
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  2. Judith S. Jacobson
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  3. James W. Quinn
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  4. Kathryn M. Neckerman
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  5. Maxine N. Ashby-Thompson
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  6. Andrew Rundle
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Correspondence to Gina S. Lovasi.

Additional information

Funding was provided by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (grant #HL068236), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (grants #P30 ES009089 and 5R01ES014229), and the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars program.

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Lovasi, G.S., Jacobson, J.S., Quinn, J.W. et al. Is the Environment Near Home and School Associated with Physical Activity and Adiposity of Urban Preschool Children?. J Urban Health 88, 1143–1157 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-011-9604-3

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