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Review
. 2023 Nov 29;15(11):e49657.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.49657. eCollection 2023 Nov.

A Review of the Role of Built Environment and Temperature in the Development of Childhood Obesity

Atika Jabeen  1   2 , Muhammad Shuaib Afzal  2 , Sameer A Pathan  2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

A Review of the Role of Built Environment and Temperature in the Development of Childhood Obesity

Atika Jabeen et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The burden of obesity is rising globally and is studied widely, yet the evidence for the association of environmental factors (both built and natural) with childhood obesity remains inconsistent. A relation with temperature as a proxy for natural environmental factors for obesity has not been reviewed previously. The purpose of this review was to assimilate updated evidence on environmental factors of childhood obesity. Three databases, MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), Web of Science, and Cochrane, were searched for articles related to the effect of built environment and temperature on childhood obesity in 6-12-year-olds published in the last five years. Twelve studies were identified: four longitudinal and eight cross-sectional. The studies were appraised using the National Institute of Health Quality (NIH) Assessment Tool. A review of included studies showed that built environmental features like higher residential and population density, higher intersection density, more playgrounds, and all park features like the presence or availability of parks, high number of parks, proximity to parks, and an increased park land area, showed a protective association against childhood obesity while land use mix showed a promoting association for the development of childhood obesity. Inconclusive evidence was observed for other built environmental features. The search strategy did not retrieve any literature published in the past five years studying the association between temperature and the development of childhood obesity. Standardization of definitions of exposure and outcome measures is recommended. Further research studying the relationship between environmental temperature and the development of childhood obesity is recommended.

Keywords: built environment; childhood; childhood obesity; environment; obesity; paediatric; risk factors childhood obesity; temperature.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Environmental Determinants of Obesity
Image credit: Author Note: This framework, although universal, has been written in the context of this review. There exists an overlap of the different factors within multiple layers of the socioeconomical model, depicted here.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Three main questions of the review
Image credit: Author
Figure 3
Figure 3. Mediational model for environment-obesity relationship
Image credit: Author
Figure 4
Figure 4. : PRISMA flow diagram for inclusion and exclusion of studies in the review
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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