TY - JOUR
T1 - Healthier school food and physical activity environments are associated with lower student body mass index
AU - Dighe, Sanika
AU - Lloyd, Kristen
AU - Acciai, Francesco
AU - Martinelli, Sarah
AU - Yedidia, Michael J.
AU - Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under award numbers R01HL137814 and R01HD071583 , respectively. These funders did not have any role in the study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing the report; or the decision to submit the report for publication. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors
PY - 2020/9
Y1 - 2020/9
N2 - School food and physical activity (PA) environments can influence children's dietary and physical activity behaviors. However, evidence on whether school environment is associated with students’ weight status is less definitive. In this study, we examined the association between students’ body mass index (BMI) and measures of school food and PA environments. We calculated BMI from nurse-measured data collected on 19,188 6–19-year-old students from 90 public schools in four low-income cities in New Jersey in 2015–2016. Based on a questionnaire administered to school nurses, we constructed 6 food and 3 PA indices capturing the healthfulness of key dimensions in the school food and PA environment domains. Multilevel linear models, stratified by school level (elementary and secondary), examined the association between BMI z-scores and indices of the school environment. The food and PA domains were modeled separately and then combined. Joint significance of indices within each domain was tested. Analyses were conducted in 2019–2020. In the combined model for elementary schools, indices in both the food and PA domains were jointly significant (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). With regard to specific indices in the model, students’ BMI z-score was 0.03 units lower for each additional outdoor PA facility (95% CI [−0.06, −0.00]; p = 0.036). Similarly, for secondary schools, both the food and PA domains were jointly significant (p = 0.004 and p = 0.020, respectively). Each additional unhealthy item in vending machines was associated with a 0.12 unit increase in BMI z-score (95% CI [+0.00, 0.23]; p = 0.042). Overall, healthier food and PA environments were associated with lower student BMI.
AB - School food and physical activity (PA) environments can influence children's dietary and physical activity behaviors. However, evidence on whether school environment is associated with students’ weight status is less definitive. In this study, we examined the association between students’ body mass index (BMI) and measures of school food and PA environments. We calculated BMI from nurse-measured data collected on 19,188 6–19-year-old students from 90 public schools in four low-income cities in New Jersey in 2015–2016. Based on a questionnaire administered to school nurses, we constructed 6 food and 3 PA indices capturing the healthfulness of key dimensions in the school food and PA environment domains. Multilevel linear models, stratified by school level (elementary and secondary), examined the association between BMI z-scores and indices of the school environment. The food and PA domains were modeled separately and then combined. Joint significance of indices within each domain was tested. Analyses were conducted in 2019–2020. In the combined model for elementary schools, indices in both the food and PA domains were jointly significant (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). With regard to specific indices in the model, students’ BMI z-score was 0.03 units lower for each additional outdoor PA facility (95% CI [−0.06, −0.00]; p = 0.036). Similarly, for secondary schools, both the food and PA domains were jointly significant (p = 0.004 and p = 0.020, respectively). Each additional unhealthy item in vending machines was associated with a 0.12 unit increase in BMI z-score (95% CI [+0.00, 0.23]; p = 0.042). Overall, healthier food and PA environments were associated with lower student BMI.
KW - BMI z-score
KW - NSLP
KW - School food environment
KW - School physical activity environment
KW - Vending machines
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85085577628&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85085577628&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101115
DO - 10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101115
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85085577628
SN - 2211-3355
VL - 19
JO - Preventive Medicine Reports
JF - Preventive Medicine Reports
M1 - 101115
ER -