Child body mass index, obesity, and proximity to fast food restaurants

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Mellor ◽  
Carrie B. Dolan ◽  
Ronald B. Rapoport
2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-72
Author(s):  
Cheng-Chia Chen ◽  
Dong-Chul Seo ◽  
Hsien-Chang Lin

Objective: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the effects of state-level socioeconomic status (SES), the density of fast food restaurants and walking to work on body mass index (BMI) among US adults aged 50 years and older. The study sought further to account for the interaction effects of three different hierarchical levels of variables, including time-varying variables and time-invariant variables such as individual and state-level variables. Confounding related to environmental/neighbourhood effects was controlled for through sample selection. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2000–2010 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the 2010 US Census. HRS survey participants aged 50 years and older in 2000, residing in the same census tract during 2000–2010 ( N = 6,156) comprised the study sample. A three-level growth model was fitted to BMI trajectories. Results: BMI significantly increased over time showing both a linear and quadratic decelerating trajectory ( p < .001) where BMI grew faster among sampled adults in their early 50s. Women living in the US states with a lower state-level SES had higher BMIs, while men with higher state-level SES had a higher BMI ( b = −.242, p = .013). In states with a higher proportion of people who walked to work, Hispanics had higher BMIs at baseline and a lower BMI growth rate, compared with non-Hispanic whites ( b = −.033, p < .001). Conclusions: Obesity interventions specific to adults aged 50 years and older require greater emphasis. Potential health inequalities regarding weight gain can be ameliorated through tailoring interventions based on sex, environmental and state-level SES influences.


Author(s):  
Man Zhang ◽  
Wen Guo ◽  
Na Zhang ◽  
Hairong He ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate the association between the neighborhood food environment and body mass index (BMI) among Chinese older adults. Methods: A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to recruit participants from 12 communities in Beijing, China, in 2019. Participants (n = 1764, 1034 women) in this study were older adults aged 65 to 80. We collected the participants’ basic information, measured their height and weight, and calculated their BMI. Neighborhood food environments were measured by the density of and proximity to different food outlets using the Baidu Map Application Programming Interface. Adjusted multiple linear regression was performed to estimate the association between the food environment and BMI. Results: Participants had a mean age of 69.7 ± 4.32 years old and an average BMI of 26.3 ± 3.50 kg/m2. Among the three types of stores, convenience stores had the easiest access, followed by greengrocers and supermarkets. Sit-down restaurants had the best access among different restaurants, followed by Chinese fast-food restaurants, and western fast-food restaurants had the worst access. Easier access to greengrocers (β = 0.281, p < 0.001) and sit-down restaurants (β = 0.304, p < 0.001) was associated with higher BMI in the 250 m buffer zone. More supermarkets were associated with higher BMI in the 500 m buffer zone (β = 0.593, p < 0.001). Access to convenience stores was positively associated with BMI in the 800 m buffer zone (β = 0.057, p < 0.001). Better access to Chinese fast-food restaurants was associated with higher BMI (β = 0.071, p = 0.001), and better access to western fast- food restaurants was associated with lower BMI (β = −0.400, p < 0.001) in the 1000 m buffer zone. There was a negative association between the nearest distance to greengrocers and BMI (β = −0.004, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Although we found some significant associations between the neighborhood food environment and obesity, the current results are not strong enough to draw specific conclusions. Policymakers will need to rely on more evidence to derive concrete policy recommendations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine R. Reitzel ◽  
Seann D. Regan ◽  
Nga Nguyen ◽  
Ellen K. Cromley ◽  
Larkin L. Strong ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Shea ◽  
John J. M. Dwyer ◽  
Elizabeth Shaver Heeney ◽  
Richard Goy ◽  
Janis Randall Simpson

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
María Pineros-Leano ◽  
Jaclyn A. Saltzman ◽  
Janet M. Liechty ◽  
Salma Musaad ◽  
Liliana Aguayo

