Dataset Information

Association between built environments and weight status: evidence from longitudinal data of 9589 Australian children.

ABSTRACT:

Background

No studies appear to examine potential associations between changes in built environments across childhood and the developmental trajectories of child weight status.

Objective

Examine the developmental trajectories of child weight status with respect to changes in childhood exposure to the built environments.

Methods

This study used data of 9589 children with biennial follow-up (2004-2016), retrieved from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Changes in objectively-measured child weight status (i.e., body mass index-BMI, waist circumference) were investigated in relation to changes in seven built environments (i.e., neighbourhood safety; green space quality; footpaths and street conditions; public transport; shopping facilities; basic services; and local traffic) subjectively reported by caregivers. Group-based discrete trajectory mixture models were used to classify children according to their developmental trajectories of built environments and weight status. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression was employed to examine associations between built environments and child weight status adjusted for confounding.

Results

Two, four, and six trajectory groups were developed for built environment variables. Three groups namely "moderate", "high", and "extreme increase" were generated for each BMI and waist circumference. Findings from multilevel analyses indicated that growing up in neighbourhoods that are considered highly safe, with better quality of green space nearby, and in areas with low local traffic over time are protective against unhealthy weight increase in childhood. Meanwhile, living with better access to shopping facilities and basic services was associated with an unhealthy increase in BMI and/or waist circumference. No clear associations appeared between the quality of footpath and street conditions, access to public transport, and child weight status.

Conclusions

Built environments might act either as a risk or protective factor of an unhealthy increase in child weight status. Enabling health-promoting neighbourhoods (i.e., highly safe, quality green space nearby, low local traffic) is important to support a healthy weight trajectory across childhood.

SUBMITTER: Putra IGNE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9314255 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify body mass index (BMI) trajectories and their predictors in Australian children by their maternal immigrant status.MethodsData on 4142 children aged 2-3 years were drawn from the birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. BMI was calculated according to the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points. Immigrant status was determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Index criteria. Latent class growth analysis estimated distinct BMI trajectories, and multinomial logistic regression analysis examined factors associated with these BMI trajectories.ResultsTwo BMI groups and six BMI trajectories were identified. The stable trajectories group included high-risk (10%, n=375), moderate-risk (5%, n=215) and low-risk (68%, n=2861) BMI trajectories. The changing trajectories group included delayed-risk (6%, n=234), gradual-risk (8%, n=314) and declining-risk (3%, n=143) BMI trajectories. We found some evidence that children of immigrants from low-and middle-income countries were more likely to have moderate-risk and high-risk BMI trajectories compared with low-risk BMI trajectory. However, these associations were insignificant in fully adjusted models. The explanatory risk factors for moderate-risk and high-risk BMI trajectory were birth weight, family socioeconomic position, and organised sports participation. Our results also suggest that 4-7 years of age may be important for the prevention of overweight/obesity in children.DiscussionA better understanding of the risk factors associated with distinct BMI trajectories in immigrant children will inform effective preventive strategies. Some of these risk factors such as non-participation in organised sports, and high screen time, may also impede the integration of immigrant children into the host culture. Obesity prevention strategies aimed at increasing physical activities in immigrant children could help deliver a social and health benefit by increasing social integration among children of immigrants and Australians.

Project description:Purpose: Most built environment studies have quantified characteristics of the areas around participants' homes. However, the environmental exposures for physical activity (PA) are spatially dynamic rather than static. Thus, merged accelerometer and global positioning system (GPS) data were utilized to estimate associations between the built environment and PA among adults. Methods: Participants (N = 142) were recruited on trails in Massachusetts and wore an accelerometer and GPS unit for 1-4 days. Two binary outcomes were created: moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA vs. light PA-to-sedentary); and light-to-vigorous PA (LVPA vs. sedentary). Five built environment variables were created within 50-meter buffers around GPS points: population density, street density, land use mix (LUM), greenness, and walkability index. Generalized linear mixed models were fit to examine associations between environmental variables and both outcomes, adjusting for demographic covariates. Results: Overall, in the fully adjusted models, greenness was positively associated with MVPA and LVPA (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 1.30 and 1.25, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.41, respectively). In contrast, street density and LUM were negatively associated with MVPA (ORs = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.67, 0.71 and 0.87, 95% CI = 0.78, 0.97, respectively) and LVPA (ORs = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.77, 0.81 and 0.81, 95% CI = 0.74, 0.90, respectively). Negative associations of population density and walkability with both outcomes reached statistical significance, yet the effect sizes were small. Conclusions: Concurrent monitoring of activity with accelerometers and GPS units allowed us to investigate relationships between objectively measured built environment around GPS points and minute-by-minute PA. Negative relationships between street density and LUM and PA contrast evidence from most built environment studies in adults. However, direct comparisons should be made with caution since most previous studies have focused on spatially fixed buffers around home locations, rather than the precise locations where PA occurs.

