Neighborhood matters: An exploration of neighborhood-level disadvantage and cancer preventive behaviors in Hispanic youth with unhealthy weight

Objectives

The present study aimed to assess the associations between the youth's cancer preventive behaviors (CPB) (i.e., healthy dietary intake and physical activity), parent stress, parent socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., education, household income, and marital status), and neighborhood influences measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) in a sample of Hispanic families who have youth with unhealthy weight. Additionally, we examined whether parent stress mediated the relationship between ADI and youth CPB.

Methods

Baseline data from 280 Hispanic youth (M_age = 13.01 ± 0.83; 52.1 % females; M_{Body Mass Index (BMI) Percentile} = 94.55 ± 4.15) and their parents (M_age = 41.87 ± 6.49; 88.2 % females) who enrolled in an RCT were used. Self-reported data on youth dietary intake and physical activity, parent stress, and parent socio-demographic characteristics were collected. Neighborhood impact was examined using ADI, a validated measure to classify neighborhood disadvantage (e.g., housing quality and neighborhood income) using data from the US Census Bureau. Structural Equation Modeling was used (CPB as a latent variable) to evaluate the study model.

Results

Our findings indicated significant associations between ADI and youth CPB (b = −0.17, p = .019), and parent stress (b = 0.23, p = .001). However, parent stress did not mediate the relationship between youth ADI and CPB.

Conclusion

Youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods report less engagement in cancer preventive behaviors including poorer food intake quality and less physical activity, which may increase their risk of cancer. Future research should evaluate neighborhood resources to encourage physical activity and healthy eating.