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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Parents' perceptions of neighborhood safety and children's physical activity.

OBJECTIVE: The obesity epidemic disproportionately affects minority and poor children. Negative perceptions of neighborhood safety in poor communities may affect overweight by inhibiting children's physical activity. This study investigates the degree to which parents in a poor inner city vs. a middle-class suburban community limit their children's outdoor activity because of neighborhood safety concerns. METHOD: Parents of children aged 5-10 years from an inner city family practice in a poor community and from a suburban pediatric practice in a middle-class community completed a 20-item questionnaire. Parents estimated the amount of their child's activity in various situations and indicated their level of anxiety concerning gangs, child aggression, crime, traffic, and personal safety in their neighborhood. RESULTS: Inner city children (n = 204) engaged in less physical activity than suburban children (N = 103) (P < 0.001). Inner city parents expressed much greater anxiety about neighborhood safety than suburban parents (P < 0.0001). In the inner city population, children's physical activity levels were negatively correlated with parental anxiety about neighborhood safety (r = -0.18, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Inner city parents have high levels of anxiety about neighborhood safety. While these concerns may not entirely explain the discrepancy in activity levels between inner city and suburban children, a safe environment is crucial to increasing opportunities for physical activity.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Neighborhood safety and overweight status in children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is a relationship between parental perception of neighborhood safety and overweight at the age of 7 years. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. SETTING: Ten urban and rural US sites. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 768 children selected via conditional random sampling with complete data at follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parents reported demographics and perception of neighborhood safety by standardized questionnaire. Child overweight status was defined as a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and sex from measured anthropometrics at the age of 7 years. The base model included relationship of the safety reporter to the child, sex, and baseline body mass index z score at the age of 4.5 years. Covariates tested included maternal marital status, education, and depressive symptoms; child race/ethnicity; participation in structured after-school activities; Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment total score; and neighborhood social cohesiveness. RESULTS: The sample was 85% white, and 10% of the children were overweight. Neighborhood safety ratings in the lowest quartile were independently associated with a higher risk of overweight at the age of 7 years compared with safety ratings in the highest quartile (adjusted odds ratio, 4.43; 95% confidence interval, 2.03-9.65). None of the candidate covariates altered the relationship between perception of neighborhood safety and child overweight status. CONCLUSIONS: Perception of the neighborhood as less safe was independently associated with an increased risk of overweight at the age of 7 years. Public health efforts may benefit from policies directed toward improving both actual and perceived neighborhood safety.

Body Mass Index↗
PubMed2005

A national study of neighborhood safety, outdoor play, television viewing, and obesity in preschool children.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that preschool children have a higher prevalence of obesity, spend less time playing outdoors, and spend more time watching television (TV) when they live in neighborhoods that their mothers perceive as unsafe. METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey in 20 large US cities, mothers reported the average daily time of outdoor play and TV viewing for their 3-year-old children, and the children's BMI was measured. Maternal perception of neighborhood safety was assessed with the Neighborhood Environment for Children Rating Scales; the scale score was used to divide children into tertiles of neighborhood safety. RESULTS: Of the 3141 children studied, 35% lived in households with incomes below the US poverty threshold. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors (household income and mothers' education, race/ethnicity, age, and marital status), obesity prevalence (BMI > or =95th percentile) did not differ in children from the least safe to the safest neighborhood safety tertile (18% vs 17% vs 20%) or in weekday (160 vs 151 vs 156 minutes/day) or weekend (233 vs 222 vs 222 minutes/day) outdoor play time. Children who lived in neighborhoods that were perceived by their mothers as the least safe watched more TV (201 vs 182 vs 185 minutes/day) and were more likely to watch >2 hours/day (66% vs 60% vs 62%). TV viewing and outdoor play minutes were not significantly correlated to each other or to BMI. CONCLUSIONS: In a national sample of preschool children, mothers' perception of neighborhood safety was related to their children's TV viewing time but not to their outdoor play time or risk for obesity.

