Neighborhood Social Fragmentation and Excessive Body Weight Among Children-A View From a Portuguese Inner City

This cross-sectional study examined the association between neighborhood social fragmentation and excessive body weight in childhood. The sample included 832 children aged 3-10 years living in the municipality of Porto, Portugal. Excessive body weight was classified using International Obesity Task Force sex- and age-specific cut-offs. Neighborhood social fragmentation was assessed using a composite index derived from 2021 Portuguese Census data at the statistical section level. Associations were estimated using sex-stratified multivariable logistic regression adjusted for relevant confounders. No association was observed between neighborhood social fragmentation and excessive body weight among boys. In contrast, girls living in the least fragmented neighborhoods had lower odds of excessive body weight compared with those in the most fragmented neighborhoods (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.32-0.94, p = 0.030). These findings suggest that neighborhood social structure may be differently associated with childhood body weight by sex and may contribute to observed gender disparities in excess body weight among children.