Children of mothers with depressive symptoms are at a higher risk for psychosocial, behavioral, and developmental problems. However, the effects of maternal depression on children’s physical growth are not well understood. To address the gaps in the literature, this study examined the association between maternal depressive symptoms, breastfeeding behaviors, and child weight outcomes. Data from 204 mother–child dyads who participated in the STRONG Kids 1 Study were used. Mothers and children were assessed twice when the children were 3 and 4 years old. Height and weight measurements of children and mothers were collected by trained researchers during both assessments. Multiple linear regression and analysis of covariance tests were used to examine the associations between maternal depressive symptoms, breastfeeding, and age and sex-adjusted child body mass index percentile. Recurrent maternal depressive symptoms when the child was 3 and 4 years old were not associated with child body mass index percentiles (BMI-P) at age 4. Mothers who breastfed for at least 6 months had significantly lower depressive symptoms when their children were 3 years of age, but the differences did not persist at age 4. In this community sample, maternal depressive symptoms were not associated with child BMI-P, regardless of breastfeeding duration.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisol Perez ◽  
Laura K. Winstone ◽  
Sarah G. Curci ◽  
Juan C. Hernández ◽  
Jennifer A. Somers ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 205-210
Author(s):  
Malay Kumar Das ◽  
Rabindranath Sinha ◽  
Aparajita Dasgupta

Introduction: The World Health Organization has already warned of increasing non-communicable diseases among adolescents as a major public health problem. The importance of this age group also lies in the fact that many serious diseases in adulthood have their roots in adolescence. Method: A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used in class-room setting to collect information from students regarding presence of risk factors of non-communicable diseases. The respondents were also subjected to anthropometric measurements and blood pressure examination using standard operating procedures. Results: A total of 761 students of class VI-XII participated in the study of which 61.4% were boys and rests were girls. High blood pressure among boys and girls were 19.9% and 22.1% were respectively. In Bivariate analysis age > 15 years (median) (OR= 2.11), fast food intake (>3 times/week) (OR= 1.66), Alcohol consumption (OR= 2.22), less physical activity (OR=1.54), increased body mass index (OR=2.53), significantly associated with high blood pressure. In Multivariate analysis age (AOR= 2.25), fast food intake (AOR= 1.50), Alcohol consumption (OR= 2.23), less physical activity (AOR=1.71), increased body mass index (AOR=2.42) remains significant predictor. Conclusion: Detecting the risk factors of high blood pressure prevalent in the population is of utmost importance to achieve a healthy population. Formulation and dissemination of need--based, culturally acceptable and age appropriate scientific messages for school students should be conducted more proactively. Keywords: Adolescents, Blood pressure, Risk factor, Rural school.


Author(s):  
Ahmad H. Alghadir ◽  
Zaheen A. Iqbal ◽  
Sami A. Gabr

Background: Adolescents and ethnic subgroups have been identified at high risks of overweight and its associated complications. Although some studies have investigated overweight, obesity, nutritional status, physical activity, and associated factors among Saudi students, no studies have examined these characteristics among non-Saudi students or compared non-Saudi to Saudi adolescent students. The objective of this study was to compare differences between Saudi and non-Saudi adolescent students regarding time spent watching television, using computers, engaging in physical activity, and their food preferences. The relationships between these lifestyle behaviors and body mass index by Saudi nativity and gender were tested. Methods: Students aged 12 to 18 years (n = 214) from various schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, completed a self-administered questionnaire that included questions about demographic and anthropometric characteristics, daily after-school routine, physical activity, watching television, using computers, and food preferences. Non-parametric (Mann–Whitney U) tests assessed the statistical differences between Saudi and non-Saudi respondents, and males and females were separately tested. Results: Saudi boys who reported physical activity two to five times per week, the most television time, the most computer time, and the highest frequency of eating fast food and drinking soft drinks had a significantly higher mean body mass index than the non-Saudi boys in their categories. However, there were no significant differences found between the Saudi and non-Saudi girls. Conclusions: High levels of sedentary and low levels of physical activities as well as high consumption of high-fat fast foods and high-sugar drinks threaten the health of Saudi adolescents. Cultural differences in lifestyle between Saudi and non-Saudi families should be considered when developing programs to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding diet quality and physical activity. The objective of this study is more important in the current situation where increased time spent on computers and mobile phones due to online teaching in schools or working from home, decreased physical activity due to precautionary lockdowns, and unchecked eating patterns while spending more time in sedentary activities in homes has become our COVID-19 pandemic lifestyle in all the age groups. A similar study should be replicated on a large scale to study the effect of this lifestyle on our lives in all the age groups.


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