Urshila Sriram1, Andrea Z LaCroix2, Wendy E Barrington3, Giselle Corbie-Smith4, Lorena Garcia5, Scott B Going6, Michael J LaMonte7, JoAnn E Manson8, Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson9, Marcia L Stefanick10, Molly E Waring11, Rebecca A Seguin12. 1. Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 2. Division of Epidemiology, Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California. 3. Department of Psychosocial and Community Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. 4. Departments of Social Medicine, Medicine, and Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 5. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California. 6. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. 7. Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. 8. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. 9. Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. 10. Department of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. 11. Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts. 12. Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Electronic address: rebeccaseguin@cornell.edu.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Neighborhood environments may play a role in the rising prevalence of obesity among older adults. However, research on built environmental correlates of obesity in this age group is limited. The current study aimed to explore associations of Walk Score, a validated measure of neighborhood walkability, with BMI and waist circumference in a large, diverse sample of older women. METHODS: This study linked cross-sectional data on 6,526 older postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Long Life Study (2012-2013) to Walk Scores for each participant's address (collected in 2012). Linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate associations of BMI and waist circumference with continuous and categorical Walk Score measures. Secondary analyses examined whether these relationships could be explained by walking expenditure or total physical activity. All analyses were conducted in 2015. RESULTS: Higher Walk Score was not associated with BMI or overall obesity after adjustment for sociodemographic, medical, and lifestyle factors. However, participants in highly walkable areas had significantly lower odds of abdominal obesity (waist circumference >88 cm) as compared with those in less walkable locations. Observed associations between walkability and adiposity were partly explained by walking expenditure. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that neighborhood walkability is linked to abdominal adiposity, as measured by waist circumference, among older women and provide support for future longitudinal research on associations between Walk Score and adiposity in this population.
INTRODUCTION: Neighborhood environments may play a role in the rising prevalence of obesity among older adults. However, research on built environmental correlates of obesity in this age group is limited. The current study aimed to explore associations of Walk Score, a validated measure of neighborhood walkability, with BMI and waist circumference in a large, diverse sample of older women. METHODS: This study linked cross-sectional data on 6,526 older postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Long Life Study (2012-2013) to Walk Scores for each participant's address (collected in 2012). Linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate associations of BMI and waist circumference with continuous and categorical Walk Score measures. Secondary analyses examined whether these relationships could be explained by walking expenditure or total physical activity. All analyses were conducted in 2015. RESULTS: Higher Walk Score was not associated with BMI or overall obesity after adjustment for sociodemographic, medical, and lifestyle factors. However, participants in highly walkable areas had significantly lower odds of abdominal obesity (waist circumference >88 cm) as compared with those in less walkable locations. Observed associations between walkability and adiposity were partly explained by walking expenditure. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that neighborhood walkability is linked to abdominal adiposity, as measured by waist circumference, among older women and provide support for future longitudinal research on associations between Walk Score and adiposity in this population.
Authors: Mia A Papas; Anthony J Alberg; Reid Ewing; Kathy J Helzlsouer; Tiffany L Gary; Ann C Klassen Journal: Epidemiol Rev Date: 2007-05-28 Impact factor: 6.222
Authors: Fuzhong Li; Peter Harmer; Bradley J Cardinal; Mark Bosworth; Deborah Johnson-Shelton; Jane M Moore; Alan Acock; Naruepon Vongjaturapat Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2009-01-19 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Ethan M Berke; Thomas D Koepsell; Anne Vernez Moudon; Richard E Hoskins; Eric B Larson Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2007-01-31 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Jordan A Carlson; James F Sallis; Terry L Conway; Brian E Saelens; Lawrence D Frank; Jacqueline Kerr; Kelli L Cain; Abby C King Journal: Prev Med Date: 2011-10-15 Impact factor: 4.018
Authors: Brian E Saelens; S Sonia Arteaga; David Berrigan; Rachel M Ballard; Amy A Gorin; Tiffany M Powell-Wiley; Charlotte Pratt; Jill Reedy; Shannon N Zenk Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2018-04 Impact factor: 5.002
Authors: Elizabeth Tarlov; Abigail Silva; Coady Wing; Sandy Slater; Stephen A Matthews; Kelly K Jones; Shannon N Zenk Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2019-12-05 Impact factor: 5.002
Authors: Joel Adu-Brimpong; Nathan Coffey; Colby Ayers; David Berrigan; Leah R Yingling; Samantha Thomas; Valerie Mitchell; Chaarushi Ahuja; Joshua Rivers; Jacob Hartz; Tiffany M Powell-Wiley Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2017-03-08 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Yung Liao; Chien-Yu Lin; Ting-Fu Lai; Yen-Ju Chen; Bohyeon Kim; Jong-Hwan Park Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-02-20 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Dustin T Duncan; Julie Méline; Yan Kestens; Kristen Day; Brian Elbel; Leonardo Trasande; Basile Chaix Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2016-06-20 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Gavin R McCormack; Anita Blackstaffe; Alberto Nettel-Aguirre; Ilona Csizmadi; Beverly Sandalack; Francisco Alaniz Uribe; Afrah Rayes; Christine Friedenreich; Melissa L Potestio Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2018-06-11 Impact factor: 3.390