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Relating Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) to Changes in Neighborhood Environments for Relocating Young Adults: Analysis of 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Data
Principal Investigator:
Gail Meakins, University of Utah
Summary:
This research looks at census tract level characteristics of the built environment in relation to Body Mass Index (BMI) of neighborhood residents in both a cross sectional and longitudinal analyses, specifically asking how do the development density, land use diversity, street network design, park space, and transit access of neighborhoods affect obesity in young adults.
The individual data com...
This research looks at census tract level characteristics of the built environment in relation to Body Mass Index (BMI) of neighborhood residents in both a cross sectional and longitudinal analyses, specifically asking how do the development density, land use diversity, street network design, park space, and transit access of neighborhoods affect obesity in young adults.
The individual data comes from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY) which has followed a cohort of close to 9000 respondents since 1997. Characteristics of the built environment include measures of density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, and distance to transit. This study expects to see correlations between a variety of built environment measures and BMI, obesity, and physical activity. It is expected that when controlling for socio-demographic characteristics:
- BMI will be higher in those residents who live in neighborhoods characterized by higher levels of sprawl.
- BMI will increase at a faster rate with age for stationary respondents (stayers) who live in neighborhoods characterized by higher levels of sprawl.
- BMI will increase in those respondents who have moved (movers) to neighborhoods characterized by higher levels of neighborhood sprawl.
- BMI will decrease for those moving in the opposite direction.
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Project Details
| Project Type: | Dissertation |
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| Project Status: | Completed |
| End Date: | June 30, 2014 |
| UTC Funding: | $7,500 |