title: Mapping data shape community responses to childhood obesity.
abstract: Geographic information system (GIS) mapping can help communities visualize the health of their neighborhoods and identify opportunities for improvement. In Austin, Texas, Children's Optimal Health, a nonprofit association, used GIS to map the prevalence of obesity among middle school children and to identify contributory factors. The maps indicated that obesity is a problem in all Austin middle schools. Two neighborhoods outside downtown Austin have particularly high concentrations of overweight and obese students. Maps also showed that the neighborhoods have different proportions of fast-food outlets, grocery stores selling fresh produce, green recreation space, and students failing cardiovascular testing. The mapping exercise spurred community groups to propose obesity interventions tailored to each neighborhood.
authors.affiliation: Health Affairs, University of Texas, Austin, USA. BSage@law.utexas.edu
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Sage
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balthazar
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kelder
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Millea
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pont
authors.forename: Mohan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States