Clinical trial NCT00356707: Evaluating the Link Between Neighborhood Environments and Obesity Among African American Women
Official title: Effect of Urban Form on Exercise and BMI in Black Women
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Obesity
Keywords: Body Mass Index
Lead sponsor: Boston University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
First posted: 2006-07-26
Enrollment: 23000
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 21
Maximum age (years): 69
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The Black Women's Health Study cohort comprises 59,000 African American women recruited mainly from subscribers to Essence magazine who returned the baseline 1995 survey.

Brief summary: African American women have higher rates of obesity than women of any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Obesity can have many causes, including genetic and environmental factors. This study will examine how neighborhood environments influence the occurrence of obesity among African American women.

Detailed description: Obesity, which leads to higher rates of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, is an increasingly important public health problem. In 2000, over 78% of African American women were overweight, and over 50% were obese. Several factors can contribute to obesity, including genetics, diet, and environmental factors. Individuals who live in an environment in which it is difficult to maintain an active lifestyle are more prone to obesity. The Black Women's Health Study (BWHS) is an extensive long-term study that is gathering data from women across the country to examine the occurrence of various diseases among African American women. Using BWHS study data and specific information on participants' neighborhoods, including street layout and the presence of sidewalks, this study will determine if neighborhood environments influence the prevalence of obesity among African American women.

This study will use already-collected data on physical activity and body mass index of BWHS study participants who live in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago; there are no additional study visits specifically for this study. A transportation and urban planning expert will compile data regarding the pedestrian environment of neighborhoods in all three cities, including the nature and density of land use, proximity to parks, presence of sidewalks, speed and volume of traffic, and street structure. Census data regarding participants' socioeconomic status will also be collected.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Participating in the BWHS study
* Residing in New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago

Primary outcomes:
measure: Influence of neighborhood environments on obesity among African American women
timeFrame: Measured through the use of BWHS study data and neighborhood study data
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: Slone Epidemiology Center, Boston University
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
affiliation: Boston University
name: Patricia F. Coogan, ScD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: