Samek, A., Gray, A., Datar, A., & Nicosia, N. Adolescent time and risk preferences: Measurement, determinants and field consequences. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2021-02-27, Volume 184, Pages 460-488.
Summary: The literature on economic preferences in adolescents is relatively new and limited. This study aims to fill that gap by exploring economic time and risk preferences in a group of 16-19 year old adolescents. This study explores not only the overall association between surveyed time/risk preferences and real monetary rewards, but also heterogeneities across gender, race/ethnicity, and within child-parent relationships. Some findings of this study show that girls are overall less risk seeking and more patient than boys, while black adolescents are less risk seeking and more impatient than white or Hispanic adolescents. Furthermore, this study found that parents preferences are strongly predictive of those in their children, and that having more patience is significantly associated with lower BMI as well as other positive health behaviors (lower sedentary activities, more physical activity, etc.).
Nicosia, N., & Datar, A. The impact of state policies for school-based BMI/fitness assessments on children's BMI outcomes in rural versus urban schools: Evidence from a natural experiment. Preventive Medicine, 2020-10-06, Volume 141. Article 106257
Summary: Childhood obesity continues to be one of the most prevalent and concerning public health issues. As children typically spend most of their time and eat the majority of their meals at school, state-led school policies to combat obesity (such as measuring BMI and fitness) have become more common. To evaluate the effects of these policies on childhood obesity, this study leveraged the natural experiment of military family assignments to look at children's BMI and obesogenic behaviors in rural and urban locations. This study found that school policies were associated with lower odds of both overweight and being at-risk of overweight in rural, but not urban, schools. This study also found that children in rural schools with obesity-prevention policies had greater activity levels and lower intake of unhealthy foods. Overall, school policies to combat obesity were found to be effective for children attending rural, but not urban schools.
Ghosh-Dastidar, M., Nicosia, N., Datar A. A novel approach to anthropometric assessment for geographically dispersed samples: A pilot study. Preventive Medicine, 2020-09-01, Volume 19, Article 101125.
Summary: While collecting in-person measurements is typically thought to be best practice for assessing body mass index (BMI) and obesity, the cost and practicality of this approach creates significant barriers. In this pilot study of a geographically dispersed sample, the validity of videoconference-assisted measurements (VCAM) was tested against a sample of individuals who were measured in-person. Results from this in-person and staff-assisted VCAM comparison showed a small magnitude of difference and high agreement, suggesting that the two measurement approaches produce similar values. These findings, therefore, suggest that body composition measurements can be valid when collected using a VCAM approach, and that this approach may be more cost-effective for geographically dispersed samples.
Datar A., Mahler A., Nicosia N. Association of Exposure to Communities With High Obesity With Body Type Norms and Obesity Risk Among Teenagers. JAMA Netw Open. 2020-03-16;3(3):e200846. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.0846.
Summary: Previous research has clearly shown that obesity clusters within geographic and social networks. The main cause of this clustering - whether it be shared environments, homophily, or social contagion - remains undefined. Because military families are often assigned to specific installations, their exposure to communities creates a unique opportunity for a natural experiment. To add to existing literature on obesity, therefore, we analyzed and compared data collected from military families to county-level obesity rates. Results from this analysis show that teenagers' who are exposed to higher obesity rates were associated with selecting an 'Ideal Body Type' that was more overweight or at-risk of overweight. This suggests that exposure to obesity may normalize higher weight status among children and teenagers.
Nicosia, N., Datar A. Neighborhood Environments and Physical Activity: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescents in a Natural Experiment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2018; 54(5):671-678.
Summary: Existing literature on the relationship between physical activity and environment is limited, as most studies rely on methods easily confounded by selection bias. This study, therefore, adds an important piece to the existing literature by using natural experimental evidence to explore how physical activity in adolescents is impacted by physical activity environments. Adolescent physical activity data was collected from the Military Teenagers’ Environment Exercise and Nutrition Study, which includes multiple measures of self-reported exercise, while the neighborhood environment was constructed using GIS methods. Results found a significant and positive association between opportunities for physical activity in the neighborhood environment and levels of vigorous physical activity among adolescents. These findings not only suggest that age is a crucial consideration for addressing obesity, but also provide strong evidence to support increasing physical activity opportunities in neighborhood environments to increase physical activity in adolescents.
Datar A, Nicosia N. Assessing Social Contagion in Body Mass Index, Overweight, and Obesity Using a Natural Experiement. JAMA Pediatrics. 2018; 172(3):239-246.
Summary: This study aims to determine whether exposure to communities with higher rates of obesity increases the body mass index (BMI) of individuals and their risk of being overweight or obese. Also, whether social contagion, shared environments, or self-selection can account for these identified differences. Using data collected by the Military Teenagers’ Environments, Exercise, and Nutrition Study, families from 38 military installations around the United States were examined to determine if individuals had higher BMI and greater odds of overweight and obesity when assigned to installations in counties with higher rates of obesity. Study participants included 1 parent and 1 child aged 12 or 13 years from 1519 families of Army-enlisted personnel. We conclude that exposure to counties with higher rates of obesity was associated with higher BMI and higher odds of overweight and/or obesity in both parents and children, and this may suggest the presence of social contagion.
