Association between Home and Community Environment on Body Mass Index of Kindergarten Age Children in Clark County, NV
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
11-17-2014
Publication Title
American Public Health Association Annual Conference
Volume
2014
Abstract
Background: Childhood obesity is a critical public health concern in the U.S. Recent studies have found that a substantial component of childhood obesity is already established by age 5. This study aimed to examine the role of home and community factors on BMI in children entering kindergarten. Methods: The Kindergarten Health Survey is distributed annually to a random selection of schools in Clark County, NV. Data collected during the 2011-2013 school years were utilized. Factors included BMI and hours of screen time. Community environment factors included parks, grocery stores, and fast food outlets. Linear regression was used to develop a predictive model for BMI in Clark County, NV children entering kindergarten. Results: 4,048 children were included in analysis; 15.8% were underweight, 54.8% were normal weight, 10.7% were overweight, and 18.7% were obese. Our predictive model was significant (p<0.001). Significant predictors included screen-hours (b=0.131, p<0.001) and number of parks (b=-0.126, p=0.016). Number of grocery stores and fast food outlets were not significant. Conclusion: Increased screen-time was associated with increased BMI whereas number of parks was a protective factor. While the effect was small, this study was done on a novel population and found environmental influences on BMI may start at a very young age.
Keywords
Built environment; Obesity
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Public Health
Language
English
Repository Citation
Coughenour, C.,
Clark, S.,
Lucas, J.,
Haboush-Deloye, A.,
Phebus, T.
(2014).
Association between Home and Community Environment on Body Mass Index of Kindergarten Age Children in Clark County, NV.
American Public Health Association Annual Conference, 2014