Schools as moderators of neighborhood influences on adolescent academic achievement and risk of obesity: A cross-classified multilevel investigation

By Bethany A. Bell-Ellison 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 urbanicity) 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 Contents List of Tables..  vi List of Figures. viii Abstractx
Chapter One: Introduction1 Statement of the Problem1 Rationale for the Study3 Purpose of the Study6 Research Questions7 Overview of the Study Design7 Data Sources9 Significance of the Study9 Delimitations10 Limitations11 Definition of Terms15 Organization of Remaining Chapters19
Chapter Two: Literature Review20 Introduction20 Theoretical Framework22 Neighborhood Influences on Adolescent Academic Achievement23 Neighborhood SES24 Neighborhood male joblessness27 Neighborhood social disorganization27 Perceived neighborhood quality28 Other neighborhood measures29 Neighborhood Influences on Adolescent Risk of Obesity30 Neighborhood SES30 Built environment31 Other neighborhood measures32 School Influences on Adolescent Academic Achievement34 School sociodemographic characteristics35 School resources and sector36 Teacher characteristics38 Perceived social climate and school quality39 Organizational climate41 School Influences on Adolescent Risk of Obesity42 Summary47
Chapter Three: Method50 Purpose of the Study50 Research Questions51 Study Design51 Overview of the Add Health Study52 Study design52 In-School sampling frame53 In-School Questionnaire55 School Administrator Questionnaire56 In-Home sampling57 In-Home Interview57 Parent Questionnaire58 Contextual data59 Sample weights59 Overview of AHAA Study60 Study Sample62 Measures62 Criterion variables65 Predictor variables68 Data Analysis74 Data management74 Univariate and bivariate analyses79 Multivariate analyses79 Model interpretation99
Chapter Four: Results104 Study Sample104 Univariate Analyses107 Bivariate Analyses109 Multivariate Analyses116 Research Question 1119 Research Question 2120 Research Question 3125 Research Question 4126 Summary of Findings131
Chapter Five: Discussion133 Summary of Findings134 Neighborhoods, schools, and academic achievement134 Neighborhoods, schools, and risk of obesity136 Limitations of the Study138 Implications for the Field144 Directions for Future Research145 Conclusions147 References149 Appendix A: Summary Tables of Previous Neighborhood and School Research165 Appendix B: BMI Box-and-Whisker Plots190 Appendix C: Analysis of Missing Data193 Appendix D: Investigation of Model Assumptions200 About the AuthorEnd Page