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Updated: May 10, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

A closer examination of the relationship between children's weight status and the food and physical activity

Punam Ohri-Vachaspati1, Kristen Lloyd, Derek Delia

  • 1School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA. pohrivac@asu.edu

Preventive Medicine
|June 4, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Environmental health
  • Childhood obesity research
  • Urban planning and public health

Background:

  • Conflicting research exists on the link between neighborhood environments and children's weight.
  • Effective interventions require a clearer understanding of these associations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between food and physical activity (PA) environments and children's weight status.
  • To investigate factors contributing to discrepancies in previous study findings.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed weight status in 702 children (ages 3-18) in four New Jersey cities.
  • Utilized parent-measured height and weight data (2009-2010).
  • Employed geospatial analysis to measure proximity to food and PA outlets relative to residences.

Main Results:

  • Increased proximity to convenience stores (1/4 mile) was associated with higher odds of overweight/obesity (OR=1.9).
  • Presence of a large park (1/2 mile) was associated with lower odds of overweight/obesity (OR=0.41).
  • No significant associations found for other food or PA outlets.

Conclusions:

  • Specific food and PA environmental features predict children's weight status.
  • The detectability and nature of these relationships are influenced by community-specific geospatial characteristics.
Abstract

Keywords:
Body mass indexChildhood obesityFood environmentFood outletsGeo-spatial measures of proximityOverweightPhysical activity environmentPhysical activity outletsWeight outcome

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