跳至主要内容

Corner Store and Commuting Patterns of Low-Income, Urban Elementary School Students

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

此博客中的热门博文

Electron Spin and Proton Spin in the Hydrogen and Hydrogen-Like Atomic Systems

Read full paper at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=52202#.VIj7tMnQrzE Author(s) Stanisław Olszewski * Affiliation(s) Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland . ABSTRACT The mechanical angular momentum and magnetic moment of the electron and proton spin have been calculated semiclassically with the aid of the uncertainty principle for energy and time. The spin effects of both kinds of the elementary particles can be expressed in terms of similar formulae. The quantization of the spin motion has been done on the basis of the old quantum theory. It gives a quantum number n = 1/2 as the index of the spin state acceptable for both the electron and proton ...

Incorporation of High-Altitude Balloon Experiment in High School Science Classrooms

High-altitude balloon is a balloon, filled usually with helium or hydrogen that ascends into an area called “near space” or stratosphere. The most common type of high-altitude balloons are weather balloons. Other purposes include use as a platform for experiments in the upper atmosphere. Modern balloons generally contain electronic equipment such as radio transmitters, cameras, or satellite navigation systems, such as GPS receivers. The mission of the High-Altitude Balloon Experiment (HABE) is to acquire supporting data, validate enabling technologies, and resolve critical acquisition, tracking, and pointing (ATP) and fire control issues in support of future space-based precision pointing experiments. The use of high-altitude balloons offers a relatively low-cost, low-vibration test platform, a recoverable and reusable payload, worldwide launch capability, and a 'near- space' emulation of the future space systems operational scenarios. More recently, several university...

Evaluating Improvement in the Care of Depressed Elderly Patients: An Empirical Approach to the WHO Patient Safety Model

Experiencing depression is NOT a part of the aging process. However, depression among the elderly has been a public health issue in the worldwide. It can strike as a result of life stressors or vascular medical issues. Early detection and immediate treatment can bring recovery. This paper demonstrated the value of patient safety research for future strategies in this area. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the World Health Organization (WHO) Patient Safety (PS) Model and empirical research on depressed elderly patients’ experiences of quality and safe care. The research question was: Which patients’ experiences could be linked to quality and safe care as recommended by the WHO? The author adopted an implementation approach as the starting point for this interdisciplinary project. Data were collected over a four year period by the research team in Norway. The participants were recruited by mental health nurses/stakeholders working with the tar...