scholarly journals Neighborhood built environment impacts park use of diverse, low-income mothers and their children

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-110
Author(s):  
Lauren Mullenbach ◽  
Lincoln Larson ◽  
Myron Floyd ◽  
Oriol Marquet ◽  
Jing-Huei Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racially Diverse ◽  
Perceived Safety ◽  
Neighborhood Walkability ◽  
Park Use ◽  
Physical Health Outcomes ◽  
Low Income Mothers ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment

Built environment features, including parks, often exacerbate health disparities. We examined built environment perceptions and park use among a population at high risk for physical health outcomes: racially diverse, low-income mothers across the United States. Perceived safety from crime and living near a park were associated with more frequent park use for mothers and their children, and neighborhood walkability was linked to longer park visits. However, only 40% of mothers lived within a ten-minute walk from a park, and perceptions of walkability and safety from crime were low. To enhance physical activity and health of low-income mothers and their children, investments are needed to close disparities in park access and improve neighborhood safety.

Child Care and Child Care Policy: Existing Policies, Their Effects, and Reforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 686 (1) ◽  
pp. 310-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Joseph Hotz ◽  
Matthew Wiswall
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Maternal Employment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Provide Child Care ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Low Income Mothers

We analyze policies that support and affect the provision and costs of child care in the United States. These policies are motivated by at least three objectives: (1) improving the cognitive and social development of young children, (2) facilitating maternal employment, and (3) alleviating poverty. We summarize this policy landscape and the evidence on the effects they have on the development of children and parents. We provide a summary of the use and costs of nonparental child care services; and we summarize existing policies and programs that subsidize child care costs, provide child care to certain groups, and regulate various aspects of the services provided in the United States. We then review the evidence on the effects that child care policies have on these objectives. We go on to discuss the existing evidence of their effects on various outcomes. Finally, we outline three reform proposals that will both facilitate work by low-income mothers and improve the quality of child care that their children receive.

scholarly journals Google Street View Derived Built Environment Indicators and Associations with State-Level Obesity, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease Mortality in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3659
Author(s):  
Lynn Phan ◽  
Weijun Yu ◽  
Jessica M. Keralis ◽  
Krishay Mukhija ◽  
Pallavi Dwivedi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
State Level ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Google Street View ◽  
Street View ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment

Previous studies have demonstrated that there is a high possibility that the presence of certain built environment characteristics can influence health outcomes, especially those related to obesity and physical activity. We examined the associations between select neighborhood built environment indicators (crosswalks, non-single family home buildings, single-lane roads, and visible wires), and health outcomes, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality, at the state level. We utilized 31,247,167 images collected from Google Street View to create indicators for neighborhood built environment characteristics using deep learning techniques. Adjusted linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between aggregated built environment indicators and state-level health outcomes. Our results indicated that the presence of a crosswalk was associated with reductions in obesity and premature mortality. Visible wires were associated with increased obesity, decreased physical activity, and increases in premature mortality, diabetes mortality, and cardiovascular mortality (however, these results were not significant). Non-single family homes were associated with decreased diabetes and premature mortality, as well as increased physical activity and park and recreational access. Single-lane roads were associated with increased obesity and decreased park access. The findings of our study demonstrated that built environment features may be associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes.

Neighborhood Built Environment and Socioeconomic Status in Relation to Active Commuting to School in Children

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 761-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Molina-García ◽  
Ana Queralt
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Active Commuting ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Neighborhood Walkability ◽  
Active Commuting To School ◽  
Children's Home ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment

Background:The role of neighborhood type in active commuting to school (ACS) has not been extensively studied in children. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between neighborhood built environment (walkability) and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) with ACS among children.Methods:A cross-sectional study of 310 Spanish children (aged 10–12 y; 51% male) was conducted in 2015. Walkability was defined as an index of 3 built environment characteristics (ie, residential density, land-use mix, and street connectivity) based on geographical information system data. Children’s home and school neighborhoods were evaluated. ACS was evaluated by questionnaire. Mixed model regression analyses evaluated ACS in relation to neighborhood walkability and SES.Results:There were no significant SES–walkability interactions for ACS. Children living in more walkable neighborhoods reported 2.5 more trips per week compared with those living in less walkable neighborhoods (P < .001). Children attending schools located in lower SES neighborhoods reported more ACS trips per week than those attending schools in higher SES neighborhoods (P < .05).Conclusions:Home-neighborhood walkability and school-neighborhood SES were associated with ACS. This study highlights the importance of assessing children’s home environment and school environment when ACS behavior is analyzed.

scholarly journals Active and Fit Communities. Associations between Neighborhood Walkability and Health-Related Fitness in Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1131
Author(s):  
Gavin R. McCormack ◽  
Levi Frehlich ◽  
Anita Blackstaffe ◽  
Tanvir C. Turin ◽  
Patricia K. Doyle-Baker
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Resistance Training ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Muscular Strength ◽  
Neighborhood Walkability ◽  
Walk Score ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment ◽  
Health Related Fitness ◽  
Fitness Levels

