The influence of community food environment on weight status of young children participating in the Children's Healthy Living Program in Guam (1019.1)

Abstract

Many studies support the influential role that the community food environment (CFE) has on children’s weight status. The purpose of this study is to determine if the CFE is associated with early childhood body mass index (BMI) in 3 communities on Guam. CFE factors, including fruit/vegetable availability, store advertising, and community readiness (CR) for change, were assessed using tools amended for the Children’s Healthy Living (CHL) Program community randomized trial. Anthropometry data of children (2 to 8 years; n=536) were collected across all communities and BMI z‐scores calculated using the 2000 CDC growth curves. Mean differences between BMI z‐score and CFE factors were examined using a general linear model and Spearman correlations evaluated associations. A total of 42 stores were surveyed of which a majority were small markets (74%) and the remaining were convenience stores (17%) and large grocery stores/supermarkets (9%). At the community level, there was a significant difference in mean BMI z‐score (p<0.001); among the CFE factors, the only significant difference was in CR score (p<0.05). A significant negative correlation was found only between mean BMI z‐score and CR score (r=‐0.31, p=0.04). High density of small markets may be an opportunity for CFE intervention but further investigation on CFE elements, including CR, with more communities is needed to understand the CFE’s influence on Guam.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grant no. 2011‐68001‐30335 from the USDA NIFA.