Socio-economic correlates of childhood obesity in urban and rural England

Abstract

Objective: Physical access to food may affect diet and thus obesity rates. We build upon existing work to better understand how socio-economic characteristics of locations are associated with childhood overweight. Design: Using cross-sectional design and publicly available data, the study specifically compares rural and urban areas, including interactions of distance from supermarkets with income and population density. Setting: We examine cross-sectional associations with obesity prevalence both in the national scale and across urban and rural areas differing in household wealth. Participants: Children in reception class (aged 4-5) from all state-maintained schools in England taking part in the National Child Measurement Programme (n 6772). Results: Income was the main predictor of childhood obesity (adj. R-sq=.316, p