The Geography of the Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Fifth-Grade School Children in Fort Worth, Texas: Spatial Associations with Obesity and Fast Food Restaurants

Pepper, Catherine A. The Geography of the Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Fifth-Grade Schoolchildren in Fort Worth, Texas: Spatial Associations with Obesity and Fast Food Restaurants. Master of Public Health (Public Health Informatics), May 2006, 48pp., 3 tables, 5 illustrations, bibliography, 47 titles. In examining risk for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in Fort Worth elementary schools, the investigator answered the following questions: What is the geographical distribution of risk for T2DM in Fort Worth elementary schoolchildren? How is that related to the prevalence of obesity? To what extent is the spatial concentration of fast food restaurants a factor in the risk for diabetes and obesity prevalence in this population? The investigator also makes policy recommendations regarding the prevention of diabetes in children. Statistical and spatial analysis of data, provided from a previous study at UNTHSC that assessed overweight and risk for T2DM in elementary school children in the Fort Worth Independent School District, was used to assess the association between risk of diabetes in children and proximity to fast food restaurants. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis was applied to the data to determine if such an association could elucidated.