Nicosia N, Datar A. The Effect of State Competitive Food and Beverage Regulations on Childhood Overweight and Obesity. Journal of Adolescent Health. May 2017; 60(5):520-527.
Summary: Policy efforts for combating childhood obesity have sought stronger state policies for regulating competitive foods and beverages (CF&Bs) available in schools. However, the evidence linking state policies to children’s overall diet and body weight outcomes is limited and mixed, and experts have called for more rigorous studies that are able to address concerns about selection bias. The present study leverages a rare natural experiment where children in military families are “assigned” to different state policies, due to their military parent’s periodic relocation, to examine whether state CF&B policies were associated with children’s body mass index (BMI) and overweight or obesity. We analyzed data from 894 12- and 13- year old children in army families and found that, compared to no policy, having strong or weak state policies was significantly associated with lower BMI, lower odds of overweight or obesity, and better dietary outcomes. Therefore, we conclude that multiple strong CF&B policies is likely needed to observe any meaningful changes in BMI and obesity.
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Ghosh-Dastidar B, Haas A, Nicosia N, Datar A. Accuracy of BMI Correction Using Multiple Reports in Children. BMC Obesity. 2016; 3(37).
Ghosh-Dastidar B, Haas A, Nicosia N, Datar A. Accuracy of BMI Correction Using Multiple Reports in Children. BMC Obesity. 2016; 3(37).
Summary: Body mass index (BMI) has become the most common indicator to assess obesity, and while objective measurements are more accurate than self- or proxy-reports of BMI, they are sometimes infeasible. This study examines the accuracy of using multiple reports of BMI using reported height and weight from children’s self-reports and their parents’ reports. We conclude that using multiple reports of height and weight and BMI correction models maybe a cost-effective and practical solution to the bias of self-reported BMI measurements.
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Nicosia N, Wong E, Shier V, Massachi S, Datar A. Parent Deployment, Adolescents' Academic and Social-Behavioral Adjustment, and Parent's Psychological Well-Being in Military Families. Public Health Reports. 2015.
Nicosia N, Wong E, Shier V, Massachi S, Datar A. Parent Deployment, Adolescents' Academic and Social-Behavioral Adjustment, and Parent's Psychological Well-Being in Military Families. Public Health Reports. 2015.
Summary: Increases in the frequency and length of military deployments have raised concerns about the well-being of military families. We examined the relationship between a military parent’s deployment and (1) adolescent academic and social behavioral maladjustment and (2) parental psychological well-being. Using data from April 2013 to January 2014 and 1021 US Army families with children aged 12 or 13, we found that long deployments (>180 days in the past 3 years) were associated with adolescents’ academic and social-behavioral maladjustments and diminished parental well-being, especially among boys and military fathers.
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Shier V, Nicosia N, Datar A. Neighborhood and home food environment and children's diet and obesity: Evidence from military personnel's installation assignment. Soc Sci Med. 2015.
Shier V, Nicosia N, Datar A. Neighborhood and home food environment and children's diet and obesity: Evidence from military personnel's installation assignment. Soc Sci Med. 2015.
Summary: Research and policy initiatives are increasingly focused on the role of neighborhood food environment in children's diet and obesity. However, existing evidence relies on observational data that is limited by neighborhood selection bias. The Military Teenagers' Environments, Exercise, and Nutrition Study (M- TEENS) leverages the quasi-random variation in neighborhood environment generated by military personnel's assignment to installations to examine whether neighborhood food environments are associated with children's dietary behaviors and BMI. Our results suggest that neither the actual nor the perceived availability of particular food outlets in the neighborhood is associated with children's diet or BMI. However, the healthiness of food available at home was associated with healthy dietary behaviors while eating at fast food outlets and restaurants were associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors in children. Further, parental supervision, including limits on snack foods and meals eaten as a family, was associated with dietary behaviors. These findings suggest that focusing only on the neighborhood food environment may ignore important factors that influence children's outcomes.
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Datar A, Nicosia N, Wong E, Shier V. Neighborhood Environment and Children’s Physical Activity and Body Mass Index: Evidence from Military Personnel Installation Assignments. Childhood Obesity. April 2015; 11(2):130-138.
Datar A, Nicosia N, Wong E, Shier V. Neighborhood Environment and Children’s Physical Activity and Body Mass Index: Evidence from Military Personnel Installation Assignments. Childhood Obesity. April 2015; 11(2):130-138.
Summary: Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States, and this study aims to examine how a neighborhood environment influences an individual’s level of physical activity and subsequently their BMI. The natural experiment utilizes military families’ periodic relocation as a way to examine how different neighborhood environments could affect physical activity and BMI. Using data collected from 903 12- and 13-year old children in military families, we found that different features of the neighborhood environment were significant for off- versus on-post families, and conclude that efforts to increase children’s physical activity in military families should take into account the different neighborhood environment aspects that matter for children living on- versus off-post.