Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body mass index and neighborhood walkability, socioeconomic status (SES), reasons for choosing neighborhoods, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and demographic variables.Methods: Two studies, one longitudinal and one cross-sectional, were conducted. Participants included adults (n = 572) who provided complete data in 2002 and 2008 and a concurrent sample from 2008 (n = 1164). Data were collected with longitudinal and cross-sectional telephone surveys. Objective measures of neighborhood characteristics (walkability and SES) were calculated using census data and geographic information.Results: In the longitudinal study, neighborhood choice for ease of walking and proximity to outdoor recreation interacted with whether participants had moved during the course of study to predict change in BMI over 6 years. Age, change in activity status, and neighborhood SES were also significant predictors of BMI change. Cross-sectionally, neighborhood SES and neighborhood choice for ease of walking were significantly related to BMI as were gender, age, activity level and fruit and vegetable intake.Conclusions: Results demonstrate that placing importance on choosing neighborhoods that are considered to be easily walkable is an important contributor to body weight. Findings that objectively measured neighbourhood SES and neighborhood choice variables contributed to BMI suggest that future research consider the role of neighborhood choice in examining the relationships between the built environment and body weight.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 57 |
Journal | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
Volume | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 5 2010 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by grants from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. TRB is supported by a Population Health Investigator Award from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. CMB is supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program. The 2002 Population Health Survey was funded through Population Health and Research in the former Capital Health region of Alberta.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
- Nutrition and Dietetics