Examining the Long-term Association Between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Obesity and Obesity-related Unhealthy Behaviors Among Children: Results From the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study.

Neighborhood environments where children live and grow up have been shown to impact obesity and obesity-related behaviors. However, few longitudinal studies have examined the effect of neighborhood socioeconomic status on childhood obesity risk. We investigated the longitudinal association between neighborhood socioeconomic status and obesity and obesity-related unhealthy behaviors from early childhood to adolescence. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we conducted a statistical analysis to examine a mechanism by which neighborhood socioeconomic status at ages 3, 5, and 9 impacts childhood obesity and obesity-related unhealthy behaviors (i.e., soda/snack food intake, fast-food intake, and sedentary behaviors) at ages 5, 9, and 15. We observed that living in higher socioeconomic neighborhoods was associated with consuming less soda/snack foods and fast-food intake and engaging in sedentary behaviors less frequently. Neighborhood socioeconomic status was not significantly associated with childhood obesity. Our results indicate that community health policies targeting low socioeconomic neighborhoods are warranted to shape children's healthy lifestyle.