Development and testing of a multicomponent obesogenic built environment measure for youth using kernel density...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health
• Spatial Analysis

Background:

• Obesogenic environments, characterized by factors promoting weight gain, significantly impact population health outcomes.
• Understanding the built environment's role is crucial for developing effective public health interventions.
• Existing methods for measuring obesogenic environments require innovative approaches for comprehensive assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for quantifying obesogenic built environments.
• To assess the relationship between the built environment and youth weight status in a southeastern US county.
• To explore variations in this relationship across urban and non-urban settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized detailed audit data for public parks (n=103) and compiled databases of food stores and restaurants (n=1112).
• Employed kernel density estimations to create separate raster surfaces for each built environment component.
• Scaled and summed these surfaces to generate a composite obesogenic environment measure.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant inverse relationship was observed between health-promoting built environments and youth weight status (β = -0.25, p < 0.05).
• The association between the built environment and weight status varied between urban and non-urban areas.
• The developed measure effectively quantified obesogenic environmental characteristics.

Conclusions:

• The study presents a unique and effective methodology for quantifying obesogenic built environments.
• Findings highlight the importance of the built environment in influencing youth weight status.
• The developed measure can inform targeted public health strategies to mitigate obesity risks.