Grant Number:	5R01CA140319-05 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Wen, Ming
Organization:	University Of Utah
Project Title:	Neighborhood Built and Social Environment and Physical Activity and Weight Status
Fiscal Year:	2014

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Overweight and obesity are risk factors for a range of health problems. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been steadily rising among every segment of the U.S. population. In searching for factors driving the obesity epidemic, the overweight/obesity research is now focused on the balance between diet and physical activity (PA). To address the obesity epidemic, researchers have begun to explore the wider contextual determinants of obesity-related outcomes in hope of identifying new approaches to promoting PA and curbing the rising tide of obesity. This study attempts to contribute to the literature by examining the extent to which neighborhood built environments and socio-demographic contexts influence individual PA and weight status in the United States. To guide this investigation, we employ the social cognitive theory and ecological models and use multiple data sources including the 2000 Census data, GIS-based data from various sources, other place-based aggregate data, and continuous NHANES from 1999 to 2008. We ask: 1) How do contextual built environmental and socio-demographic factors affect objectively and subjectively measured PA and weight status over and above individual characteristics? 2) What are the interacting and mediating effects among contextual built environmental and socio-demographic factors in their impacts on PA and weight status? Are these observed contextual effects partly mediated by individual psychosocial pathways? 3) How do neighborhood factors interact with individual factors to impact PA and weight status? 4) How are the above relationships sensitive to geographic aggregation methods of local neighborhoods? 5) How does spatial dependency among local neighborhoods affect the observed patterns produced from the above analysis? This project goes beyond current research in five ways. First, it examines a wider range of place-based contextual features at both tract- and county-levels. Second, it is a national study covering the entire U.S. Third, it examines both self-reports and objective assessments of PA and weight status. Fourth, it provides a unique opportunity to examine interactions across a number of levels (e.g., individual- neighborhood, neighborhood-county). Fifth, it tests under-studied hypotheses in this literature such as the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem and the spatial dependency issues. This project combines perspectives from sociology, urban planning, geography, and spatial epidemiology; it bridges these disciplines to formulate research that addresses a set of questions vital to research on environmental determinants of PA and weight status.




Associations between obesity and neighborhood socioeconomic status: Variations by gender and family income status.
Authors: Fan J.X. , Wen M. , Li K. .
Source: Ssm - Population Health, 2020 Apr; 10, p. 100529.
EPub date: 2019-12-10 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 31890849
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Neighborhood Racial Diversity and Metabolic Syndrome: 2003-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Authors: Li K. , Wen M. , Fan J.X. .
Source: Journal Of Immigrant And Minority Health, 2018-03-30 00:00:00.0; , .
EPub date: 2018-03-30 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29603089
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Rural-Urban Disparities in Obesity Prevalence Among Working Age Adults in the United States: Exploring the Mechanisms.
Authors: Wen M. , Fan J.X. , Kowaleski-Jones L. , Wan N. .
Source: American Journal Of Health Promotion : Ajhp, 2018 02; 32(2), p. 400-408.
EPub date: 2017-02-01 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29214811
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Association of Individual and Neighborhood Factors with Home Food Availability: Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Authors: Chai W. , Fan J.X. , Wen M. .
Source: Journal Of The Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics, 2018-01-27 00:00:00.0; , .
EPub date: 2018-01-27 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29396154
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Built Environment and Active Commuting: Rural-Urban Differences in the U.S.
Authors: Fan J.X. , Wen M. , Wan N. .
Source: Ssm - Population Health, 2017 Dec; 3, p. 435-441.
EPub date: 2017-05-10 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29124104
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Erratum to "Ethnic density, immigrant enclaves, and Latino health risks: A propensity score matching approach" [Soc. Sci. Med. 189 (2017) 44e52].
Authors: Li K. , Wen M. , Henry K.A. .
Source: Social Science & Medicine (1982), 2017 Nov; 193, p. 127-129.
EPub date: 2017-10-06 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 28992994
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Ethnic density, immigrant enclaves, and Latino health risks: A propensity score matching approach.
Authors: Li K. , Wen M. , Henry K.A. .
Source: Social Science & Medicine (1982), 2017 Sep; 189, p. 44-52.
EPub date: 2017-07-25 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 28780439
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Association Of Individual And Community Factors With C-reactive Protein And 25-hydroxyvitamin D: Evidence From The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (nhanes)
Authors: Chai W. , Fan J.X. , Wen M. .
Source: Ssm - Population Health, 2016 Dec; 2, p. 889-896.
PMID: 27995178
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Tract- and county-level income inequality and individual risk of obesity in the United States.
Authors: Fan J.X. , Wen M. , Kowaleski-Jones L. .
Source: Social Science Research, 2016 Jan; 55, p. 75-82.
PMID: 26680289
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Correlates of Leisure-Time Physical Activity Participation Among Latino Children and Adolescents with Acanthosis Nigricans.
Authors: Wen M. , Su D. .
Source: Journal Of Immigrant And Minority Health / Center For Minority Public Health, 2015 Oct; 17(5), p. 1330-6.
PMID: 24500001
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Built environment and obesity by urbanicity in the U.S.
Authors: Xu Y. , Wang F. .
Source: Health & Place, 2015 Jul; 34, p. 19-29.
PMID: 25864019
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Multilevel built environment features and individual odds of overweight and obesity in Utah.
Authors: Xu Y. , Wen M. , Wang F. .
