Neighborhood Environment Measurements and Anthropometric Indicators of Obesity: Results From the Women and Their Children's Health (WaTCH) Study. Issue 9 (November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sullivan, Samaah M.; Peters, Edward S.; Trapido, Edward J.; Oral, Evrim; Scribner, Richard A.; Rung, Ariane L.
• Is Part Of: Environment and behavior. Volume 50:Issue 9(2018)
• Page Start: 1032
• Page End: 1055
• Publication Date: 2018-11
• Subjects: public health -- behavior change -- GIS (geographic information system) -- mixed methods -- neighborhood/community; Human ecology -- Periodicals; 304.2
• DOI: 10.1177/0013916517726827
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-9165

Abstract

We compared geographic information system (GIS)- and Census-based approaches for measuring the physical and social neighborhood environment at the census tract-level versus an audit approach on associations with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Data were used from the 2012-2014 Women and Their Children's Health (WaTCH) Study ( n = 940). Generalized linear models were used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) for BMI (≥30 kg/m 2 ), WC (>88 cm), and WHR (>0.85). Using an audit approach, more adverse neighborhood characteristics were associated with a higher odds of WC (OR: 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.05, 1.15]) and WHR (OR: 1.09; 95% CI: [1.05, 1.14]) after adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, income, and oil spill exposure. There were no significant associations between GIS- and Census-based measures with obesity in adjusted models. Quality aspects of the neighborhood environment captured by audits at the individual-level may be more relevant to obesity than physical or social aspects at the census tract-level.