Cardiometabolic Health, Healthy Eating
Conditions
Keywords
Agrihood, Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, Social Connectedness
Brief summary
The objective of The Neighborhood & Health Study is to use a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach to assess the impact of living in an agrihood-an agriculturally integrated community. This study follows a longitudinal cohort of residents of a newly developed neighborhood (the Indigo Neighborhood) and a geographically and socio-demographically matched neighborhood (the Elyson Neighborhood), both located in Fort Bend County, Texas, providing a unique opportunity for a natural experiment.
Detailed description
Poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity are prevalent in many communities across the United States. Agriculturally integrated communities called agrihoods are a potential responsive agriculture solution that may support healthy living. The aims of the study are to 1) Assess short-term changes in healthy eating, physical activity, cardiometabolic health indicators, and social connectedness as compared to a comparison neighborhood that is not an agriculturally integrated neighborhood; 2) Document time use with features of the Indigo Agrihood and assess consumer preferences for built and nature design features to provide resident-driven data for future developments; 3) Assess the economic benefits of the Indigo Agrihood.
Interventions
OTHERResidence in Agrihood Neighborhood
We are examining the effects of individuals who move into an agrihood neighborhood.
Sponsors
Texas A&M University
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Indigo Neighborhood Participants: * 18 years or older * Lived in the Indigo Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence for less than 3 months or intend to move to the Indigo Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence. * Pregnant women will not be excluded from participation and may be coincidentally included Elyson Neighborhood Participants: * 18 years or older * Live in the Elyson Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence (the comparison neighborhood group). * Pregnant women will not be excluded from participation and may be coincidentally included
Exclusion criteria
Indigo Neighborhood Participants: • None. Elyson Neighborhood Participants: • None.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in healthy eating | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Healthy eating will be measured by the Mediterranean Eating Pattern for Americans - 16 items scale. Score ranges from 0 to 16. Higher scores indicate healthy eating patterns. |
| Change in physical activity | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Physical activity will be measured through calculating moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity (LMVPA), walking, and sedentary behavior using data from an accelerometer worn by participants for 7 days |
| Change in body mass index (BMI) | Baseline to 6 months | Height and weight will be measured by research staff and BMI will be calculated. |
| Change in blood pressure | Baseline to 6 months | Blood pressure will be measured by research staff using an Omron sphygmomanometer. Measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg). |
| Change in hemoglobin A1c | Baseline to 6 months | Hemoglobin A1c will be measured by research staff using a CardioChek Plus machine that measures glucose in their blood. Hemoglobin A1c is measured in milligrams (mg) per deciliter (dL) of blood. |
| Change in social connectedness | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Social connectedness will be measured by the Brief Sense of Community Scale. Scores range from 8 to 40. Higher scores indicate more social connectedness. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in fruit intake | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Total fruit intake (cups/day) will be measured using a LS7 item. |
| Change in fiber intake | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Fiber intake (g/day) will be assessed using the NHANES Dietary Screener Questionnaire (DSQ). |
| Met recommendation for fish consumption (y/n) | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Whether or not a participant met the recommendation for fish consumption will be assessed using an LS7 item. |
| Change in frequency of consuming ultra-processed foods | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Frequency of ultra-processed foods consumption (times/month) will be assessed using a 9-item questionnaire adapted from the DSQ and the Beverage and Snack Questionnaire (BSQ2). |
| Change in red and processed meat consumption | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Total red and processed meat consumption (g/week) will be estimated using the DSQ. |
| Change in alcohol consumption | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Alcohol consumption (drinks/day) will be assessed using a 2-item questionnaire adapted from the Alcohol Use Disorders Screening Test (AUDIT). |
| Change in American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7) cardiovascular health score | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7) score is a composite of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (physical activity, eating habits, smoking status, cholesterol, glucose, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure). Score ranges from 0 to 14. Higher scores indicate better health. |
| Change in perceived stress | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Perceived stress will be assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale. Scores range from 0 to 40. Higher scores indicate more perceived stress. |
| Change in World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) recommendation adherence score | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | WCRF/AICR recommendation adherence score is a composite of seven items listed above: BMI, physical activity, fiber intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, processed food consumption, red meat consumption, and alcohol consumption. Scores range from 0 to 7. Higher scores indicate greater adherence to the recommendations. |
| Change in American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) cardiovascular health score | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score is a composite of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (physical activity, eating habits, smoking status, sleep, cholesterol, glucose, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure). Score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better health. |
| Change in community food environment | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | The community food environment, including store access and shopping behaviors, will be assessed by two items from the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey. Scores range from 2 to 10. Higher scores indicate a more diverse community food environment |
| Change in gardening and fruit and vegetable procurement | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Types of gardening and where fruits and vegetables are obtained will be assessed using multiple choice questions. |
| Change in vegetable intake | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Total vegetable intake (cups/day) will be measured using a LS7 item. |
| Change in nature exposure | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Nature exposure will be assessed by modified questions from the People and Nature Survey for England for American audiences. Multiple choice questions assess how much time is spent in nature and what type of natural spaces individuals visit. An additional multiple-choice item from the Nature of Americans survey will be used to identify how much time is spent in nature recreationally and for work in a typical week in hours. |
| Change in positive and negative affect | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Positive and negative affect will be assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. Scores range from 10 to 50 for each positive and negative affect. Higher scores indicate more positive or negative affect. |
| Change in (community) social cohesion | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Community social cohesion will be assessed by the social cohesion sub-scale of the Mujahid et al. Neighborhood Environment Scale (NES). Scores range from 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate greater social cohesion. |
| Change in transportation used to utilized food resources | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Transportation used to obtain food will be assessed by a single categorical item. |
| Change in distance to utilized food resources | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Distance to utilized food resources will be measured in miles. |
| Change in number of utilized food resources | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Number of utilized food resources will be measured by a multiple choice item. |
| Change in transportation used to utilized physical activity resources | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Transportation used to access the physical activity resources will be assessed by a single categorical item. |
| Change in distance to utilized physical activity resources | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Distance to utilized physical activity resources will be measured in miles. |
| Change in number of utilized physical activity resources | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Number of utilized physical activity resources will be measured by a multiple choice item. |
| Change in loneliness | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Loneliness and social isolation will be assessed by the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Scores range from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate more loneliness and social isolation. |
| Change in functional health | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Functional health will be assessed by the Quality Metric's MOS Short Form - 36 Version 2. 10 items will be used with scores range from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate higher functional health. |
| Change in sense of community | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Sense of community will be assessed using the Collective Efficacy scale. Scores range from 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater sense of community. |
| Change in consumption of whole grains | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Whole grain consumption (servings/day) will be assessed using an LS7 item. |
| Change in total physical activity | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Total physical activity (MET-min/wk) will be assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-long) |
| Change in dermal carotenoids | Baseline to 6 months | Dermal carotenoids will be measured by research staff using a Veggie Meter machine, which scans a participant's finger to measure carotenoids or how many fruits and vegetables someone eats. Scores from 0 to 800. Higher scores indicate higher levels of carotenoids. |
| Change in lipids | Baseline to 6 months | Lipids will be measured by research staff using a CardioChek Plus machine that measures lipids in blood. Triglycerides will be measured in milligrams (mg) of triglycerides per deciliter (dL) of blood. LDL/HDL cholesterol will be measured in milligrams of LDL/HDL cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood. Total Cholesterol is measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood. |
| Change in total HEI score | Baseline to 3 & 6 months | Total Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score will be calculated from a single 24-hour recall collected via the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24). Score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better diet. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactDeyaun L Jafari, Ph.D.
Outcome results
None listed