Urban natural environments, obesity, and health-related quality of life among Hispanic children living in inner-city neighborhoods
Hispanic children living in inner-city neighborhoods with larger and more trees report higher health-related quality of life
The aim of this study was to investigate the association that the urban natural environment may have with obesity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Hispanic children. Ninety-two 4th and 5th grade students (age 9 – 11) were recruited from the East End district of Houston, Texas where 85% of the population is Hispanic. Criteria for participation in the study included being of Hispanic origin, being able to speak and read in either English or Spanish, having no medical restrictions limiting physical activity, and having a mother able and willing to complete a parent questionnaire.
Data collection instruments included the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) which was used to measure children’s HRQOL. The PedsQL consists of child self-reports and parent reports in essentially identical forms. While the child self-reports are designed to assess perceptions of the children’s internal states, the parents’ reports reflect their children’s observable behaviors. The PedsQL addresses four different quality-of-life areas: physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and school functioning.
Landscape indices generated by Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing were used to measure the quality of the urban natural environments within half-mile and quarter-mile buffers of where the children lived. Based on the patch-corridor-matrix model (P-M model) – which is frequently used in the landscape ecology field — three main land cover types were identified: grass areas, trees/forests, and developed/impervious areas. This data was used to examine the associations between the children’s HRQOL and landscape spatial patterns of urban forests and trees.
Additional data collection measures included the administration of The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) and a survey assessing participants’ perceptions of the neighborhood environment. This survey addressed such environmental factors as accessibility, safety, comfort, attractiveness, and satisfaction. Data on the socio-demographic background and Body Mass Index (BMI) were also collected for each participant.
Findings indicated that 58% of the children participating in this study were overweight or obese and that children with this condition experienced lower HRQOL than children with healthier weights. Larger and more trees near the children’s homes also proved to be a factor in HRQOL in that children living in neighborhoods with more trees had higher HRQOL scores. Additionally, children living in areas with tree patches further apart from each other showed higher HRQOL. The latter finding was interpreted by the authors as indicative of an increased sense of safety in spaces characterized by sufficient open space with clearly delineated edges.
Citation
Kim, J-H, Lee, C., Sohn, W., (2016). Urban natural environments, obesity, and health-related quality of life among Hispanic children living in inner-city neighborhoods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(1)
