title: Physical activity and nutrition among youth in rural, suburban and urban neighbourhood types.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Physical activity and nutrition are essential to healthy living and particularly important during youth, when growth and development are key. This study examined rates of physical activity (PA) and diet quality (DQ) among youth in grades 7 to 9 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, during the 2008/09 school year and tested differences among students in rural, urban and suburban neighbourhood types of high and low socio-economic status (SES).
  
  
  METHODS
  Youth in grades 7 through 9 (aged 12-16; 53% male) from six schools (N=380), stratified by neighbourhood type (urban, suburban, rural) and SES, wore accelerometers for up to 7 days (mean=4.14, standard deviation=1.49) and completed a nutritional survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings suggest important differences in PA and DQ across SES and neighbourhood type. Specifically, rates of moderate to vigorous physical activity among youth from schools in lower socio-economic areas were higher in urban than in suburban or rural settings. Furthermore, DQ was better among youth in higher than in lower socio-economic urban settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding these differences in PA and DQ across rural, urban and suburban environments of high and low SES may highlight subgroups and targeted geographic areas for the design of interventions to improve rates of PA and health nutrition.
authors.affiliation: Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. cindy.shearer@dal.ca
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shearer
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dummer
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pitter
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rainham
authors.forename: Laurene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rehman
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: Meaghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009674:Nova Scotia; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: built environment; nutrition; physical activity; socio-economic status; youth