TABLE 2.
Measures of urban sprawl and weight‐related behaviors and outcomes in five included studies
| First author (year) | Measures of urban sprawl | Weight‐related outcomes | Weight‐related behaviours | Other factors adjusted for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ewing (2006) 33 | • County sprawl index, calculated based on the six variables through PCA: gross population density, % of population living at low population densities, % of population living at high population densities, county population divided by the amount of urban land, average block size and % of blocks with small block sizes |
• Reported BMI • Overweight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile on the CDC growth charts) |
NA |
• Individual variables: age, gender, race/ethnicity, smoking, hours worked, TV watching, exercise and fruit and vegetable consumption • SES features: highest grade completed by respondent, highest grade attained by a household member, household income, • Crime rates • Climate variables |
| Guarnizo‐Herreño (2019) 34 | • % of the state population living in the central cities of the metropolitan statistical areas |
• Obesity (reported BMI ≥ 95th percentile on the age and gender specific BMI distribution in the NSCH datasets) • Overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 85th percentile on the age and gender specific BMI distribution in the NSCH datasets) |
NA | • Household income |
| Guettabi (2014) 35 |
• Metropolitan index of sprawl, calculated based on the six variables through PCA: gross population density, % of population living at low population densities, % of population living at high population densities, county population divided by the amount of urban land, average block size and % of blocks with small block sizes • Distance to the nearest micro/metropolitan area |
• Measured BMI | NA |
• SES features: mother education, family income • County personal income • County government transfer • Incremental distances from urban centers of different hierarchy |
| Schwartz (2011) 36 | • County sprawl index, calculated by the six variables through PCA: gross population density, % of population living at low population densities, % of population living at high population densities, county population divided by the amount of urban land, average block size and % of blocks with small block sizes | • Measured BMI | NA | NA |
| Seliske (2012) 37 | • Urban sprawl index was calculated by the following three variables through PCA: dwelling density, % of single or detached dwellings and % of the population living in the urban core | • Reported BMI• Overweight and obesity (based on age‐ and sex‐specific International Obesity Task Force pediatric BMI thresholds) |
• MVPA (≥60 min per day or <60 min per day) • Active transportation (≥30 min per day or <30 min per day) |
• Season of survey interview • Climate: daily temperature, annual rainfall, annual snowfall • SES features: household education, household income, community size |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention; MVPA, moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity; NSCH, National Surveys of Children's Health; PCA, principal component analysis; SES, socio‐economic status.