Effects of buffer size and shape on associations between the built environment and energy balance

Peter James; David Berrigan; Jaime E Hart; J Aaron Hipp; Christine M Hoehner; Jacqueline Kerr; Jacqueline M Major; Masayoshi Oka; Francine Laden

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.02.003

Effects of buffer size and shape on associations between the built environment and energy balance

Health Place. 2014 May:27:162-70. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.02.003. Epub 2014 Mar 7.

Authors

Peter James¹, David Berrigan², Jaime E Hart³, J Aaron Hipp⁴, Christine M Hoehner⁵, Jacqueline Kerr⁶, Jacqueline M Major⁷, Masayoshi Oka⁸, Francine Laden⁹

Affiliations

¹ Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, 401 Park Dr, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: pjames@hsph.harvard.edu.
² Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive MSC 7344, Room 3E342, Bethesda, MD 20892-7344, USA. Electronic address: berrigad@mail.nih.gov.
³ Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women׳s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Dr, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: rejch@channing.harvard.edu.
⁴ George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University St. Louis, Campus Box 1196, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA. Electronic address: ahipp@brownschool.wustl.edu.
⁵ George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University St. Louis, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8109, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Electronic address: hoehnerc@wudosis.wustl.edu.
⁶ Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, UCSD, Psychology Department and the Graduate School of Public Health, SDSU, 10111N, Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. Electronic address: jkerr@ucsd.edu.
⁷ Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, 6120 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7242, Bethesda, MD 20892-7335, USA. Electronic address: jqmajor@yahoo.com.
⁸ Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Electronic address: moka@wudosis.wustl.edu.
⁹ Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, 401 Park Dr, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: francine.laden@channing.harvard.edu.

Abstract

Uncertainty in the relevant spatial context may drive heterogeneity in findings on the built environment and energy balance. To estimate the effect of this uncertainty, we conducted a sensitivity analysis defining intersection and business densities and counts within different buffer sizes and shapes on associations with self-reported walking and body mass index. Linear regression results indicated that the scale and shape of buffers influenced study results and may partly explain the inconsistent findings in the built environment and energy balance literature.

Keywords: Body mass index; Built environment; Geographic information systems; Spatial uncertainty; Walking.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Adult
Body Mass Index*
Energy Metabolism
Environment Design / statistics & numerical data*
Female
Geographic Information Systems
Humans
Prospective Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States / epidemiology
Urban Population / statistics & numerical data
Walking / statistics & numerical data*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding