UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Perceived and objective measures of the neighbourhood environment and overweight in preschool children and their mothers

Hawkins, SS; Pearce, A; Cole, TJ; Law, C; (2009) Perceived and objective measures of the neighbourhood environment and overweight in preschool children and their mothers. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity , 4 (3) pp. 183-192. 10.1080/17477160802596155. Green open access

[thumbnail of 14633.pdf]
Preview
PDF
14633.pdf

Download (110kB)

Abstract

Objectives. The primary aim was to examine the relationships between perceived and objective measures of the neighbourhood environment, measured in late infancy, and subsequent overweight (including obesity) in 3-year-old children and their mothers. The secondary aim was to assess whether moving residence confounded these relationships. Methods. We analysed data on 8 154 children and their mothers from the UK Millennium Cohort Study who had participated since birth and were living in England. At the first contact (late infancy), mothers reported their perceptions of their neighbourhood environment, and objective measures of the neighbourhood environment were obtained by linking national deprivation data to each child's postcode. We conducted logistic and multilevel regression analyses to examine perceived and objective measures of the neighbourhood environment, respectively, and overweight at the second contact (3 years) in children and their mothers. All analyses were adjusted for moving residence. Results. There were few consistent patterns between measures of the neighbourhood environment (perceived or objective) and early childhood overweight. However, mothers' risk of overweight increased with increasingly poor neighbourhood conditions (perceived) or residence in areas of increasing deprivation (objective), after adjustment for individual socio-demographic factors. All relationships were maintained after adjustment for moving residence. Conclusions. While area-level factors have limited influence on the development of overweight in preschool children, they are likely to affect overweight in their mothers. Policies need to address both individual and environmental factors to tackle obesity and its determinants across the life course.

Type: Article
Title: Perceived and objective measures of the neighbourhood environment and overweight in preschool children and their mothers
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/17477160802596155
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/14633
Downloads since deposit
346Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item