Interrogating the Importance of Collective Resources for the Relationship of Gentrification With Health

Abstract

The relationship of neighborhood conditions with health outcomes has been well documented, but less is known about importance of neighborhood change. Research that examined the relationship of gentrification with health outcomes produced mixed results, but only a few studies were able to examine the role of local social capital as a potential moderating influence. Using a survey of Hurricane Katrina survivors, tract-level health estimates from the 500 Cities Project, and tract-level census data, we assess the relationship of gentrification with self-reported physical and mental health, controlling for four measures of neighborhood collective resources in post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana. Our findings indicate rates of poor self-rated physical and mental health were higher in neighborhoods that experienced gentrification and that other neighborhood changes may function to dampen the impacts of gentrification on health outcomes. Our results underscore the importance of considering local community characteristics in evaluating the relationship of gentrification with health.