Associations between BMI and home, school and route environmental exposures estimated using GPS and GIS: do we see evidence of selective daily mobility bias in children?
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study examined whether objective measures of food, physical activity
and built environment exposures, in home and non-home settings, contribute to children's
body weight. Further, comparing GPS and GIS measures of environmental exposures along
routes to and from school, we tested for evidence of selective daily mobility bias
when using GPS data. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional analysis, using objective
assessments of body weight in relation to multiple environmental exposures. Data presented
are from a sample of 94 school-aged children, aged 5-11 years. Children's heights
and weights were measured by trained researchers, and used to calculate BMI z-scores.
Participants wore a GPS device for one full week. Environmental exposures were estimated
within home and school neighbourhoods, and along GIS (modelled) and GPS (actual) routes
from home to school. We directly compared associations between BMI and GIS-modelled
versus GPS-derived environmental exposures. The study was conducted in Mebane and
Mount Airy, North Carolina, USA, in 2011. RESULTS: In adjusted regression models,
greater school walkability was associated with significantly lower mean BMI. Greater
home walkability was associated with increased BMI, as was greater school access to
green space. Adjusted associations between BMI and route exposure characteristics
were null. The use of GPS-actual route exposures did not appear to confound associations
between environmental exposures and BMI in this sample. CONCLUSIONS: This study found
few associations between environmental exposures in home, school and commuting domains
and body weight in children. However, walkability of the school neighbourhood may
be important. Of the other significant associations observed, some were in unexpected
directions. Importantly, we found no evidence of selective daily mobility bias in
this sample, although our study design is in need of replication in a free-living
adult sample.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Activities of Daily LivingBody Mass Index
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Environment
Female
Geographic Information Systems
Humans
Male
Motor Activity
North Carolina
Students
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11542Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1186/1476-072X-14-8Publication Info
Burgoine, Thomas; Jones, Andy P; Namenek Brouwer, Rebecca J; & Benjamin Neelon, Sara
E (2015). Associations between BMI and home, school and route environmental exposures estimated
using GPS and GIS: do we see evidence of selective daily mobility bias in children?.
Int J Health Geogr, 14. pp. 8. 10.1186/1476-072X-14-8. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11542.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Rebecca Brouwer
Dir, Research Initiatives
My overarching goal is to facilitate effective research and collaborations for the
Duke research community, through the delivery of targeted programs, tools, and individual
consultations.

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