Attitude↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of after-school peer contact on early adolescent externalizing problems is moderated by parental monitoring, perceived neighborhood safety, and prior adjustment.

Unsupervised peer contact in the after-school hours was examined as a risk factor in the development of externalizing problems in a longitudinal sample of early adolescents. Parental monitoring, neighborhood safety, and adolescents' preexisting behavioral problems were considered as possible moderators of the risk relation. Interviews with mothers provided information on monitoring, neighborhood safety, and demographics. Early adolescent (ages 12-13 years) after-school time use was assessed via a telephone interview in grade 6 (N = 438); amount of time spent with peers when no adult was present was tabulated. Teacher ratings of externalizing behavior problems were collected in grades 6 and 7. Unsupervised peer contact, lack of neighborhood safety, and low monitoring incrementally predicted grade 7 externalizing problems, after controlling for family background factors and grade 6 problems. The greatest risk was for those unsupervised adolescents living in low-monitoring homes and comparatively unsafe neighborhoods. The significant relation between unsupervised peer contact and problem behavior in grade 7 held only for those adolescents who already were high in problem behavior in grade 6. These findings point to the need to consider individual, family, and neighborhood factors in evaluating risks associated with young adolescents' after-school care experiences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Neighborhood safety, collective efficacy, and obesity in women with young children.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that mothers of young children would have a higher prevalence of obesity if they lived in neighborhoods that they perceived as unsafe or as having a low level of collective efficacy. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 2445 women living in 20 large (population > or = 200,000) U.S. cities. BMI was measured on 72% and self-reported on 28%. Perception of neighborhood safety was assessed with the Neighborhood Environment for Children Rating Scales. The collective efficacy measure was adapted from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. RESULTS: Thirty percent of the women were married, 38% lived below the U.S. poverty threshold, and 66% reported no education beyond high school. Approximately one-half of the women were non-Hispanic black, and one-fourth were Hispanic (any race). After adjustment for sociodemographic factors (household income, education, race/ethnicity, age, and marital status), smoking, depression, and television time, the prevalence of obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) increased across tertiles of neighborhood safety from safest to least safe (37% vs. 41% vs. 46%, p = 0.004) but did not differ across tertiles of collective efficacy from highest to lowest (41% vs. 40% vs. 42%, p = 0.67). DISCUSSION: In a national sample of women with young children, obesity was more prevalent among those who perceived their neighborhoods to be unsafe.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Neighborhood safety and social involvement: associations with parenting behaviors and depressive symptoms among African American and Euro-American mothers.

The relation between neighborhood characteristics and parenting and the mediating role of maternal depressive symptoms was examined among African American and Euro-American mothers of kindergarten children. Mothers' ratings of neighborhood safety were related to disciplinary strategies for both African American and Euro-American mothers but not to expressions of affection. Interviewers' ratings of safety were related to mothers' use of hostile socialization strategies. Both mothers' and interviewers' reports of safety were linked with maternal depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms mediated the relation between neighborhood safety and inconsistent discipline, suggesting that the influence of safety on inconsistent discipline was due to its impact on maternal depression. Although there were similarities across ethnic groups, the relation between social involvement and mothers' withdrawal of interactions with their children differed across groups.

Affect↗
PubMed1999

Neighborhood safety and the prevalence of physical inactivity--selected states, 1996.

Physical inactivity is an important risk factor for premature morbidity and mortality, especially among high-risk populations. Although health-promotion programs have targeted high-risk groups (i.e., older adults, women, and racial/ethnic minorities), barriers exist that may affect their physical activity level. Identifying and reducing specific barriers (e.g., lack of knowledge of the health benefits of physical activity, limited access to facilities, low self-efficacy, and environmental issues [2-6]) are important for efforts designed to increase physical activity. Concerns about neighborhood safety may be a barrier to physical activity. To characterize the association between neighborhood safety and physical inactivity, CDC analyzed data from the 1996 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in Maryland, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. This report summarizes the results of this analysis, which indicate that persons who perceived their neighborhood to be unsafe were more likely to be physically inactive.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The prevalence of victimization and perceptions of job neighborhood safety in a social service agency and the need for screening.