There are many health benefits of regular physical activity and improving physical fitness levels can reduce the risk of chronic disease. Accumulating evidence suggests the neighborhood built environment is important for supporting physical activity; however, few studies have investigated the contribution of the neighborhood built environment to fitness levels. We examined the associations between objectively-determined and self-reported neighborhood walkability and overall and specific components of perceived health-related fitness (cardiorespiratory, muscular strength, and flexibility) in a random sample of 592 adults from two areas of Calgary (Canada). Participants provided complete data to an online questionnaire capturing perceived cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscular strength (MST), flexibility, moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), resistance training, and sociodemographic characteristics. The questionnaire also captured participant’s perceptions of their neighborhood’s walkability (Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale; PANES) and the physical activity supportiveness of neighborhood parks (Park Perceptions Index; PPI). Objectively-measured neighborhood walkability was estimated using Walk Score®. The average (SD) age of participants was 46.6 (14.8) years and 67.2% were female. Participants, on average, participated in at least 30-minutes of MVPA on 3.4 (2.1) days/week and undertook resistance training 2.0 (1.8) days/week. Adjusting for covariates, Walk Score® was not associated with any fitness outcomes. Adjusting for covariates, the PANES index was positively associated (p < 0.05) with CRF, MST, flexibility, and overall fitness and the PPI was positively associated (p < 0.05) with all fitness outcomes except MST. Our findings provide novel preliminary evidence suggesting the neighborhood built environment may be important for supporting higher health-related fitness levels in adults.

scholarly journals Effects of Childcare Subsidies on Employment and Earnings of Low-Income Mothers

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 589-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wladimir Zanoni ◽  
Gabriel Weinberger
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Control Function ◽  
The United States ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
Administrative Records ◽  
Subsidy Program ◽  
Low Income Mothers ◽  
And Control

Abstract This study examines how childcare subsidies funded by the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF – the most widespread childcare subsidy program in the United States) affect the employment status and earnings of low-income mothers. Employing a rich database of administrative records, we compute instrumental variables and control function estimates of the program’s effects. As an exclusion restriction, we take advantage of differences in efficiency levels across administrative agencies that process subsidy applications and payments. CCDF-funded subsidies have short-term effects that are primarily driven by changes in the extensive margin of labor supply. Mothers who are either unemployed or earning closer to the upper cutoff of eligibility benefit the most from participation in this program.

scholarly journals Randomized Informational Intervention and Adult Park Use and Park-Based Physical Activity in Low-Income, Racially Diverse Urban Neighborhoods

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Noah Wexler ◽  
Yingling Fan ◽  
Kirti V. Das ◽  
Simone French
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Average Treatment Effect ◽  
Racially Diverse ◽  
Park Use ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Informational Intervention ◽  
The Impact

Background: Neighborhood parks are important locations to encourage and stimulate physical activity (PA) among the urban population. This study aims to evaluate the impact of an informational intervention on adult park use and PA behaviors in 3 low-income, racially diverse urban neighborhoods in Minneapolis, MN. Method: The study employed a household-level randomized controlled trial and collected baseline and follow-up data from 171 participants. Within each neighborhood, participants were randomized to an informational intervention or to a no-intervention comparison. Intervention households received monthly, neighborhood-specific newsletters about park-based PA opportunities, park program brochures, trail maps, and activity guides. Results: The average treatment effect of the newsletter intervention was positive yet moderated by respondent age. For a 20-year-old resident, treatment was associated with 0.97 (P < .05) additional park visits and 31.24 (P < .05) additional minutes of park-based PA over a 3-day recall period. For 40-year-old respondents, these positive effects are smaller at 0.36 (P < .05) additional visits and 4.66 (P < .05) additional minutes, respectively. Conclusions: An intervention to increase awareness about park-based PA opportunities and benefits increased self-reported park visits and in-park PA among adults who lived in low-income, racially diverse neighborhoods.

‘‘I Just Need a Job!’’ Behavioral Solutions, Structural Problems, and the Hidden Curriculum of Parenting Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 326-345
Author(s):  
Maia Cucchiara ◽  
Erin Cassar ◽  
Monica Clark
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Hidden Curriculum ◽  
The United States ◽  
Parenting Education ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Private Funding ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
Low Income Mothers

Parenting education programs aim to teach parents, often low-income mothers, a set of skills, behaviors, and attitudes believed to promote improved opportunities for their children. Parenting programs are often offered in schools, with instructors teaching pregnant or parenting teens about child development, attachment, and discipline strategies. Despite the large numbers of participants and significant public and private funding going to parenting education, sociologists of education in the United States have paid little attention to the topic. Existing research, by scholars in other disciplines, has found parenting education to be a relatively weak intervention. Yet this research focuses exclusively on individual-level processes, paying little attention to social context or other factors. This study uses extensive observational and interview data from parenting education programs in two schools and one social service organization to examine what is taught, what is not, and the intersections between program content and the structural realities shaping parents’ lives. The results show that although they were designed for low-income mothers, the classes were silent on the issue of poverty, treating poverty-related concerns as irrelevant to the task of parenting. Furthermore, when such topics did emerge, instructors redirected the conversations to personal behaviors and characteristics. Thus, the ‘‘hidden curriculum’’ of parenting education conveyed the message that good parenting should be unaffected by the challenges of poverty. The mothers, however, struggled to provide for their children in conditions of extreme scarcity, making it difficult for them to focus on other parenting issues.

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