Associations between neighborhood characteristics and self-rated health: A cross-sectional investigation in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort

Abstract

Quantifying the effects of specific neighborhood features on self-reported health is important to understanding the global health impact of neighborhood context. We investigated associations of neighborhood poverty, sociability and walkability with self-rated physical and mental health in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). In separate models, each neighborhood variable was associated with physical health but associations with sociability and walkability were stronger than those for poverty. Only walkability remained significant after adjusting for the other neighborhood variables. There was no evidence that self-rated mental health as assessed by the SF12 was associated with neighborhood poverty, walkability or sociability. This study provides information on how neighborhood context is associated with global health in diverse midlife and older persons.

A prospective investigation of neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and self-rated health in a large US cohort

“…The authors concluded that the evidence support an association between less favorable neighborhood socioeconomic conditions and poorer SRH (Riva et al, 2007). Several additional studies published after 2005 also confirmed the cross-sectional relationship in neighborhood features and SRH in the US population (Tomey et al, 2013, Meyer et al, 2014). Our findings, together with previous literature, support a higher prevalence of poor or fair health among residents in deprived neighborhood.…”

A discrete-time analysis of the effects of more prolonged exposure to neighborhood poverty on the risk of smoking initiation by age 25

“…Numerous studies have linked adverse residential conditions to premature death (Doubeni et al, 2012), poor self-rated health (Tomey et al, 2013; Yen & Kaplan, 1999), depression and other mental health problems (Ahern & Galea, 2011; Beard et al, 2009; Cutrona et al, 2006; Gapen et al, 2011), health-risk behaviors such as poor diet and physical inactivity (Gordon-Larsen et al, 2006; Jackson et al, 2010), and related chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers (Auchincloss et al, 2008; Ana V. Diez Roux et al, 2001; Ana V. Diez Roux et al, 1997; Mujahid et al, 2008; Papas et al, 2007), net of individual- and household-level factors. There is also a sizable body of literature on the relationship between neighborhoods and substance use, including smoking behavior.…”

The place where you live and self-rated health in a large urban area

“…A number of studies report an association between self-rated health and the neighborhood's physical and social environment 10,11,12 . Conceptually, the neighborhood should be understood in its physical and social dimensions as a place where people live and interact socially 13,14 .…”