Neighborhood built environment typologies and adiposity in children and adolescents

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 588 - 596
• Main Authors: Barnett, Tracie A., Ghenadenik, Adrian E., Van Hulst, Andraea, Contreras, Gisele, Kestens, Yan, Chaix, Basile, Cloutier, Marie-Soleil, Henderson, Melanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.03.2022; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/308/174; 692/499; 692/700/1720; 692/700/2817; 692/700/459/1748; Adipose tissue; Adiposity; Adolescent; Adolescents; Body fat; Built Environment; Child; Children; Children & youth; Cluster analysis; Environment Design; Epidemiology; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Internal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Neighborhoods; Obesity; Principal components analysis; Public Health; Residence Characteristics; Safety; Teenagers; Traffic; Traffic accidents & safety; Typology; Urban environments; Walking; body mass index FMI; Quebec Adipose and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth WC; FMI; QUALITY; built environment; body mass index; fat mass index GIS; WC; neighborhood characteristics; Geographic Information System; GIS; waist circumference adiposity; children; Geographic Information System QUALITY; childhood obesity; fat mass index; cluster analysis; obesity; Quebec Adipose and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth; BMI
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497; 1476-5497; 0307-0565
• DOI: 10.1038/s41366-021-01010-1

Background/Objectives Neighborhoods are complex, multidimensional systems. However, the interrelation between multiple neighborhood dimensions is seldom considered in relation to youth adiposity. We created a neighborhood typology using a range of built environment features and examined its association with adiposity in youth. Subjects/Methods Analyses are based on data from the QUALITY cohort, an ongoing study on the natural history of obesity in Quebec youth with a history of parental obesity. Adiposity was measured at baseline (8–10 years) and follow up, ~8 years later. Neighborhood features were measured at baseline through in-person neighborhood assessments and geocoded administrative data and were summarized using principal components analysis. Neighborhood types were identified using cluster analysis. Associations between neighborhood types and adiposity were examined using multivariable linear regressions. Results Five distinct neighborhood types characterized by levels of walkability and traffic-related safety were identified. At ages 8–10 years, children in moderate walkability/low safety neighborhoods had higher BMI Z-scores [β: 0.41 (0.12; 0.71), p  = 0.007], fat mass index [β: 1.22 (0.29; 2.16), p  = 0.010], waist circumference [β: 4.92 (1.63; 8.21), p  = 0.003], and central fat mass percentage [β: 1.60 (0.04; 3.16), p  = 0.045] than those residing in moderate walkability/high safety neighborhoods. Attenuated associations were observed between neighborhood types and adiposity 8 years later. Specifically, residents of moderate walkability/low safety neighborhoods had a higher FMI [β: 1.42 (−0.07; 2.90), p  = 0.062], and waist circumference [β: 5.04 (−0.26; 10.34), p  = 0.062]. Conclusions Neighborhoods characterized by lower traffic safety appear to be the most obesogenic to children, regardless of other walkability-related features. Policies targeting neighborhood walkability for children may need to prioritize vehicular traffic safety.