› › The Effect Of Environmental Factors And Socioeconomic Status On Body Mass Index And Physical Activity In A Sample Of Adolescents From Austin Texas

The Effect of Environmental Factors and Socioeconomic Status on Body Mass Index, and Physical Activity in a Sample of Adolescents from Austin, Texas

Author : Cherelle D. VanBrakle

Publisher :

Page : 116 pages

File Size : 20,99 MB

Release : 2012

Category : Body mass index

ISBN :

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Obesity, a chronic multifactorial disease has become highly prevalent in the United States in the past few decades, and the incidence is predicted to continue to increase. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among the walkability characteristics of neighborhoods, as measured using the Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale (NEWS) survey, with physical activity and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of adolescents from Lyndon Baines Johnson High School of Austin, Texas. Packets for participants and their parent/guardian were sent home and completed. Height and weight were obtained to calculate BMI. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Several factors were correlated with the adolescents' BMI, including the parent's perceptions of neighborhood aesthetics, the students' perception of pedestrian and automobile traffic safety in their neighborhood, and distance to hike/bike trails and recreation facilities. Neighborhood walkability appeared to be moderately related to adolescents' BMI.



Understanding the Underlying Social, Maternal, and Environmental Risk Factors for the Development of Overweight and Obesity from Birth to Adolescence

Author : Margaret Mochon Demment

Publisher :

Page : 414 pages

File Size : 13,65 MB

Release : 2013

Category :

ISBN :

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Background The relationship between changes in family socioeconomic status (SES) and the development of obesity in childhood is unknown. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between growth and two measures of SES change in childhood: family income trajectory and early-life food insecurity, and whether SES modified the relationship between the school nutrition and physical activity (N & PA) environment and growth during middle school, 6th to 8th grade. Methods This longitudinal research employed a birth cohort (n=595) located in rural New York State, followed from birth to 15 years. Data were collected through an audit of medical records, mailed questionnaires, and an assessment of the middle school N & PA environments. Family income and body mass index (BMI) z-score trajectories were created using latent-class modeling techniques to group children based on similar trends across time. Linear mixed models were used to estimate rate change in BMI zscore. Results 1. Children with poorer income trajectories were more likely to be in overweight and obese trajectories. Children who were persistently low-income were more likely to be in the overweight-stable BMI trajectory, and downwardly mobile children were more likely to be in the obese BMI trajectory. 2. The association between food insecurity and growth status varied across time. Foodinsecure children had a lower estimated BMI z-score in early childhood compared to food-secure children, but their elevated rate of growth during childhood resulted in a higher estimated BMI z-score by the age of 15 compared to food-secure children. 3. The association between the school environment and change in BMI z-score depended on income trajectory. Specifically, reductions in BMI z-score were associated with better physical education and general physical activity promotion environments among adolescents with unstable and persistent low-income trajectories. Conclusion Low SES trajectories and food insecurity were positively associated with the development of overweight and obesity in complex ways across childhood. Depending on an adolescent's income trajectory, better middle school environments for physical activity were associated with decreased obesity risk.



The Effects of Socio-Economic Status on Physical Activity Participation in Hong Kong Adolescents

Author : Lok-Chun Janet Lee

Publisher : Open Dissertation Press

Page : pages

File Size : 39,98 MB

Release : 2017-01-26

Category :

ISBN : 9781361291931

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This dissertation, "The Effects of Socio-economic Status on Physical Activity Participation in Hong Kong Adolescents: a Social Ecological Approach" by Lok-chun, Janet, Lee, 李樂真, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Motivations: Socio-economic status (SES) is a major source of health disparities. Those who lived in resource-deficient social and physical environments and with low individual income have been found to be at increased risk of physical inactivity. In Hong Kong there is virtually no research on the effect of SES on adolescent physical activity (PA). It is therefore important to explore the SES differentials in PA among Hong Kong adolescents and identify the mechanisms underlying such differentials. It is also important to examine the extent to which SES acts as a moderator and mediator of associations between various potential determinants of adolescent PA. Methods: A hundred eighty-one adolescents aged 12-18 were recruited in the study. This study applied an ecological framework to study the SES effects on adolescents' PA participation. Physical activity was measured both objectively using accelerometers and subjectively using self-reports. Individual, social and school environment factors were assessed by validated self-report measures. Neighborhood built environmental factors were assessed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data. Individual-level SES was based on parents' report of monthly household income, while area-level SES was based on census data on median household income of selected study neighborhoods. Generalized linear models with robust standard errors were used to assess associations of individual, social and environmental factors with adolescents' PA. They were also used to assess the moderating of SES and mediators of SES-PA relationships. Results: The results supported the hypothesis that individual, social and environmental factors would all contribute to the explanation of adolescents' PA. Moderation analyses showed that the PA level of adolescents living in low SES areas might have been negatively affected by the presence of steep streets in the neighborhood environment and the lack of sports facilities. These effects were not observed in adolescents living in high SES areas. In contrast, only adolescents living in high-SES areas showed positive associations of school-based social support and school PA-related environment with PA. Mediation analyses showed that SES differences in adolescents PA participation could be explained by social support from family and access to sports/recreational facilities in/around the school. Significance: The current findings would imply that environmental interventions at the neighborhood level might benefit low-SES groups of adolescents as they seem to be more influenced by aspects of the neighborhood environment. By contrast, high-SES adolescents might be more reactive to school-based environmental interventions. To narrow the SES gap in PA participation among Hong Kong adolescents, interventions should encourage low-SES families to provide more support to their children by widening the available range of opportunities for PA, encouraging their children to participate in PA, and acting as role models. The findings from this study also suggest that the provision of more PA facilities in/around school neighborhood in



