title: Parent perceptions of neighborhood: relationships with US youth physical activity and weight status.
abstract: Context is important for understanding and making change to improve health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parent perceptions of neighborhood and youth aerobic physical activity and weight. This study is a secondary data analysis of 64,076 parents and guardians of children and adolescents (6-17 years) participating in the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between neighborhood characteristics, including constructs for social capital, physical condition, resource availability, and safety, and youth likelihood of meeting healthy standards for physical activity and weight. Neighborhood characteristics, including social capital, resource availability, and safety were significantly associated with increased likelihood of youth achieving healthy physical activity and normal weight parameters even with adjustment for individual and family-level demographic and behavioral characteristics. Findings support neighborhood assessment during behavioral counseling and continued exploration of neighborhood context as a means to positively impact youth physical activity and weight outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Center for Adolescent Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. duke0028@umn.edu
authors.forename: Naomi N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Duke
authors.forename: Iris W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Borowsky
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Pettingell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004779:Environment Design; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012449:Safety; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States