Urban Park Development and Pediatric Obesity Rates: A Quasi-Experiment Using Electronic Health Record Data.

TaShauna U Goldsby, Brandon J George, Valerie A Yeager, Bisakha P Sen, Alva Ferdinand, Devon M T Sims, Bryn Manzella, Asheley Cockrell Skinner, David B Allison, Nir Menachemi

Journal: International journal of environmental research and public health 2016;13(4):411

PMID: 27070635

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Childhood obesity affects ~20% of children in the United States. Environmental influences, such as parks, are linked with increased physical activity (PA).

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score were associated with construction of a new park.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental design was used to determine whether living in proximity of a park was associated with a reduction in BMI z-score. Children were selected from health clinics within an 11 mile radius of the park. A repeated-measure ANOVA was employed for analysis of the relationship between exposure (new park) and BMI z-score.

RESULTS

Participants were 1443 (median age 10.3 range (2-17.9 years), BMI: z-score 0.84 ± 1.09) African American (77.4%) adolescents. Change in BMI z-score was not statistically different for children living at different distances from the park after controlling for age, gender, race, ethnicity, or payer type (p = 0.4482). We did observe a small 0.03 increase in BMI z-score from pre- to post-park (p = 0.0007). There was a significant positive association between child's baseline age and BMI z-score (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found proximity to a park was not associated with reductions in BMI z-score. Additional efforts to understand the complex relationship between park proximity, access, and PA are warranted.

Address: Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. [email protected].; Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. [email protected].; Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. [email protected].; Department of Global Health Management and Policy, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. [email protected].; Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. [email protected].; Department of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843, USA. [email protected].; Scientific Technologies Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ 85258, USA. [email protected].; Jefferson County Department of Health, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA. [email protected].; Division of General Internal Medicine, The Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA. [email protected].; Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. [email protected].; Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. [email protected].; Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. [email protected].; Department Health Policy and Management, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. [email protected].

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13040411

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https://medlineplus.gov/obesityinchildren.html

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https://scite.ai/reports/27070635

MeSH Terms: Adolescent, Alabama, Body Mass Index, Child, Child, Preschool, Electronic Health Records, Environment, Female, Humans, Male, Parks, Recreational, Pediatric Obesity, Racial Groups, Urban Renewal