Automobile traffic around the home and attained body mass index: a longitudinal cohort study of children aged 10-18 years.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between measured traffic density near the homes of children and attained body mass index (BMI) over an eight-year follow up.


METHODS
Children aged 9-10 years were enrolled across multiple communities in Southern California in 1993 and 1996 (n=3318). Children were followed until age 18 or high school graduation to collect longitudinal information, including annual height and weight measurements. Multilevel growth curve models were used to assess the association between BMI levels at age 18 and traffic around the home.


RESULTS
For traffic within 150 m around the child's home, there were significant positive associations with attained BMI for both sexes at age 18. With the 300 m traffic buffer, associations for both male and female growth in BMI were positive, but significantly elevated only in females. These associations persisted even after controlling for numerous potential confounding variables.


CONCLUSIONS
This analysis yields the first evidence of significant effects from traffic density on BMI levels at age 18 in a large cohort of children. Traffic is a pervasive exposure in most cities, and our results identify traffic as a major risk factor for the development of obesity in children.
Jerrett
Michael
M
University of California, Berkeley, USA. jerrett@berkeley.edu
McConnell
Rob
R
Chang
C C Roger
CC
Wolch
Jennifer
J
Reynolds
Kim
K
Lurmann
Frederick
F
Gilliland
Frank
F
Berhane
Kiros
K
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001336:Automobiles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D001335:Vehicle Emissions