Abstract
NYC Parks and Childhood Overweight: An Examination of Proximity and Quality Track: Health and Human Services Author(s): James Quinn, Kathy Neckerman, Andrew Rundle, Christopher Weiss Despite current interest in built environment effects on exercise and obesity, there is little evidence about the association of the built environment with physical activity and overweight among children. We examined the relationship between park access and body weight for a sample of low-income NYC preschool children whose physical activity was measured using accelerometers. In addition to GIS-derived network distances to park access-points, we examined park quality using the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation's Parks Inspection Program (PIP). The PIP rates parks for sixteen measures, grouped into three domains: cleanliness (litter, graffiti, broken glass, weeds), structural features (sidewalk quality, paved surface, benches, fencing, play equipment, safety surface in play areas), and landscape features (lawns, trees, horticultural areas, athletic field, water bodies, trails). We hypothesized that aesthetically-pleasing characteristics and access to recreational facilities (playgrounds and ball fields) will be associated with higher levels of physical activity and lower body size. James Quinn Columbia University Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy International Affairs Building, MC 3355 420 W 118th Street, Rm 370F New York , NY 10027 US Phone: 212.854.6382 E-mail: jq2145@columbia.edu Kathy Neckerman Columbia University Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy International Affairs Building, MC 3355 420 W 118th Street New York 10027 US Phone: 212.854.3694 E-mail: kmn2@columbia.edu Andrew Rundle Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health 722 West 168th Street, Rm 730 New York 10032 US Phone: 212.305.7619 E-mail: agr3@columbia.edu Christopher Weiss Columbia University Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences 420 West 118th Street International Affairs Building, MC 3355 New York , NY 10027 US Phone: 212.854.7559 E-mail: cw2036@columbia.edu |
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