Because staff attitudes and affects are impediments or strengths in appropriately assessing and managing traumatized or violent patients, the authors discuss the need to explore staff's experience with trauma and violence. A survey of social service field and administrative office-based staff revealed that numerous staff had experienced traumatic events. Compared with staff based in a downtown administrative office, significantly more field-based staff were dissatisfied with their job's neighborhood and perceived their job's neighborhood as a dangerous place to work. Further, significantly more field staff perceived that their job's neighbors would be "unlikely" to intervene in observed antisocial behaviors. In our sample of primarily female, African-American, social service staff, the ratio of victimization was higher than rates in other studies. Screening social service staff for experiences of trauma and victimization and asking about their perceptions about their job's neighborhood will help leadership shape efforts to address these dynamics. By addressing staff's perceptions of their job's neighborhood, leadership can influence staff's willingness to participate in proactive community organizing and prevention activities designed to reduce violence and increase safety. Several recommendations to reduce violence in the workplace are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Will public health's response to terrorism be fair? Racial/ethnic variations in perceived fairness during a bioterrorist event.

OBJECTIVES: Public health departments' effectiveness during catastrophic bioterrorism will require trust on the part of diverse communities. This study describes variations in perceptions that the public health system will respond fairly to one's needs in a bioterrorist event, regardless of race/ethnicity, income, or other characteristics. METHODS: Using the Los Angeles County Health Survey, a random-digit, population-based, telephone survey, we conducted multivariate logistic regression of race/ethnicity on perceived fairness, adjusting for demographic factors and perceived neighborhood safety. We performed similar analyses stratified by race/ethnicity subgroup. RESULTS: Overall, 72.7% of respondents perceived that the public health system will respond fairly in a bioterrorist event. African Americans (AA) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (API) reported the lowest perceived fairness (AA 63.0%, API 68.2%, Latino 73.1%, White 76.6%, p = 0.005 for group differences). Adjusting for demographic factors and neighborhood safety, African Americans had lower perceived fairness compared to whites (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 0.45; 95% confidence intervals, CI 0.26-0.79; p < 0.005). Other factors associated with lower perceived fairness included Asian-language compared to English-language interview (aOR 0.29; 95% CI 0.11-0.76; p < 0.05) and lower compared to higher neighborhood safety (aOR 0.48; 95% CI 0.31-0.74; p < 0.005). Among African Americans, participants aged 18-29 years were less likely to report perceived fairness (aOR 0.06; 95% CI 0.01-0.59) compared to participants older than 60 years of age. Among Asian/Pacific Islanders, Asian-language interview (aOR 0.07; 95% CI 0.01-0.48) and lower perceived neighborhood safety (aOR 0.01; 95% CI <0.01-0.13) were associated with perceived fairness. CONCLUSIONS: To strengthen bioterrorism preparedness, public health officials must continue to improve perceived fairness among African American and Asian/Pacific Islander communities.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Violent crime and outdoor physical activity among inner-city youth.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown poor correlation between subjective assessments of neighborhood safety and physical activity. This study was performed to model relationships between adolescents' outdoor physical activity and objectively measured violent crime densities, along with other key environmental variables. METHODS: Participants' physical activity was measured using a validated questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was performed using outdoor physical activity away from school (OPA) as the dependent variable. Environmental factors included the density of violent crime within 1/2 mi of each participant's home, distance to nearest open play space, per capita income, and participants' subjective assessment of neighborhood safety. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis showed that distance to nearest open play space was inversely and significantly associated with boys' OPA, while density of violent crime within 1/2 mi of home was inversely and significantly associated with girls' OPA. Girls' perceptions that their neighborhood was safe for physical activity were also associated with higher levels of OPA, while boys' assessments of neighborhood safety were not significantly related to OPA. CONCLUSIONS: Neighborhood violent crime may be a significant environmental barrier to outdoor physical activity for urban dwelling Mexican-American adolescent girls. Future studies of physical activity and the environment should use objective measures of environmental factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Features of the neighborhood environment and walking by U.S. adults.

BACKGROUND: Manipulating the physical environment may be an efficacious way to promote physical activity. This study examined the relationships between features of the neighborhood environment and walking in the neighborhood by U.S. adults. METHODS: A random sample of women (n =266) and men (n =208) aged >18 years participated. Door-to-door interviews were conducted in 2003 to collect information about demographics, walking behavior, and features of the neighborhood environment. RESULTS: The analyses conducted in 2004 revealed that women were more likely to walk for exercise (odds ratio [OR]=4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.01-20.72) or walk a dog (OR=3.3, 95% CI=1.01-11.08) in the neighborhood if neighborhood safety was average as opposed to below average (p <0.05). Women with an average number of neighborhood destinations were more likely to walk for transportation in the neighborhood (OR=5.7, 95% CI=1.63-19.73) than women with a below average number of neighborhood destinations (p <0.01). In men, none of the neighborhood features were significantly associated with walking for exercise or walking a dog. Men were less likely to walk for transportation in the neighborhood if the functional (OR=0.22, 95% CI=0.06-0.89) or aesthetic (OR=0.17, 95% CI=0.03-0.89) features of the neighborhood were average versus below average. CONCLUSIONS: Prospective studies are needed to determine if changes in neighborhood safety and awareness of neighborhood destinations promote increases in walking by women. Evaluations of the relationships between other environmental features and walking behavior in men are warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

Television watching and frequency of family meals are predictive of overweight onset and persistence in a national sample of school-aged children.

OBJECTIVE: To identify eating and activity factors associated with school-aged children's onset of overweight and persistent overweight. DESIGN: Data were gathered at four time points between kindergarten entry and spring of third grade. Children were directly weighed and measured and categorized as not overweight (<95th percentile of body mass index) or overweight (> or =95th percentile body mass index); parents were interviewed by telephone or in person. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Subjects were participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, a nationally representative sample of children who entered kindergarten during 1998-1999. Children who weighed <2,000 g at birth, received therapeutic services before kindergarten, skipped or repeated a grade, or without complete height and weight data were excluded, resulting in 8,459 participants. Children with intermittent overweight were not examined (n=459); analyses addressed 8,000 children. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Three mutually exclusive groups of children were identified: never overweight, overweight onset, and persistent overweight. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Multilevel, multivariate logistic regression analyses estimated the effects of eating and activity factors on the odds of overweight onset and persistent overweight above child sex, race, and family socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Children who watched more television (odds ratio [OR] 1.02) and ate fewer family meals (OR 1.08) were more likely to be overweight for the first time at spring semester of third grade. Children who watched more television (OR 1.03), ate fewer family meals (OR 1.08), and lived in neighborhoods perceived by parents as less safe for outdoor play (OR 1.32) were more likely to be persistently overweight. Child aerobic exercise and opportunities for activity were not associated with a greater likelihood of weight problems. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports theories regarding the contributions of television watching, family meals, and neighborhood safety to childhood weight status. When working with families to prevent and treat childhood weight problems, food and nutrition professionals should attend to children's time spent with screen media, the frequency of family mealtimes, and parents' perceptions of neighborhood safety for children's outdoor play.

Body Mass Index↗
PubMed2006

Perceptions of physical and social environment variables and self-efficacy as correlates of self-reported physical activity among adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study examined the direct and indirect effects of perceived equipment accessibility, neighborhood safety, and social support on self-reported physical activity among older adolescent girls. METHODS: Adolescent girls (n = 1,655) who were in the 12th grade completed a battery of questionnaires that included self-report measures of the perceived physical environment, social support, barriers self-efficacy, and physical activity. RESULTS: Perceived neighborhood safety did not exhibit direct or indirect effects on self-reported physical activity. Perceived equipment accessibility exhibited an indirect effect on self-reported physical activity that was accounted for by barriers self-efficacy. Perceived social support exhibited direct and indirect effects on self-reported physical activity; the indirect effect was accounted for by barriers self-efficacy. The relationships were independent of parental education and body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived physical environmental factors indirectly influenced self-reported physical activity, and perceived social environmental factors both directly and indirectly influenced self-reported physical activity in this sample of older adolescent girls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Perceived physical environment and physical activity across one year among adolescent girls: self-efficacy as a possible mediator?

