Background-Proximity to routine destinations is an important correlate of physical activity. We examined the association between distance from school and physical activity in adolescent girls.

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New Orleans school children participated in an assessment and field trial of two interventions 15 months after Hurricane Katrina. Children (N = 195) reported on hurricane exposure, lifetime trauma exposure, peer and parent support, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depressive symptoms. Teachers reported on behavior. At baseline, 60.5% screened positive for PTSD symptoms and were offered a group intervention at school or individual treatment at a mental health clinic. Uptake of the mental health care was uneven across intervention groups, with 98% beginning the school intervention, compared to 37% beginning at the clinic. Both treatments led to significant symptom reduction of PTSD symptoms but many still had elevated PTSD symptoms at post treatment. Implications for future postdisaster mental health work are discussed.

A number of studies in recent years have identified both self-report and objectively measured accessibility of recreational facilities as important predictors of physical activity in youth. Yet, few studies have: (1) examined the relationship between the number and proximity of objectively measured neighborhood physical activity facilities and respondents_ perceptions and (2) compared objective and self-report measures as predictors of physical activity. This study uses data on 1,367 6th-grade girls who participated in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) to explore these issues. Girls reported whether nine different types of recreational facilities were easily accessible. These facilities included basketball courts, golf courses, martial arts studios, playing fields, tracks, skating rinks, swimming pools, tennis courts, and dance/ gymnastic clubs. Next, geographic information systems (GIS) were used to identify all the parks, schools, and commercial sites for physical activity located within a mile of each girl_s home. These sites were then visited to inventory the types of facilities available. Girls wore accelerometers to measure their weekly minutes of non-school metabolic equivalent weighted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MW-MVPA). The number of facilities within a half-mile of girls_ homes strongly predicted the perception of easy access to seven out of nine facility types. Both individual facility perceptions and the total number of facilities perceived were associated with increased physical activity. For each additional facility perceived, girls clocked 3% more metabolic equivalent weighted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (pG0.001). Although girls tended to record 3% more of this kind of physical activity (pG0.05) per basketball court within a mile of their homes, objective facility measures were otherwise unrelated to physical activity. The results from this study suggest that raising the profile of existing facilities may help increase physical activity among adolescent girls.

EVENSON, KELLY R., MOLLY M. SCOTT, DEBORAH A. COHEN, AND CAROLYN C. VOORHEES. Girls' perception of neighborhood factors on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and BMI. Obesity. 2007;15:430 -445. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of perceived physical neighborhood factors with physical activity, sedentary behavior, and BMI among adolescent girls. Research Methods and Procedures: Sixth grade girls (n ϭ 1554) completed a questionnaire on neighborhood factors (e.g., safety, esthetics, access to physical activity resources). The dependent variables included non-school metabolic equivalent weighted moderate to vigorous physical activity (MW-MVPA) and non-school sedentary behavior, both measured using accelerometry, and BMI. Results: The following neighborhood factors were associated with lower BMI: seeing walkers and bikers on neighborhood streets, not having a lot of crime in the neighborhood, seeing other children playing outdoors, having bicycle or walking trails in the neighborhood, and access to physical activity facilities. The absolute contribution for the average girl for each of these neighborhood factors was relatively small, with none of these factors exceeding 0.8 kg/m 2 BMI units. The following neighborhood factors were associated with higher MW-MVPA: having well-lit streets at night, having a lot of traffic in the neighborhood, having bicycle or walking trails in the neighborhood, and access to physical activity facilities. Girls with Ն9 places to go for physical activity had 14.0% higher non-school MW-MVPA than girls with Յ4 places. Discussion: This study identified several neighborhood factors associated with non-school MW-MVPA and BMI, but none of the factors explored were associated with nonschool sedentary behavior. Of all of the neighborhood factors we examined, reporting more physically active destinations contributed the largest absolute amount to the average girl's non-school MW-MVPA, according to this cross-sectional study.

This study tests the effect of neighborhood changes on gonorrhea rates. Prior studies that indicate gonorrhea rates are associated with alcohol outlet density and neighborhood deterioration have been cross-sectional and cannot establish causality. After the 1992 Civil Unrest in Los Angeles, 270 alcohol outlets surrendered their licenses due to arson and vandalism thus providing a natural experiment. We geocoded all reported gonorrhea cases from 1988 to 1996 in LA County, all annually licensed alcohol outlets, and all properties damaged as a result of the civil unrest. We ran individual growth models to examine the independent effects of changes in alcohol outlets and damaged buildings on gonorrhea. The individual growth model explained over 90% of the residual variance in census tract gonorrhea rates. After the civil unrest, a unit decrease in the number of alcohol outlets per mile of roadway was associated with 21 fewer gonorrhea cases per 100,000 (p<.01) in tracts affected by the Unrest compared to those not affected. Neighborhood alcohol outlets appear to be significantly associated with changes in gonorrhea rates. The findings suggest that efforts to control sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and HIV, should address contextual factors that facilitate high-risk behaviors and disease transmission

The overconsumption of discretionary calories was much greater than the underconsumption of fruit and vegetables. This finding suggests that unless the excessive consumption of salty snacks, cookies, candy, and sugar-sweetened beverages is curtailed, other interventions focusing on increasing physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption will have a limited impact on obesity control. It may be politically more expedient to promote an increase in consumption of healthy items rather than a decrease in consumption of unhealthy items, but it may be far less effective.

Objective To assess the relationship between alcohol availability, as measured by the density of off-premise alcohol outlets, and alcohol consumption in Los Angeles county and southern Louisiana. Method Consumption information was collected through a telephone survey of 2881 households in Los Angeles County and pre-Katrina southern Louisiana nested within 220 census tracts. Respondents’ addresses were geocoded and both neighborhood (census tracts and buffers of varying sizes) and individual (network distance to the closest alcohol outlet) estimates of off-sale alcohol outlet density were computed. Results Alcohol outlet density was not associated with the percentage of people who were drinkers in either site. Alcohol outlet density was associated with the quantity of consumption among drinkers in Louisiana but not in Los Angeles. Outlet density within a one-mile buffer of the respondent’s home was more strongly associated with alcohol consumption than outlet density in the respondent’s census tract. Conclusions The relationship between neighborhood alcohol outlet density and alcohol consumption is complex and may vary due to differences in neighborhood design and travel patterns.