Perceptions of neighborhood environments and childhood obesity: Evidence of harmful gender inequities among Portuguese children

Abstract

This study investigates the links between parents' perceptions of their social and built residential environment and obesity among Portuguese school boys and girls. A total of 1885 children, 952 girls and 933 boys, aged 3.0-10.0 years, were observed. The children's weight and height were measured, and their parents filled out the "Environmental Module" questionnaire of the International Physical Activity Prevalence Study. Age and sex-specific BMI cut-off points were used to define being overweight/obese. Environmental characteristics were combined into 2 composite neighborhood indices that were used as predictors in logistic regression models. Girls living in neighborhoods perceived as having poorly built environmental conditions had increased odds of being obese (OR = 1.47; p<0.005), and girls living in neighborhoods perceived as being unsafe and dangerous had also increased odds of being obese (OR = 1.339; p<0.005). These relationships were not evident for boys.Improvements in the neighborhood environment could be a strategy for tackling the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and can simultaneously contribute to reduce health iniquities across population subgroups. HighlightsWe analyzed the links between environmental perceptions and obesity in boys and girls.We found associations between a poorly social (OR=1.339) and built (OR=1.47) environment and obesity in girls.Girls are more obese, more sedentary, and more influenced by the environment than boys.Differences can reflect perverse, harmful gender inequities in environmental adequacy.

Perceptions of neighborhood environments and their association with overweight in children, adolescents, and caretakers in a medium-sized city in Brazil

“…Studies have shown that parental perceptions are associated with the weight status of children and adolescents, who are under the responsibility of an adult and do not have autonomy over their decisions [24,25]. In addition, walking and cycling for transportation by youth have been associated with objective measurements of community design and transportation attributes such as distance to destinations, sidewalks, and traffic safety [26,27].…”

“…However, previous studies have shown that the absence of sidewalks and bicycle lanes-or their poor maintenance-limit the active mobility and place at risk the safety of those who decide to use them. This situation may result in decreased PA and, consequently, in the weight gain of the local population [24,25,32]. About neighborhood esthetics, Mota et al [32] found that more physically active adolescents are the ones who care about the recreational opportunities and beauty of the neighborhood.…”

“…About neighborhood esthetics, Mota et al [32] found that more physically active adolescents are the ones who care about the recreational opportunities and beauty of the neighborhood. Nogueira et al [24] studied the environmental perception of parents and the nutritional status of their children. They found that neighborhoods with better access to destinations and interesting things to look at were associated with lower BMI in Portuguese girls.…”

The environment contribution to gender differences in childhood obesity and organized sports engagement

“…At the individual level, PA is influenced by gender both in children and in adolescents (Inchley, Kirby, & Currie, ; Křen, Kudláček, Wąsowicz, Groffik, & Frömel, ), with girls having lower levels of habitual PA and sport participation than boys (Křen et al, ; Nogueira, Ferrao, et al, ; Pate et al, ; Santos, Vale, Miranda, & Mota, ). Furthermore, it has been suggested that gender and environment interact and that this interaction may enhance the impact of the local environment on PA (Nogueira, Gama, et al, ).…”

“…Furthermore, it has been suggested that gender and environment interact and that this interaction may enhance the impact of the local environment on PA (Nogueira, Gama, et al, ). According to some studies, the PA of adolescent girls seems to be more sensitive to features of the built environment, while the PA of adolescent boys showed a particular sensitivity to the social environment, mainly to peer influences (Evenson et al, ; Hume, Salmon, & Ball, ; Nogueira, Ferrao, et al, ; Santos et al, ).…”