Food Environments Within and Outside of Schools Play a Critical Role in Curtailing the Rise in Obesity among School-Aged Children over Time.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sound evidence for effective community-based strategies is needed to curtail upward trends in childhood obesity in the United States (US).

Objectives

The aim of the study was to assess the association between school and community food environments and the prevalence of obesity over time.

Methods

Data were collected from K-12 schools in 4 low-income New Jersey cities in the US. School-level obesity prevalence, calculated from nurse-measured heights and weights at 4 time points, was used as the outcome variable. Data on the school food environment (SFE) measured the healthfulness of school lunch and competitive food offerings annually. The community food environment (CFE), i.e., the number of different types of food outlets within 400 m of schools, was also c

SUBMITTER: Ohri-Vachaspati P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10739773 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature