Household income, active travel, and their interacting impact on body mass index in a sample of urban Canadians: A Bayesian spatial analysis

Background: Active travel for utilitarian purposes contributes to total physical activity and may help counter the obesity epidemic. However, the evidence linking active travel and individual-level body weight is equivocal. Statistical modeling that accounts for spatial autocorrelation and unmeasure...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fuller, D. (Author), Luan, H. (Author), Ramsay, D. (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BioMed Central Ltd. 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
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020 |a 1476072X (ISSN) 
245 1 0 |a Household income, active travel, and their interacting impact on body mass index in a sample of urban Canadians: A Bayesian spatial analysis 
260 0 |b BioMed Central Ltd.  |c 2019 
856 |z View Fulltext in Publisher  |u https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-019-0168-x 
520 3 |a Background: Active travel for utilitarian purposes contributes to total physical activity and may help counter the obesity epidemic. However, the evidence linking active travel and individual-level body weight is equivocal. Statistical modeling that accounts for spatial autocorrelation and unmeasured spatial predictors has not yet used to explore whether the health benefits of active travel are shared equally across socioeconomic groups. Methods: Bayesian hierarchical models with spatial random effects were developed using travel survey data from Saskatoon, Canada (N = 4625). Differences in log-transformed body mass index (BMI) were estimated for levels of active travel use (vehicular travel only, mixed vehicular/active travel, and active travel only), household income, and neighbourhood deprivation after controlling for sociodemographic and physical activity variables. The modifying effect of household income on the association between active travel and BMI was also evaluated. Results: Significant and meaningful decreases in BMI were observed for mixed (β = - 0.02, CrI - 0.036 to - 0.004) and active only (β = - 0.043, CrI - 0.06 to - 0.025) compared to vehicular only travelers. BMI was significantly associated with levels of household income and neighbourhood deprivation. Accounting for the interaction between travel mode and household income, decreases in BMI were observed for active only compared to vehicular only travellers in the highest income category (β = - 0.061, CrI - 0.115 to - 0.007). Conclusion: Strategies to increase active travel use can support healthy weight loss and maintenance, but the opportunity to benefit from active travel use may be limited by low income. Considerations should be given to how interventions to increase active transportation might exacerbate social inequalities in BMI. Spatial statistical models are needed to account for unmeasured but spatially structured neighbourhood factors. © 2019 The Author(s). 
650 0 4 |a Active travel 
650 0 4 |a adult 
650 0 4 |a Adult 
650 0 4 |a aged 
650 0 4 |a Aged 
650 0 4 |a Bayes theorem 
650 0 4 |a Bayes Theorem 
650 0 4 |a Bayesian analysis 
650 0 4 |a Bayesian spatial modeling 
650 0 4 |a body mass 
650 0 4 |a Body Mass Index 
650 0 4 |a Body mass index (BMI) 
650 0 4 |a Canada 
650 0 4 |a Cross-Sectional Studies 
650 0 4 |a cross-sectional study 
650 0 4 |a demography 
650 0 4 |a economics 
650 0 4 |a epidemiology 
650 0 4 |a exercise 
650 0 4 |a Exercise 
650 0 4 |a Family Characteristics 
650 0 4 |a family size 
650 0 4 |a female 
650 0 4 |a Female 
650 0 4 |a household income 
650 0 4 |a human 
650 0 4 |a Humans 
650 0 4 |a income 
650 0 4 |a Income 
650 0 4 |a male 
650 0 4 |a Male 
650 0 4 |a middle aged 
650 0 4 |a Middle Aged 
650 0 4 |a Multi-level model 
650 0 4 |a numerical model 
650 0 4 |a physiology 
650 0 4 |a Residence Characteristics 
650 0 4 |a Saskatchewan 
650 0 4 |a Socioeconomic deprivation 
650 0 4 |a Socioeconomic Factors 
650 0 4 |a socioeconomic impact 
650 0 4 |a socioeconomics 
650 0 4 |a spatial analysis 
650 0 4 |a travel 
650 0 4 |a Travel 
650 0 4 |a travel behavior 
650 0 4 |a urban area 
650 0 4 |a urban population 
650 0 4 |a Urban Population 
650 0 4 |a young adult 
650 0 4 |a Young Adult 
700 1 |a Fuller, D.  |e author 
700 1 |a Luan, H.  |e author 
700 1 |a Ramsay, D.  |e author 
773 |t International Journal of Health Geographics