Source: Applied Geography (sevenoaks, England), 2015 Jun; 60, p. 197-203.
PMID: 26251559
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Sociodemographic and environmental correlates of active commuting in rural America.
Authors: Fan J.X. , Wen M. , Kowaleski-Jones L. .
Source: The Journal Of Rural Health : Official Journal Of The American Rural Health Association And The National Rural Health Care Association, 2015 Spring; 31(2), p. 176-85.
PMID: 25066252
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An ecological analysis of environmental correlates of active commuting in urban U.S.
Authors: Fan J.X. , Wen M. , Kowaleski-Jones L. .
Source: Health & Place, 2014 Nov; 30, p. 242-50.
PMID: 25460907
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Rural-urban differences in objective and subjective measures of physical activity: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006.
Authors: Fan J.X. , Wen M. , Kowaleski-Jones L. .
Source: Preventing Chronic Disease, 2014-08-21 00:00:00.0; 11, p. E141.
EPub date: 2014-08-21 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 25144676
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Physical activity and mortality among middle-aged and older adults in the United States.
Authors: Wen M. , Li L. , Su D. .
Source: Journal Of Physical Activity & Health, 2014 Feb; 11(2), p. 303-12.
PMID: 23363569
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Residential racial composition and black-white obesity risks: differential effects of neighborhood social and built environment.
Authors: Li K. , Wen M. , Henry K.A. .
Source: International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 2014-01-02 00:00:00.0; 11(1), p. 626-42.
EPub date: 2014-01-02 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 24452257
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Neighborhood socioeconomic status and BMI differences by immigrant and legal status: evidence from Utah.
Authors: Wen M. , Maloney T.N. .
Source: Economics And Human Biology, 2014 Jan; 12, p. 120-31.
PMID: 23623001
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Ethnic-immigrant disparities in total and abdominal obesity in the US.
Authors: Wen M. , Kowaleski-Jones L. , Fan J.X. .
Source: American Journal Of Health Behavior, 2013 Nov; 37(6), p. 807-18.
PMID: 24001630
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Walking or dancing: patterns of physical activity by cross-sectional age among U.S. women.
Authors: Fan J.X. , Kowaleski-Jones L. , Wen M. .
Source: Journal Of Aging And Health, 2013 Oct; 25(7), p. 1182-203.
PMID: 23867628
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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Leisure-time Physical Activity in California: Patterns and Mechanisms.
Authors: Li K. , Wen M. .
Source: Race And Social Problems, 2013-09-01 00:00:00.0; 5(3), p. 147-156.
PMID: 24069092
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Population-Adjusted Street Connectivity, Urbanicity and Risk of Obesity in the U.S.
Authors: Wang F. , Wen M. , Xu Y. .
Source: Applied Geography (sevenoaks, England), 2013 Jul; 41, p. 1-14.
PMID: 23667278
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Is self-rated health comparable between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics? Evidence from the health and retirement study.
Authors: Su D. , Wen M. , Markides K.S. .
Source: The Journals Of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences And Social Sciences, 2013 Jul; 68(4), p. 622-32.
PMID: 23685926
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Spatial disparities in the distribution of parks and green spaces in the USA.
Authors: Wen M. , Zhang X. , Harris C.D. , Holt J.B. , Croft J.B. .
Source: Annals Of Behavioral Medicine : A Publication Of The Society Of Behavioral Medicine, 2013 Feb; 45 Suppl 1, p. S18-27.
PMID: 23334758
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Community and child energy balance: differential associations between neighborhood environment and overweight risk by gender.
Authors: Kowaleski-Jones L. , Wen M. .
Source: International Journal Of Environmental Health Research, 2013; 23(5), p. 434-45.
PMID: 23594218
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Sex and ethnic differences in validity of self-reported adult height, weight and body mass index.
Authors: Wen M. , Kowaleski-Jones L. .
Source: Ethnicity & Disease, 2012 Winter; 22(1), p. 72-8.
PMID: 22774312
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The built environment and risk of obesity in the United States: racial-ethnic disparities.
Authors: Wen M. , Kowaleski-Jones L. .
Source: Health & Place, 2012 Nov; 18(6), p. 1314-22.
PMID: 23099113
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Measurement, Optimization, and Impact of Health Care Accessibility: A Methodological Review.
Authors: Wang F. .
Source: Annals Of The Association Of American Geographers. Association Of American Geographers, 2012; 102(5), p. 1104-1112.
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Religiousness, Physical Activity and Obesity among Older Cancer Survivors: Results from the Health and Retirement Study 2000-2010.
Authors: Nathenson S.L. , Wen M. .
Source: The International Journal Of Religion And Spirituality In Society, 2012; 2(3), p. 129-144.
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Latino residential isolation and the risk of obesity in Utah: the role of neighborhood socioeconomic, built-environmental, and subcultural context.
Authors: Wen M. , Maloney T.N. .
Source: Journal Of Immigrant And Minority Health / Center For Minority Public Health, 2011 Dec; 13(6), p. 1134-41.
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Modeling spatial accessibility to parks: a national study.
Authors: Zhang X. , Lu H. , Holt J.B. .
Source: International Journal Of Health Geographics, 2011-05-09 00:00:00.0; 10, p. 31.
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Assessing spatial and nonspatial factors for healthcare access: towards an integrated approach to defining health professional shortage areas.
Authors: Wang F. , Luo W. .
Source: Health & Place, 2005 Jun; 11(2), p. 131-46.
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