Obesity prevalence and the local food environment

Disparities in access to healthy foods have been identified particularly in the United States. Fewer studies have measured the effects these disparities have on diet-related health outcomes. This study measured the association between the presence of food establishments and obesity among 1295 adults living in the southern region of the United States. The prevalence of obesity was lower in areas that had supermarkets and higher in area with small grocery stores or fast food restaurants. Our findings are consistent with other studies showing that types of food stores and restaurants influence food choices and, subsequently, diet-related health outcomes

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among Adults 60 Years and Older: New York City Residents Compared With a National Sample

This study describes moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior among New York City (NYC) residents 60 years and older and compare to national United States’ estimates. Adults aged 60 or older living in NYC (n=760) were compared to similar aged adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (n=2451 adults). Both groups wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for one week. The NYC sample recorded 13.2, 23.8, and 37.8 mean minutes/day of MVPA and the NHANES sample recorded 10.6, 21.1, and 39.3, depending on the definition. Sedentary behavior averaged 9.6 hours/day for the NYC sample and 9.3 hours/day for the NHANES sample. The NYC sample spent a longer proportion of time in sedentary behavior and light activities, but more time in MVPA than the NHANES sample. Urbanicity may explain some of the differences between the two samples

Environmental Disparities in the Objectively and Longitudinally Measured Local Food Environments of Urban Older Adults

Background: Valid measures of local food environments are needed to quantify disparities in the availability of healthy foods and estimate the effect of built environments on health. Limited measures are available to describe the fluctuation of food retail environments over time, and how food environments are utilized by older adults. Purpose: This study measured neighborhood environments of older adults living in Brooklyn, NY, using an objective, prospective audit tool in order to document variations in the availability of food retailers and other neighborhood resources over a two-year period. Additionally, neighborhood utilization patterns, which may mitigate exposure to the built environment, were assessed using surveys of participating older adults. Methods: Older adults enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health of Seniors and the Built Environment study in New York City (NYC) between 2009-2011 completed surveys in person at baseline and two years later (n=1,318). Auditors documented food retailers located on NYC streets within 300-meters of each participant’s home, within six months of baseline surveys, and two years later. Results: Most participants walked to food stores, purchased food less than 0.5 mile from home, and consumed meals at home. Changes to food retail environments were observed by race and ethnicity, with decreases in bodegas (b= -1.28, standard error (SE) = 0.18) and liquor stores (b= -0.19, SE 0.05) in the buffer zones of white participants compared with that of black participants. Increases in supermarkets were observed in both white (b= 0.27, SE 0.07) and Latino buffer zones (b= 0.28, SE 0.08). Conclusions: Changes in food environments varied by areas where Black, White, and Hispanic participants lived. Understanding the variation of exposure to local food environments over time, and how the exposures may be mediated by behaviors, will lead to more precision in exposure assignment within this area of environmental and health science

Air Pollution, Lung Function, and Physical Symptoms in Communities Near Concentrated Swine Feeding Operations

Concentrated animal feeding operations emit air pollutants that may affect health. We examined associations of reported hog odor and of monitored air pollutants with physical symptoms and lung function in people living within 1.5 miles of hog operations

Neighborhood Environment and Adiposity among Older Adults: the Cardiovascular Health of Seniors and the Built Environment Study

Background. Individual neighborhood factors are associated with obesity-related health behaviors and rates; however, there remains a paucity of information characterizing whole environments in these relationships and limited information on the effect for older adults. Methods. Adults, aged 60 or older living in New York City, were enrolled into the Cardiovascular Health of Seniors and the Built Environment between January 2009 and June 2011. Walking audits of all streets within 300-meter buffer zones around residential addresses were conducted resulting in the assessment of 34 different neighborhood features hypothesized to be associated with obesity through physical activity and diet. Outcomes included objective measures of body fat mass (FM), waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI). Stratified linear regression models were used to calculate geographic differences in associations between neighborhood resources and adiposity by gender and age categories in areas where Black, White and Latino residents lived. Results. For women 60-69 years of age living in black areas, neighborhood features resulted in a higher FM than the average Brooklyn neighborhood (Difference (D) =2.15, 95% CI [1.15, 3.15]). Conversely, for women of the same age living in white and Latino areas, a lower prevalence of FM was observed: white areas: (D= -2.01, 95% CI [-3.62, -0.40]); Latino areas: (D= -1.43, 95% CI [-2.72, -0.14]). The direction of the effects remained similar for other age groups, although the estimates were less precise. Estimates of FM were inconsistent across age groups for men living in each of the areas. Other measurements of adiposity showed similar results. Conclusions. The composition of neighborhood features in white and Latino residential areas is protective of adiposity, whereas features located in black areas appear to place residents at greater risk

Body Burdens of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers among Urban Anglers

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used in the United States and worldwide as flame retardants. Recent PBDE production figures show that worldwide use has increased. To determine whether fish consumption is a source of PBDE exposure for humans, a cross-sectional epidemiologic study of New York and New Jersey urban anglers was conducted during the summers of 2001–2003. Frequency of local fish consumption was assessed by questionnaire, and blood samples for PBDE analysis were collected from 94 anglers fishing from piers on the lower Hudson River and Newark Bay. We analyzed PBDEs by gas chromatography–isotope dilution–high-resolution mass spectrometry. The congeners found in anglers’ serum at the highest concentrations were, by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry numbers, BDE-47, BDE-153, and BDE-99. Anglers reporting consumption of local fish had higher, but nonstatistically significantly different, concentrations of PBDEs than did anglers who did not eat local fish. For some congeners (BDE-100 and BDE-153), we observed moderate dose–response relationships between serum PBDE levels and frequency of reported fish intake. These findings suggest that consumption of locally caught fish is not a major route of human exposure for this study population