ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8458-8379
Current Organisation
The University of Auckland
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Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-03-2019
Abstract: Compositional data techniques are an emerging method in physical activity research. These techniques account for the complexities of, and interrelationships between, behaviours that occur throughout a day (e.g., physical activity, sitting, and sleep). The field of health geography research is also developing rapidly. Novel spatial techniques and data visualisation approaches are increasingly being recognised for their utility in understanding health from a socio-ecological perspective. Linking compositional data approaches with geospatial datasets can yield insights into the role of environments in promoting or hindering the health implications of the daily time-use composition of behaviours. The 7-day behaviour data used in this study were derived from accelerometer data for 882 Auckland school children and linked to weight status and neighbourhood deprivation. We developed novel geospatial visualisation techniques to explore activity composition over a day and generated new insights into links between environments and child health behaviours and outcomes. Visualisation strategies that integrate compositional activities, time of day, weight status, and neighbourhood deprivation information were devised. They include a ringmap overview, small-multiple ringmaps, and in idual and aggregated time–activity diagrams. Simultaneous visualisation of geospatial and compositional behaviour data can be useful for triangulating data from erse disciplines, making sense of complex issues, and for effective knowledge translation.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 11-09-2020
Abstract: This systematic review summarised and evaluated the evidence for associations between green space and adolescents’ mental well-being. The PRISMA statement guidelines were followed for reporting systematic reviews. Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Synthesis suggests beneficial associations between green space exposure and reduced stress, positive mood, less depressive symptoms, better emotional well-being, improved mental health and behaviour, and decreased psychological distress in adolescents. Several studies found the relationship varied by demographic and socio-economic factors. The limited number of studies and the risk of bias were the main limitations, together with heterogeneity regarding green space and mental well-being assessments. Overall, this review highlights the potential contribution of green space in schoolyards. Improving the availability, accessibility and quality of green space is likely to generate positive impacts on adolescents’ mental well-being. More consistent evidence on the use of different types of green space and perceptions of features are needed in the future.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-01-2022
Abstract: Regular participation in physical activity is essential for children’s physical, mental, and cognitive health. Neighborhood environments may be especially important for children who are more likely to spend time in the environment proximal to home. This article provides an update of evidence for associations between children’s physical activity behaviors and objectively assessed environmental characteristics derived using geographical information system (GIS)-based approaches. A systematic scoping review yielded 36 relevant articles of varying study quality. Most studies were conducted in the USA. Findings highlight the need for neighborhoods that are well connected, have higher population densities, and have a variety of destinations in the proximal neighborhood to support children’s physical activity behaviors. A shorter distance to school and safe traffic environments were significant factors in supporting children’s active travel behaviors. Areas for improvement in the field include the consideration of neighborhood self-selection bias, including more erse population groups, ground-truthing GIS databases, utilising data-driven approaches to derive environmental indices, and improving the temporal alignment of GIS datasets with behavioral outcomes.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/IJPO.12520
Abstract: There is a relationship between childhood obesity and area-level deprivation. While the New Zealand Index of Deprivation (NZDep) has been used widely in research for the past 20 years, the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) was released in 2017. This study aims to investigate the association between deprivation and childhood obesity in New Zealand and compare measures of deprivation. Data from 316 794 4-year-olds in New Zealand undertaking the B4 School Check in 2010 to 2016, a national health and development screen, were analysed. Multilevel logistic regression models assessed the relationship between area-level deprivation and in idual-level child obesity. Models were adjusted for age, sex, immigration status, ethnicity, and year. Deprivation was measured using the census-based NZDep2013 (deciles) and the administrative data-based IMD (deciles). The seven domains of the IMD were also considered. The relationship between deprivation and obesity was very similar for the IMD and NZDep2013, point estimates were near identical, and confidence intervals overlapped substantially. Higher levels of deprivation were associated with a higher prevalence of child obesity. The relationship between deprivation and child obesity varied considerably across IMD domains. The education domain had the strongest association with child obesity and had an association with child obesity independent of the other domains of deprivation. Overall, there was little difference between the NZDep and IMD. However, the IMD's domains and IMD-1 approach reveal more nuanced understandings of the deprivation-obesity gradient, including the importance of area-level education deprivation for predicting child obesity rates.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 17-08-2017
DOI: 10.2196/MHEALTH.7167
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 16-04-2019
Abstract: Children’s independent mobility is declining internationally. Parents are the gatekeepers of children’s independent mobility. This mixed methods study investigates whether parent perceptions of the neighbourhood environment align with objective measures of the neighbourhood built environment, and how perceived and objective measures relate to parental licence for children’s independent mobility. Parents participating in the Neighbourhood for Active Kids study (n = 940) answered an open-ended question about what would make their neighbourhoods better for their child’s independent mobility, and reported household and child demographics. Objective measures of the neighbourhood built environment were generated using geographic information systems. Content analysis was used to classify and group parent-reported changes required to improve their neigbourhood. Parent-reported needs were then compared with objective neighbourhood built environment measures. Linear mixed modelling examined associations between parental licence for independent mobility and (1) parent neighbourhood perceptions and (2) objectively assessed neighbourhood built environment features. Parents identified the need for safer traffic environments. No significant differences in parent reported needs were found by objectively assessed characteristics. Differences in odds of reporting needs were observed for a range of socio-demographic characteristics. Parental licence for independent mobility was only associated with a need for safer places to cycle (positive) and objectively assessed cycling infrastructure (negative) in adjusted models. Overall, the study findings indicate the importance of safer traffic environments for children’s independent mobility.
No related grants have been discovered for Jinfeng ZHAO.