Neighborhood Greenness and 2-Year Changes in Body Mass Index of Children and Youth

This study finds that greenness is inversely related to the body mass index of children. These findings support the exploration of the promotion and preservation of greenspace within neighborhoods as a means of addressing childhood obesity.

Greenness may present a target for environmental approaches to preventing child obesity. Children and youth living in greener neighborhoods had lower BMI z-scores at Time 2, presumably due to increased physical activity or time spent outdoors. Conceptualizations of walkability from adult studies, based solely on residential density, may not be relevant to children and youth in urban environments.

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