Neighborhood Environments and Disparities in Obesity Rates in NYC
Neighborhood Environments and Disparities in Obesity Rates in NYC
by Kathryn Neckerman (ISERP) , Andrew Rundle (Epidemiology) , and James Quinn
This project will determine whether racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence of obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and poor diet in New York City are explained by disparities in neighborhood resources that support physical activities (e.g. gyms, parks, pleasant walking environments) and healthy diets (e.g. grocery stores, fruit markets, healthy good restuarants) across New York City. Obesity, sedentary lifestyles and poor diets are major risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, and in New York these factors are far more common African Americans, Hispanics, and those of lower socio-economic status. Prior research in New York shows that neighborhood features such as urban design features and neighborhood socio-economic status predict body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, the availibility of grocery stores, fruit markets, fast food resturants, gyms and health clubs, vary by neighborhood in New York City, with minority and poorer neighborhoods having fewer positives resources. The proposed research is a collaboration between Columbia University and the New York City Department of Health and and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH). Interview data on demgraphic characteristics, physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables and hight and weight (used to calculate BMI) from ~45,000 New Yorker's wukk be combined with a geographic information system (GIS) based model of the characteristics of New York City neighborhoods. The interview data and zip code of residence were collected as part of five annual citywide random digit dial interviews conducted by NYCDOHMH that occured from 2002 to 2006, and the sample is representative of the city and its neightborhoods. The GIS model is being built as part of ongoing research on neighborhood effects and is the most comprehensive model of the neighborhood resources in New York City built to date. The NYDOHMH will contribute additional data on restaurant locations from a food service liscensing database, locations of pedestrian injuries from automobiles, and neighborhood social capital from their neighborhood surveys. Neighborhoods will be defined using zip codes, and prior research has shown that variation in built and and social environment variables at this level are strongly predictive of BMI. Multilevel models will be used to determine the extent to which neighborhood characteristics account for racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in BMI, physical activity, and the consumption of fruits and vegetables across zip codes. In addition to analyzing the effects of race/ethnicity and socio-economic status the analyses will control for age, gender and US or foreign born status, and the socio-demographic characterisitcs of the of the zip code of residence. This research will contribute to NIDDK's goal of understanding the underlying causes of disparties in the distribution of known risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, the analyses will be used to guide New York City's ongoing long-term planning process for using urban design to promote public health.
