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Urban sprawl, physical activity, and body mass index: Nurses' health study and nurses' health study II

Author

Listed:
  • James, P.
  • Troped, P.J.
  • Hart, J.E.
  • Joshu, C.E.
  • Colditz, G.A.
  • Brownson, R.C.
  • Ewing, R.
  • Laden, F.

Abstract

Objectives. We evaluated the association between the county sprawl index, a measure of residential density and street accessibility, and physical activity and body mass index (BMI). Methods. We conducted a multilevel cross-sectional analysis in a sample of Nurses' Health Study participants living throughout the United States in 2000 to 2001 (n = 136 592). Results. In analyses adjusted for age, smoking status, race, and husband's education, a 1-SD (25.7) increase in the county sprawl index (indicating a denser, more compact county) was associated with a 0.13 kilograms per meters squared (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.18, -0.07) lower BMI and 0.41 (95% CI = 0.17, 0.65) more metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per week of total physical activity, 0.26 (95% CI = 0.19, 0.33) more MET hours per week of walking, and 0.47 (95% CI = 0.34, 0.59) more MET hours per week of walking, bicycling, jogging, and running. We detected potential effect modification for age, previous disease status, husband's education level (a proxy for socioeconomic status), and race. Conclusions. Our results suggest that living in a dense, compact county may be conducive to higher levels of physical activity and lower BMI in women. Copyright © 2012 by the American Public Health Association®.

Suggested Citation

  • James, P. & Troped, P.J. & Hart, J.E. & Joshu, C.E. & Colditz, G.A. & Brownson, R.C. & Ewing, R. & Laden, F., 2013. "Urban sprawl, physical activity, and body mass index: Nurses' health study and nurses' health study II," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(2), pages 369-375.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2011.300449_6
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300449
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Elizabeth Lawrence & Robert A. Hummer & Kathleen Mullan Harris, 2017. "The Cardiovascular Health of Young Adults: Disparities along the Urban-Rural Continuum," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 672(1), pages 257-281, July.
    2. Michael, Yvonne L. & Nagel, Corey L. & Gold, Rachel & Hillier, Teresa A., 2014. "Does change in the neighborhood environment prevent obesity in older women?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 129-137.
    3. Reid Ewing & Shima Hamidi & James B Grace, 2016. "Urban sprawl as a risk factor in motor vehicle crashes," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(2), pages 247-266, February.
    4. Peter James & Jaime E. Hart & Mariana C. Arcaya & Diane Feskanich & Francine Laden & S.V. Subramanian, 2015. "Neighborhood Self-Selection: The Role of Pre-Move Health Factors on the Built and Socioeconomic Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-16, October.
    5. Wang, Chih-Hao & Chen, Na, 2017. "A geographically weighted regression approach to investigating the spatially varied built-environment effects on community opportunity," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 136-147.

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