The Associations between Neighborhood Characteristics and Childhood Overweight and Obesity in a National Dataset.

BACKGROUND: National child obesity rates continue to climb. While neighborhood factors are known to influence childhood weight, more work is needed to further our understanding of these relationships and inform intervention and policy approaches reflective of complex real-world contexts. METHODS: To evaluate the associations between neighborhood components and childhood overweight/obesity, we analyzed sequential, cross-sectional data from the National Survey of Children's Health collected annually between 2016 and 2021. To characterize the complexity of children's neighborhood environments, several interrelated neighborhood factors were examined: amenities, detractions, support, and safety. We used ordinal logistic regression models to evaluate the associations between these exposures of interest and childhood weight status, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Our analytic sample contained 96,858 children representing a weighted population of 28,228,799 children ages 10-17 years. Child weight status was healthy in 66.5%, overweight in 16.8%, and obese in 17.2%. All four neighborhood factors were associated with child weight status. The odds of overweight or obesity generally increased with a decreasing number of amenities and increasing number of detractions, with the highest adjusted odds ratio seen with no amenities and all three possible detractions (1.71; 95% confidence interval [1.31, 2.11]). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple factors within a child's neighborhood environment were associated with child weight status in this sample representative of the US population aged 10-17 years. This suggests the need for future research into how policies and programs can support multiple components of a healthy neighborhood environment simultaneously to reduce rates of childhood overweight/obesity.

Positive Outliers: A Mixed Methods Study of Resiliency to Childhood Obesity in High-Risk Neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the high prevalence of obesity and the clustering of risk by neighborhood, few studies have examined characteristics which promote healthy child weight in neighborhoods with high obesity risk. We aimed to identify protective factors for children living in neighborhoods with high obesity risk. METHODS: We identified neighborhoods with high obesity risk using geolocated electronic health record data with measured body mass index (BMI) from well-child visits (2012-2017). We then recruited caregivers with children aged 5 to 13 years who lived in census tracts with mean child BMI percentile ≥72 (February 2020-August 2021). We used sequential mixed methods (quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews) to compare individual, interpersonal, and perceived neighborhood factors among families with children at a healthy weight (positive outliers [PO]) versus families with ≥1 child with overweight or obesity (controls). Regression models and comparative qualitative analysis were used to identify protective characteristics. RESULTS: Seventy-three caregivers participated in the quantitative phase (41% PO; 34% preferred Spanish) and twenty in the qualitative phase (50% PO; 50% preferred Spanish). The frequency of healthy caregiver behaviors was associated with being a PO (Family Health Behavior Scale Parent Score adjusted ß 3.67; 95% CI 0.52-6.81 and qualitative data). Protective factors also included caregivers' ability to minimize the negative health influences of family members and adhere to family routines. CONCLUSIONS: There were few differences between PO and control families. Support for caregiver healthy habits and adherence to healthy family routines emerged as opportunities for childhood obesity prevention in neighborhoods with high obesity risk.

Interfacility Transfer Outcomes Among Children With Complex Chronic Conditions: Associations Between Patient-Level and Hospital-Level Factors and Transfer Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Determine patient- and referring hospital-level predictors of transfer outcomes among children with 1 or more complex chronic conditions (CCCs) transferred to a large academic medical center. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 2063 pediatric inpatient admissions from 2017 to 2019 with at least 1 CCC defined by International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes. Charts were excluded if patients were admitted via any route other than transfer from a referring hospital's emergency department or inpatient ward. Patient-level factors were race/ethnicity, payer, and area median income. Hospital-level factors included the clinician type initiating transfer and whether the referring-hospital had an inpatient pediatric ward. Transfer outcomes were rapid response within 24 hours of admission, Pediatric Early Warning Score at admission, and hours to arrival. Regression analyses adjusted for age were used to determine association between patient- and hospital-level predictors with transfer outcomes. RESULTS: There were no significant associations between patient-level predictors and transfer outcomes. Hospital-level adjusted analyses indicated that transfers from hospitals without inpatient pediatrics wards had lower odds of ICU admission during hospitalization (odds ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.97) and shorter transfer times (ß-coefficient, -2.54; 95% CI, -3.60 to -1.49) versus transfers from hospitals with inpatient pediatrics wards. There were no significant associations between clinician type and transfer outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: For pediatric patients with CCCs, patient-level predictors were not associated with clinical outcomes. Transfers from hospitals without inpatient pediatric wards were less likely to require ICU admission and had shorter interfacility transfer times compared with those from hospitals with inpatient pediatrics wards.

The Built Environment and Pediatric Health.

Buildings, parks, and roads are all elements of the "built environment," which can be described as the human-made structures that comprise the neighborhoods and communities where people live, work, learn, and recreate (https://www.epa.gov/smm/basic-information-about-built-environment). The design of communities where children and adolescents live, learn, and play has a profound impact on their health. Moreover, the policies and practices that determine community design and the built environment are a root cause of disparities in the social determinants of health that contribute to health inequity. An understanding of the links between the built environment and pediatric health will help to inform pediatricians' and other pediatric health care professionals' care for patients and advocacy on their behalf. This policy statement outlines community design solutions that can improve pediatric physical and mental health, and improve health equity. It describes opportunities for pediatricians and the health care sector to incorporate this knowledge in patient care, as well as to play a role in advancing a health-promoting built environment for all children and families. The accompanying technical report reviews the range of pediatric physical and mental health conditions influenced by the built environment, as well as historical and persistent effects of the built environment on health disparities.

The Built Environment and Pediatric Health.

Buildings, parks, and roads are all elements of the "built environment," which can be described as the human-made structures that comprise the neighborhoods and communities where people live, work, learn, and recreate (https://www.epa.gov/smm/basic-information-about-built-environment). The design of communities where children and adolescents live, learn, and play has a profound impact on their health. Moreover, the policies and practices that determine community design and the built environment are a root cause of disparities in the social determinants of health that contribute to health inequity. An understanding of the links between the built environment and pediatric health will help to inform pediatricians' and other pediatric health professionals' care for patients and advocacy on their behalf. This technical report describes the range of pediatric physical and mental health conditions influenced by the built environment, as well as historical and persistent effects of the built environment on health disparities. The accompanying policy statement outlines community design solutions that can improve pediatric health and health equity, including opportunities for pediatricians and the health care sector to incorporate this knowledge in patient care, as well as to play a role in advancing a health-promoting built environment for all children and families.