Influence of the Home Environment on Diet Quality and Weight Status of Adolescents

Author : Tamara Tabbakh

Publisher :

Page : 268 pages

File Size : 30,85 MB

Release : 2015

Category :

ISBN :

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The home environment is a critical setting for the development of weight status in adolescence. At present a limited number of valid and reliable tools are available to evaluate the weight-related comprehensive home environment of this population. Aim 1a was to develop and validate the Multidimensional Home Environment Scale (MHES), which measures multiple components of the home. This scale includes psychological, social, and environmental domains from the perspective of adolescents and their mothers. After establishing content validity via an expert panel in nutrition, a validation sample of 218 mother-adolescent dyads completed a demographics survey and original version of the MHES. A focus group with the target population of adolescents (n=7) was conducted and feedback regarding item difficulty, content, bias, and relevance was incorporated. Principal components analysis yielded a 12-factor structure for adolescents and 14-factor structure for mothers. Internal consistency reliability was achieved for the majority of subscales, with [alpha]=0.5-0.9 for adolescents and [alpha]=0.7-0.9 for mothers. In addition, the MHES showed test-retest reliability for both adolescents (r=0.90) and mothers (r=0.91). Aim 1 b was to develop and validate a Nutrition Knowledge scale using the same sample as Aim 1a. Nutrition knowledge was assessed in this sample of 114 dyads. A 20-item scale was modified from previous version developed by the author. This instrument was composed of multiple-choice questions classified into four categories of knowledge: macronutrient, micronutrient, healthy eating and physical activity recommendations and fast-food nutrition. Content validity of the scale was established using feedback from an expert panel in nutrition (n=10) and a focus group of the sample population tested (n=7). The scale demonstrated high internal consistency reliability (adolescents: [alpha]=0.70, mothers: [alpha]=0.78) and test-retest reliability (adolescents: r=0.47, p=0.01, mothers: r=0.77, p=0.00). Aim 2 was to examine the impact of the comprehensive home environment on diet quality and weight status of adolescents using the MHES. A sample of 206 mothers and adolescents were recruited from local middle schools in the Austin area and completed a demographics survey, final version of the MHES, Food Frequency Questionnaire, and a Nutrition Knowledge scale online. Weight and height of adolescents were measured by the author using a standard protocols. Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age percentiles were determined using the Center for Disease Control growth charts. Diet quality was estimated using the Healthy Eating Index-2010. Two models were created and reported in this dissertation. The first univariate model included each of the home environment factors as independent variables, and diet quality and BMI as dependent variables. The second model was developed using significant variables only from the initial model. Availability of healthy foods (p=0.00), healthy eating attitude (p=0.01), and accessibility to unhealthy foods (p=0.04) in the home were the strongest predictors of diet quality. Self-efficacy (p=0.02) and availability of healthy foods (p=0.02) emerged as significant predictors of BMI. Aim 3 of this dissertation research was to determine the effect of nutrition knowledge on the home environment and diet quality using the Healthy Eating Index-2010. This aim was accomplished using the same sample as Aim 2. It was hypothesized that the comprehensive home, with its psychological, social, and environmental features, would mediate the relationship between maternal nutrition knowledge and diet quality. A non-linear relationship between nutrition knowledge of the mother and diet quality of the adolescent was observed. Inclusion of the mediator in the model yielded significant estimates of the indirect effect ([beta]=0.61, 95% CI: 0.3-1.0), with a 65.2% reduction in the model. This suggests that the home environment functioned as a partial mediator of the influence of nutrition knowledge on diet quality. Then, mediation analysis with the combination of psychological, social, and environmental factors was conducted in three separate regressions. Psychological ([beta]=0.46), social ([beta]=0.23), and environmental ([beta]=0.65) variables were all significant mediators of nutrition knowledge on diet quality. Collectively, these results suggest that the MHES is an appropriate tool for measurement of the nutritional home environment of adolescents. The home environment appeared to significantly modulate diet quality and BMI of adolescents, particularly with respect to availability of healthy foods, healthy eating attitudes, and self-efficacy.



Educating the Student Body

Author : Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 503 pages

File Size : 17,64 MB

Release : 2013-11-13

Category : Medical

ISBN : 0309283140

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Book Description

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.



