Schools are often a setting to implement
nutrition-based pediatric obesity prevention programs. However, when there has been
considerable focus on the school environment in the context of childhood
obesity, less is known about the environments around the school, particularly
in low-income, urban neighborhoods. The purpose of this study was to
assess students’ corner store and commuting habits before and after school in a
low-income, urban environment.
This was a
cross-sectional study. Participants were 702 4th - 6th graders
from 10 K-8 public schools where 82.1% ± 7.4% of children qualified for free or
reduce-priced meals. Participants were surveyed about their corner store
and commuting habits by using a 16-item questionnaire. Both
height and weight were measured twice and the average of each was used and Body
Mass Index (BMI) as well as BMI z-scores and BMI percentiles based on age and
sex were calculated for each student. Besides,
student’s demographic information was self-reported.
The results showed that the majority of 4th -
6th grade urban students shopped in corners stores either in
the morning (57.4%) or in the afternoon (58.5%). Nearly half (44.8%) reported
shopping and purchasing in both the morning and the afternoon. Children
reported spending approximately $2.00 per corner store visit. Approximately
two-thirds of children reported that they walked to or from school. Children
who walked to school frequented corner stores more than those using other
commuting methods. Relative weight status was not related to corner store or
commuting patterns.
In short, many low-income children purchase food at corner stores before and/or
after school, making corner stores an important target for public health
nutrition. While many children walk to school, those are more likely to
frequent corner stores. Neither corner store nor commuting pattern is
associated with relative weight. Further research should also include a greater
range of age groups to better understand if these patterns vary by age.
Article by Stephanie
S. Vander Veur, et al, from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA.
Full access: http://mrw.so/1PiC6d
Image by Another Blood 1, from
Flickr-cc.
评论
发表评论