Project description:BackgroundWith studies around the world suggesting a large proportion of people do not recognise that they are overweight (or feel satisfied with being overweight), this fuels the view that such 'misperceptions' need to be 'corrected'. However, few longitudinal studies have examined the consequences of under-perceived weight status, nor over-perceived weight status (when a person feels overweight when they are not) and weight-related satisfaction on trajectories in body mass index (BMI).MethodsFive-year BMI trajectories were examined among 8174 participants in an Australian nationally representative cohort. Each person was classified into groups according to their neighbourhood socioeconomic circumstances, baseline BMI and answers to "how satisfied are you with your current weight?" and "do you consider yourself to be… acceptable weight / underweight / overweight?" Gender-specific multilevel linear regressions were used to examine five-year BMI trajectories for people in each group, adjusting for potential confounders.ResultsAt baseline, weight-related dissatisfaction and perceived overweight were generally associated with higher mean BMI for men and women, regardless of whether they were classified as 'normal' or overweight by World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Mean BMI did not decrease among people classified as overweight who perceived themselves as overweight, or expressed weight-related dissatisfaction, regardless of where they lived. Among men and women with 'normal' BMI at baseline but expressing weight-related dissatisfaction, mean BMI increased disproportionately among those living in disadvantaged areas compared to their counterparts in affluent areas. Similarly, mean BMI rose disproportionately among people in disadvantaged areas who felt they were overweight despite having a 'normal' BMI by WHO criteria, compared to people with the same over-perceptions living in affluent areas. These differences exacerbated pre-existing socioeconomic inequities in mean BMI.ConclusionsNo evidence was found to suggest accurate recognition of overweight or expressing weight-related dissatisfaction leads to a lower BMI. However, there was evidence of an increase in mean BMI among people who felt dissatisfied with, or over-perceived their 'normal' weight, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Correction of under-perceptions may not drive weight loss, but circumstances contributing to over-perception and dissatisfaction with weight status may contribute to increased weight gain and exacerbate socioeconomic inequities in BMI.

Project description:Rationale:Improved birth weight outcomes have been reported for infants of mothers imprisoned during pregnancy relative to similarly disadvantaged mothers, however, findings are equivocal and evidence is lacking from jurisdictions outside the United States. Objective:To investigate whether maternal imprisonment during pregnancy is a determinant of low birth weight (<2500?g) for Indigenous and non-Indigenous infants in Western Australia. Methods:A longitudinal sample of 41,910 singleton infants born in Western Australia (October 1985-December 2013), was identified with linked administrative data and examined by five mutually exclusive categories of maternal corrections history; (i) imprisonment in pregnancy, (ii) imprisonment before pregnancy, (iii) first imprisonment after birth, (iv) community-based corrections record without imprisonment at any time, and (v) no corrections record at any time. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression was performed to determine key risk factors for low birth weight. Prevalence of risk factors were calculated by maternal corrections history. Results:After adjusting for other significant pregnancy risks, maternal imprisonment before (Indigenous RR 2.02, 95%CI 1.84-2.22, p<.001; non-Indigenous RR 2.48, 95%CI 1.98-3.12, p<.001) or during (Indigenous RR 1.96, 95%CI 1.68-2.29, p<.001; non-Indigenous RR 2.12, 95%CI 1.48-3.03, p<.001) pregnancy remained strong determinants of low birth weight, and carried greater risk than imprisonment after birth (Indigenous RR 1.58, 95%CI 1.44-1.74, p<.001; non-Indigenous RR 1.75, 95%CI 1.51-2.04, p<.001) or community-based corrections orders (Indigenous RR 1.32, 95%CI 1.21-1.43, p<.001; non-Indigenous RR 1.40, 95%CI 1.05-1.88, p<.001), relative to no corrections record. Pregnancy risk factors more prevalent amongst infants whose mothers were imprisoned before or during pregnancy included substance-use related service contacts, hospitalisation for injury, mental health service contacts, and having a sibling in contact with the child protection system. Conclusion:Western Australian infants with mothers imprisoned before or during pregnancy experience elevated risk of low birth weight and exposure to maternal substance use, injury and mental distress in pregnancy.

Project description:Dopamine receptors are involved in midbrain reward circuit activation. Polymorphisms in two dopamine receptor genes, DRD2 and DRD4, have been associated with altered perception of food reward and weight gain. The objective of this study was to determine whether the same risk alleles were associated with overweight/obesity and with lower reduction of overweight after a 1-year lifestyle intervention.In a longitudinal study the association of polymorphisms in DRD2 (rs18000497, risk allele: T, formerly A1 allele at the TaqI A1 polymorphism) and DRD4 (variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR); 48 bp repeat in exon III; risk alleles: 7 repeats or longer: 7R+) was tested on weight loss success following a 1-year lifestyle childhood obesity intervention (OBELDICKS). An additional exploratory cross-sectional case-control study was performed to compare the same DRD polymorphisms in these overweight/obese children and adolescents versus lean adult controls. Subjects were 423 obese and 28 overweight children participating in lifestyle intervention (203 males), age median 12.0 (interquartile range 10.0-13.7) years, body mass index - standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) 2.4?±?0.5; 583 lean adults (232 males); age median 25.3 (interquartile range 22.5-26.8) years, BMI 19.1?±?1.9 kg/m2. BMI, BMI-SDS and skinfold thickness measures were assessed at baseline and after 1 year; genotyping was performed for DRD2 risk variant rs1800497 and DRD4 exon III VNTR.The DRD2 genotype had a nominal effect on success in the weight loss intervention. The weakest BMI-SDS reduction was in children homozygous for two rs1800497 T-alleles (n?=?11) compared to the combined group with zero (n?=?308) or one (n?=?132) rs1800497 T-allele (-0.08?±?0.36 vs. -0.28?±?0.34; p?<?0.05). There was no association between the DRD4 VNTR alleles and genotypes and success in the weight loss intervention. No associations of the risk alleles of the DRD2 and DRD4 polymorphisms and obesity were observed in the cross-sectional part of the study.We did not find association between polymorphisms in DRD2 and DRD4 genes and weight status. However, obese carriers of two DRD2 rs1800497 T-alleles may be at risk for weak responses to lifestyle interventions aimed at weight reduction.Obesity intervention program "Obeldicks" is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00435734).