Can Neighbors Make You Healthy? Understanding how adolescent obesity is associated with neighborhood characteristics and physical activity

Findings from several studies suggest that higher levels of neighborhood safety and social capital are associated with higher levels of physical activity, a known predictor of obesity. Presently, the obesity rate for adolescents ages 12 to19 in the United States is 16.9%, which is four times the rate noted in the 1960s. This study focuses on neighborhood characteristics, activity patterns and their association with obesity in adolescent females in the United States. Specifically, this paper examines whether neighborhood characteristics (e.g. built environment, social capital, neighborhood safety) are associated with adolescent activity patterns (e.g. weekly physical and sedentary activity) and obesity in females ages 12-17. Data were gathered using the National Survey of Children’s Health, a study that focuses on health in children and adolescents 0-17 years of age in the United States. Findings will clarify the relationship between neighborhood characteristics, female adolescent activity patterns and how these variables relate to adolescent obesity.