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Do Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds Reduce Childhood Obesity?
Author(s) -
Fan Maoyong,
Jin Yanhong
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.1093/ajae/aat047
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , childhood obesity , psychological intervention , obesity , matching (statistics) , environmental health , covariate , low income , geography , estimator , demography , demographic economics , psychology , medicine , overweight , econometrics , economics , statistics , sociology , mathematics , population , psychiatry
Abstract Using the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health data, we find a statistically and economically significant effect of neighborhood parks and playgrounds on childhood obesity based on covariate matching estimators. The park/playground effect depends on gender, age, race, household income, neighborhood safety, and other neighborhood amenities. The results suggest that adding a neighborhood park/playground may reduce the obesity rate and make children more fit, but relevant interventions must consider socioeconomic status of the targeted children as well as other neighborhood amenities.