PURPOSE: This study involved an examination of the direct and mediated effects of perceived equipment accessibility and neighborhood safety on physical activity across a one-year period among adolescent girls. METHODS: Adolescent girls (N = 1,038) completed self-report measures of perceived environment, barriers self-efficacy, and physical activity in the Spring semesters of 1999 (baseline) and 2000 (follow-up) when students were in the 8th and 9th grades. RESULTS: An initial analysis demonstrated that neighborhood safety did not exhibit cross-sectional or longitudinal direct effects on physical activity, whereas equipment accessibility exhibited a statistically significant cross-sectional, but not longitudinal, direct effect on physical activity. The secondary analysis demonstrated that self-efficacy for overcoming barriers mediated the cross-sectional effect of equipment accessibility on physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the cross-sectional effect of perceived equipment accessibility on physical activity is mediated by self-efficacy for overcoming barriers among adolescent girls. This is consistent with the reciprocal relationships among the environment, person, and behavior described by social-cognitive theory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Perceptions of environmental supports for physical activity in African American and white adults in a rural county in South Carolina.

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the association between perceptions of social and safety-related environmental attributes and physical activity (PA) and walking in African American and white adults. METHODS: In a random-digit-dial telephone survey, 1165 adults in a rural county in South Carolina answered questions about their perceptions of social and safety-related environmental supports for PA and their overall PA and walking behavior. Social perceptions included whether neighbors could be trusted or were perceived to be physically active. Safety-related perceptions included neighborhood safety, the safety of public recreation facilities, problems with unattended dogs, traffic volume, and streetlight quality. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between environmental supports and PA and walking stratified by race. RESULTS: No association between perceived neighborhood environmental supports and PA or walking was observed in African Americans. Among whites, individuals who perceived their neighbors as active were twice (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-3.25) as likely to report meeting the recommendation for PA compared with individuals who did not report their neighbors as active. Whites who perceived their neighbors as active were 2.5 times (95% CI, 1.54-4.08) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not, and whites who perceived their neighborhoods as safe were 1.8 times (95% CI, 1.03-3.12) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that perceptions of certain social and safety-related environmental supports were strongly associated with meeting the recommendations for PA and walking among white but not African American adults.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Physical activity among African-American girls: the role of parents and the home environment.

OBJECTIVES: African-American girls are at increased risk for becoming overweight. Increased physical activity may prevent this. This study examines measurements of girls' physical activity and associations with: BMI, parent's reported self-efficacy and support for helping daughters be active, girl's perceived support from parents for physical activity, parent's and girl's perceived neighborhood safety and access to facilities, and family environment. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Fifty-two 8- to 10-year-old African-American girls and their primary caregiver in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area participated in the Girls Health Enrichment Multisite Studies pilot intervention to prevent weight gain by promoting healthy eating and physical activity. Data collected included height, weight, physical activity level, and physical activity-related psychosocial measures from girl and parent. Girls wore an activity monitor for 3 days to assess activity level. Correlations were computed among the average minutes per day of moderate to vigorous activity between 12 pm and 6 pm and BMI and psychosocial measures. RESULTS: BMI was inversely correlated with moderate to vigorous activity (r = -0.35, p < 0.01), whereas parent's self-efficacy for supporting daughter to be active was positively correlated with activity (r = 0.45, p < 0.001). There was a trend for parent's reported support of daughter's activity level to be associated with activity (r = 0.26, p < 0.06). Girl's perception of parent's support for physical activity, perceived neighborhood safety and access to facilities, and family environment were not associated with girl's activity levels. DISCUSSION: Interventions to increase physical activity among preadolescent African-American girls may benefit from a parental component to encourage support and self-efficacy for daughters' physical activity.

Black or African American↗