Abstract

Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory and through the application of cross-classified random effects models, the goal of this study was to examine simultaneously neighborhood and school influences on adolescent academic achievement and risk of obesity, as well as the moderating effects of schools on these outcomes. By examining concurrently neighborhood and school influences on achievement and risk of obesity, this study aimed to fill gaps in the social determinants literature. For example, it is unclear if where an adolescent lives or where she/he attends school has a stronger influence on academic achievement. We also do not know if schools can moderate neighborhood influences on adolescent achievement, nor do we know much about the relationships among schools, neighborhoods, and adolescent risk for obesity. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement study, four research questions were investigated:

(1) To what extent are neighborhood influences on U.S. middle and high school students’ academic achievement moderated by school environments?
(2) What are the relative influences of neighborhood and school environments on U.S. middle and high school students’ academic achievement?
(3) To what extent are neighborhood influences on U.S. middle and high school students’ risk of obesity moderated by school environments?
(4) What are the relative influences of neighborhood and school environments on U.S. middle and high school students’ risk of obesity?
Findings did not suggest a moderating relationship between neighborhood and school factors examined in this study. In terms of relative relationships with academic achievement, three neighborhood factors (affluence, racial composition, and urbanity) and two school characteristics (student body racial composition and school socioeconomic status) appeared to have the strongest relationships with adolescent achievement after controlling for individual and other neighborhood and school characteristics. For adolescent risk of obesity, neighborhood affluence and racial composition had statistically significant unique associations, whereas no school factors evidenced statistically significantly relationships with risk of obesity after controlling for other factors. Results of the study were interpreted in terms of contributions to the social determinants literature, as well as recommendations for the improvement of future large-scale surveys.

Table of Content

List of Tables .. vi
List of Figures . viii
Abstract x

Chapter One: Introduction 1
Statement of the Problem 1
Rationale for the Study 3
Purpose of the Study 6
Research Questions 7
Overview of the Study Design 7
Data Sources 9
Significance of the Study 9
Delimitations 10
Limitations 11
Definition of Terms 15
Organization of Remaining Chapters 19

Chapter Two: Literature Review 20
Introduction 20
Theoretical Framework 22
Neighborhood Influences on Adolescent Academic Achievement 23
Neighborhood SES 24
Neighborhood male joblessness 27
Neighborhood social disorganization 27
Perceived neighborhood quality 28
Other neighborhood measures 29
Neighborhood Influences on Adolescent Risk of Obesity 30
Neighborhood SES 30
Built environment 31
Other neighborhood measures 32
School Influences on Adolescent Academic Achievement 34
School socio-demographic characteristics 35
School resources and sector 36
Teacher characteristics 38
Perceived social climate and school quality 39
Organizational climate 41
School Influences on Adolescent Risk of Obesity 42
Summary 47

Chapter Three: Method 50
Purpose of the Study 50
Research Questions 51
Study Design 51
Overview of the Add Health Study 52
Study design 52
In-School sampling frame 53
In-School Questionnaire 55
School Administrator Questionnaire 56
In-Home sampling 57
In-Home Interview 57
Parent Questionnaire 58
Contextual data 59
Sample weights 59
Overview of AHAA Study 60
Study Sample 62
Measures 62
Criterion variables 65
Predictor variables 68
Data Analysis 74
Data management 74
Univariate and bivariate analyses 79
Multivariate analyses 79
Model interpretation 99

Chapter Four: Results 104
Study Sample 104
Univariate Analyses 107
Bivariate Analyses 109
Multivariate Analyses 116
Research Question 1 119
Research Question 2 120
Research Question 3 125
Research Question 4 126
Summary of Findings 131

Chapter Five: Discussion 133
Summary of Findings 134
Neighborhoods, schools, and academic achievement 134
Neighborhoods, schools, and risk of obesity 136
Limitations of the Study 138
Implications for the Field 144
Directions for Future Research 145
Conclusions 147
References 149
Appendix A: Summary Tables of Previous Neighborhood and School Research 165
Appendix B: BMI Box-and-Whisker Plots 190
Appendix C: Analysis of Missing Data 193
Appendix D: Investigation of Model Assumptions 200
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Introduction

The introduction of this research is only available in the paid version.

Schools As Moderators Of Neighborhood Influences On Adolescent Academic Achievement And Risk Of Obesity: A Cross-classified Multilevel Investigation

Key Features

Table of Content

Introduction