Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.
Child Obes. 2019 Dec;15(8):555-559. doi: 10.1089/chi.2019.0063. Epub 2019 Aug 26.
Attributes of the built environment, such as neighborhood walkability, have been linked to increased physical activity and reduced obesity risk. This relationship, however, has primarily been documented in adults; less is known about neighborhood walkability and youth obesity, as limited prior research has produced mixed findings. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between neighborhood walkability and youth obesity, including differences by urbanicity. Data were collected in 2013 from youth aged 7-14 years ( = 13,469) in a Southeastern county school district. Height and weight were objectively measured and utilized to calculate body mass index (BMI) -scores. Youth demographic characteristics and addresses were obtained, and a Walk Score was gathered for each youth's home address. Multilevel linear regression analysis, accounting for nesting within census block groups, was conducted to examine the association between Walk Score and BMI -score and to test for the moderating effect of urbanicity. Separate multilevel analyses examined Walk Score and BMI -score among urban, urban-rural mixed, and rural youth subsamples. Overall, as Walk Score increased, youth BMI -score decreased. Walk Score was positively associated with BMI -score among urban youth and negatively associated with BMI -score among rural youth; no relationship was observed between Walk Score and youth in urban-rural mixed areas. Neighborhood walkability may impact youth differently across geographic areas. Further study is warranted about how youth utilize a walkable environment and mechanisms through which walkability influences youth physical activity and obesity risk.
建筑环境的属性，如邻里的步行性，与增加身体活动和降低肥胖风险有关。然而，这种关系主要在成年人中得到证实；关于邻里的步行性和青少年肥胖，人们知之甚少，因为先前的有限研究得出了混合的结果。本研究的目的是检验邻里步行性与青少年肥胖之间的关联，包括城市性的差异。 数据于 2013 年在东南部一个县学区的 7-14 岁青少年（ = 13469）中收集。身高和体重被客观测量，并用于计算体重指数（BMI）得分。收集了青少年的人口统计特征和地址，并为每个青少年的家庭住址收集了步行得分。进行多层次线性回归分析，考虑到在普查街区组内嵌套，以检验步行得分与 BMI 得分之间的关联，并测试城市性的调节作用。分别进行多层次分析，以检查城市、城乡混合和农村青少年亚组中的步行得分和 BMI 得分。 总体而言，随着步行得分的增加，青少年的 BMI 得分下降。步行得分与城市青少年的 BMI 得分呈正相关，与农村青少年的 BMI 得分呈负相关；在城乡混合地区，步行得分与青少年之间没有关系。 邻里步行性可能会在不同的地理区域对青少年产生不同的影响。需要进一步研究青少年如何利用可步行的环境，以及步行性如何通过何种机制影响青少年的身体活动和肥胖风险。