The Relationship Among Psychosocial and Environmental Determinants of Physical Activity, Physical Activity Levels, and Body Mass Index in Adolescent Affrican [sic] American Females

Author : Flint D. Mitchell

Publisher :

Page : pages

File Size : 37,96 MB

Release : 2003

Category :

ISBN :

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This study examined personal, social, and demographic factors related to physical activity (PA) level and body mass index (BMI) in adolescent African American (AA) females. The participants were 211 AA females from selected parochial schools in a city in the southern U.S. Participants completed the Physical Activity Determinant Scale (PADS: Mitchell & Kontos, 2002), the Three Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR: Weston, Petosa & Pate, 1997), the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ: Godin & Shepard, 1985), and demographic items. Height and weight measures were taken to assess BMI. Results from logistic regression indicated that the personal factor was a significant (p



Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity?

Author : Transportation Research Board

Publisher : Transportation Research Board

Page : 269 pages

File Size : 13,92 MB

Release : 2005-01-11

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 0309094984

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TRB Special Report 282: Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence reviews the broad trends affecting the relationships among physical activity, health, transportation, and land use; summarizes what is known about these relationships, including the strength and magnitude of any causal connections; examines implications for policy; and recommends priorities for future research.



Psychosocial and Environmental Influences on Adolescent Physical Activity and Fitness

Author : Daniel J. Graham

Publisher :

Page : 108 pages

File Size : 44,27 MB

Release : 2009

Category :

ISBN : 9781109147155

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This dissertation examined relationships between predictors of physical activity (psychosocial and environmental resources), measures of physical activity (PA), and physical fitness in a sample of 192 adolescents (mean age 14.79 ± 0.46 years; 105 male/87 female). Psychosocial resources (perceived competence and social support for PA) were assessed via self-report. Environmental PA resources were assessed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. All gyms, schools, bike trails, parks and athletic fields within .5 miles of a participant's home were geocoded and summed to create a measure of environmental PA resources. Four measures were used to assess PA: accelerometry, 3-day recall, and self-reported sports participation both in- and out-of school. Fitness was assessed via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA, which measured percent body fat), body mass index (BMI) percentile (calculated from height and weight), and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2peak during a cycle ergometer ramp-type fitness test). Linear regression analyses revealed: The associations between environmental resources and both PA (school sports participation) and fitness (BMI percentile and body fat) confirmed hypotheses (i.e. access to more environmental resources was associated with increased PA and fitness); however, the ways in which environmental resources were associated with PA and fitness depended upon adolescent gender. Perceived competence significantly predicted all measures of PA and fitness in the expected (positive) direction. Social support positively predicted all measures of PA and VO2peak. Further, school sports participation partially mediated the relationship between social support and VO2peak; however, there was no evidence that the PA variables mediated the relationship between perceived competence and fitness. The interaction between environmental resources and social support for PA was significantly associated with school sports participation: Adolescents who had greater access to environmental PA resources and also greater social support were more likely to engage in PA than adolescents with lower levels of environmental resources, social support, or both. Results are discussed in terms of Social Ecological Theory and suggestions are presented to inform future research and intervention.



Effects of a Physical Activity and Nutrition Intervention on Body Image in Pre-adolescents

Author : Christine Amerika Gehrman

Publisher :

Page : 268 pages

File Size : 18,39 MB

Release : 2003

Category : Body image in children

ISBN :

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Body image is among many psychological variables that are related to physical activity and dietary practices. Body image begins to develop in childhood and takes on increased importance during adolescence. Interventions aimed to improve physical activity and nutrition in pre-adolescents may have effects upon body image during this key developmental period. The purpose of the current study was to examine the secondary effects of a larger trial of physical activity and nutrition on body image in pre-adolescents. Based on Social Cognitive Theory, several personal, behavioral, and environmental factors are hypothesized to affect body image and were examined in this study. It was hypothesized that the intervention would have a significant positive impact on body image. Eighty-four 10-12 year olds (52 females, 32 males) of diverse ethnic backgrounds were recruited for study as part of the Healthy Youth and Parent Program, an on-going trial for physical activity and nutrition. A two-group (intervention and control) pre-post design was used. The intervention consisted of 8 weekly 2-hour sessions during which children participated in fitness activities. Body image was measured by the Eating Disorders Inventory-2, a well-validated measure. Analysis of co-variance revealed no significant direct effect of the intervention on body image, although participants in both conditions showed non-significant improvements in body image from baseline to post-test. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine theoretically hypothesized mediators of body image change, including level of physical activity and fitness, body mass index, and mood. Puberty status, negative self-esteem, and perceived barriers to physical activity were significantly related to body image concerns. The lack of a significant intervention effect on hypothesized mediators precluded the possibility of determining whether changes in these mediators would have affected change in body image. Future studies will need to test the role of hypothesized mediators if a comprehensive theoretical model of body image is to be developed.