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Cited by 92Urban Green Space and HealthUrban Transport and AccessibilityEnvironmental Justice and Health Disparities

Urban Natural Environments, Obesity, and Health-Related Quality of Life among Hispanic Children Living in Inner-City Neighborhoods

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Kim, Jun-Hyun, Lee, Chanam, Sohn, Wonmin·2016·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
DOI 10.3390/ijerph13010121PMC PMC4730512
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Abstract

Although a substantial body of literature has provided evidence supporting the positive effects of natural environments on well-being, little has been known about the specific spatial patterns of urban nature in promoting health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among children. This study assessed the association that the urban natural environment measured by landscape spatial patterns may have with obesity and HRQOL among Hispanic children. Ninety-two 4th and 5th grade students were recruited from Houston, Texas, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) was used to capture the children’s HRQOL. The quality of urban natural environments was assessed by quantifying the landscape spatial patterns, using landscape indices generated by Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing. From the bivariate analyses, children’s body mass index showed a significantly negative association with their HRQOL. After controlling for socio-demographic factors, the results revealed that larger and more tree areas were positively correlated with children’s HRQOL. In addition, those children living in areas with tree patches further apart from each other showed higher HRQOL. This research adds to the current multi-disciplinary area of research on environment-health relationships by investigating the roles of urban greeneries and linking their spatial structures with children’s HRQOL.

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  • Fourteen studies identified in this systematic scoping review measured both ST and GT.

    “Fourteen studies identified in this systematic scoping review measured both ST and GT [234–238, 242–250].”

    From Psychological impacts of “screen time” and “green time” for children and adolescents: A systematic scoping review (2020) · cites this paper as [237]

    The Results (§3.1; page unavailable) report children’s TV-watching hours, supporting measurement of screen time (ST). The Methods (§2.2; page unavailable) describe measuring nearby trees and forests through landscape indices, but do not show a measure of time spent in green space (GT). This paper therefore supports only part of its identification as a study measuring both. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Sorted by citations

Authors
Kim, J.-H., Lee, C., & Sohn, W.
Affiliations
Texas A&M University (US)
Corresponding author
Kim, Jun-Hyun
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2016-01-12
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
121
ISSN
1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ijerph13010121
PMC
PMC4730512
OpenAlex
W2232802854
Cited by
92
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3
FWCI
4.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • OakTrust (Texas A&M University Libraries) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (65536)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Urban Green Space and Health
  • Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
Keywords
urban nature, childhood obesity, health-related quality of life, Hispanic children, inner-city neighborhoods, landscape pattern, tree cover, urban green space, body mass index, PedsQL
MeSH terms
Child, Cities, Environment, Female, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Male, Obesity, Quality of Life, Residence Characteristics, Risk Factors, Texas, Trees, Urban Health, Body Mass Index, Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing Technology, Protective Factors

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