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Sound evidence for effective community-based strategies is needed to curtail upward trends in childhood obesity in the United States (US).

The aim of the study was to assess the association between school and community food environments and the prevalence of obesity over time.

Data were collected from K–12 schools in 4 low-income New Jersey cities in the US. School-level obesity prevalence, calculated from nurse-measured heights and weights at 4 time points, was used as the outcome variable. Data on the school food environment (SFE) measured the healthfulness of school lunch and competitive food offerings annually. The community food environment (CFE), i.e., the number of different types of food outlets within 400 m of schools, was also captured annually. The count and presence of food outlets likely to be frequented by students were calculated. Exposure to composite …