Abstract P214: Utilizing Geospatial Technologies to Compare Existing Healthcare Resources with Noted Cardiovascular Risks Among Children in a Rural Setting

Abstract

With 1/3 of children classified as overweight or obese in the US, effective programming is important. Child obesity programs are conceptualized to reach various settings (e.g., school, home) and (e.g., parents, teachers). In this submission, we describe general geospatial methodologies useful for understanding the environmental resources of a community prior to implementing a child obesity program. Our rationale is that having a better understanding of the community will contribute to the fit between the community and a program. A better fit would, in turn, contribute to the program's success and sustainability. For this study, we explored the associations between the mean BMI% by zip code and the distance to the nearest school-based health center (SBHC). Child BMI percentile (BMI%) of 10,806 2nd graders and 5,596 5th graders were collected by the CARDIAC Project in 2009-2010 and used in this study. Zip codes with more than 5 data points were retained for these analyses. On average, 8% of the zip codes had a mean BMI% representing an overweight-obese population. SBHCs were found in 10.2% areas and adjacent to an additional 37.5%. The average distance to a SBHC was 28.9 kilometers. No significant association was found in mean BMI% based on the distance to a SBHC. SBHCs and other child-focused services within the community might be applicable locations for new obesity prevention programs. Future work will focus on characteristics of the SBHCs including types of programs offered and involvement within the community in hopes of better understanding the dynamic between these programs and West Virginia's adolescent obesity issues.