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Primary Submission Category: Health behaviors
Income Inequities in Youth Movement Behaviors: The Role of the Neighborhood Environment
Authors: Hayley Almes, Ryan Burns, Adriana Coletta, Jacob Kean,
Presenting Author: Hayley Almes*
Prior research has demonstrated income-linked disparities in movement behaviors (including sleep, sedentary screen time, and physical activity), but few have examined the potential role of neighborhood environment in these relationships. We examined associations between income, neighborhood environment, and movement behaviors among US children and adolescents using pooled cross-sectional 2022–2023 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data (n≈68,000; ages 6–17). Survey-weighted bivariate associations were estimated, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to estimate indirect effects linking household income to movement behaviors via neighborhood conditions. The neighborhood environment was evaluated as (1) a single latent construct and (2) separate latent domains reflecting infrastructure and disorder. Additionally, we modeled safety as a mediator between income and each of the three movement behaviors. Measurement models supported a two-domain representation of neighborhood conditions (infrastructure and disorder). Higher income was associated with more favorable parent-reported movement behavior patterns, and neighborhood conditions partially mediated these associations. Indirect pathways through disorder were stronger than pathways through infrastructure (18% of the total effect through disorder versus 3% through infrastructure). Perceived neighborhood safety accounted for indirect associations between income and each movement behavior (about 54% of the total effect for screen time, 24% for sleep, and 47% for PA). Disorder-related neighborhood conditions may be more strongly linked to youths’ movement behaviors than infrastructure. Place-based strategies to improve movement behaviors may benefit from pairing infrastructural investments with efforts to reduce visible disorder and improve perceived safety.