Neighborhood safety and green space as… | Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives

Neighborhood safety and green space as predictors of obesity among preschool children from low-income families in New York City

Among preschool children from low-income families, neighborhood homicide rate was associated with more obesity and street tree density was associated with less obesity.

Lovasi GS, Schwartz-Soicher O, Quinn JW, et al

Preventive Medicine, 57(3), Sept. 2013, pp. 189–193

Analyses included 11,562 children ages 3–5 years living in 160 residential ZIP codes. A higher homicide rate (at the 75th vs 25th percentile) was associated with a 22% higher prevalence of obesity (95% CI for the prevalence ratio (PR): 1.05 to 1.41). A higher density of street trees (at the 75th vs 25th percentile) was associated with 12% lower prevalence of obesity (95% CI for the PR: 0.79 to 0.99). Other neighborhood characteristics did not have significant associations with childhood obesity.