Reduction in the amount of unstructured time spent outdoors, resulting in less physical activity, is one of the behavioral factors related to the increase in childhood obesity. This study is based on the understanding that neighborhood greenspaces have the potential to increase children's physical activity levels and thus reduce obesity. The specific aim was to examine associations between small area population rates of childhood obesity and several specific indicators of the local greenspace environment.
The “small areas” used for this study consisted of lower-layer super output areas (LSOA) in the English city of Sheffield. An LSOA is a census geography used for reporting small area statistics. The average population of an LSOA is 1600, with an average of approximately 14 to 17 children per school year group. The Sheffield City Council provided the obesity data for children in the LSOAs at ages 4 to 5 and 10 to 11. Additional data collected for each LSOA included six different indicators of greenspace: overall green cover; garden size; tree density around residential addresses; accessibility of any greenspace from residential properties (300 meters or approximately a 5-minute walk); greenspaces that meet quality criteria (as related to size and having a predominantly natural feeling); and greenspaces with play facilities. Additional data used for this study included socioeconomic factors (income deprivation and air pollution) and average density (urbanicity) of residential addresses in the LSOAs.
Higher densities of trees around residential addresses were significantly associated with lower rates of obesity for both the younger and older groups. For the older group (age 10-11), accessibility of greenspaces meeting quality criteria was also significant. For the younger group (age 4-5), there were indications that greater access to play facilities was linked to lower obesity rates; but this association was not significant. For both age groups, more and stronger relationships were identified between the socioeconomic (income deprivation and air pollution) and density variables and obesity rates than between the greenspace variables and obesity. The relationship between income deprivation and obesity was particularly strong, with greater deprivation linked to higher levels of obesity. Lower density around residential addresses was associated with higher rates of obesity. “The direction of this relationship may arise from greater connectivity of destinations for children in more densely urbanized areas (e.g., friends' houses, parks) leading to higher levels of physical activity.”
The overall results of this study highlight the importance of tree density around children's homes. It also highlights the importance of greenspaces in the wider environment for children as they get older and become more independent. These findings have important implications for planning new residential areas in urban environments. “Ensuring that children have access to age-appropriate greenspace resources could make an important contribution to reducing childhood obesity.”
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