Objectives: The environment is believed to be key in obesity prevention, yet it is unclear how factors in the neighborhood influence weight-related behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of parental perceived environment on physical activity (PA), television (TV) time, active play and Body Mass Index (BMI) z score, and the mediating role of these weight-related behaviors on the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and children's BMI.
Methods: Data of 8472 Portuguese preschool (aged 3-6, n = 3819) and school-aged children (aged 7-11 years, n = 4653) were collected during 2016/2017. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the associations between parents perceived neighborhood characteristics (latent variables: unsafety and built/physical environment) and child's BMI z score, PA and TV time.
Results: Among preschoolers, the latent variables of the perceived environment were not associated with the BMI, TV time, extracurricular PA, and active play. Among schoolchildren, the unsafety environment was positively associated with both the BMI (SC = 0.050, P = .008) and the time spent watching TV (SC = 0.052, P = .031) and negatively associated with extracurricular PA (SC = -0.125, P < .001). The latent variable Favorable Built Environment for PA (ie, environmental facilitating elements) was positively associated with active play (SC = 0.041, P = .031). Moreover, the TV time was a marginally significant mediator of the relationship between the perceived unsafe environment and the BMI of school-aged children (B = 0.002, P = .096).
Conclusions: In conclusion, changes in the environment to targeting parental perception of neighborhood safety could have positive effects on the promotion of healthy weight and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle in school-aged children.
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