Predictors of Residential Mobility among Older Canadians and Impact on Analyses of Place and Health Relationships.

Mathieu Philibert,Mark Daniel

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2015.1.115

Abstract

This study aimed to identify predictors of residential mobility in 55+ Canadians, to characterise neighbourhood changes following mobility, to assess whether such changes differ according to income, and to evaluate for cross-sectional estimations of place-health relationships the extent of bias associated with residential mobility. Using longitudinal data from the Canadian National Population Health Study (NPHS), residential mobility was operationalised by a change in postal code between two consecutive waves. Individuals' sociodemographic factors and neighbourhood characteristics were analysed in relation to mobility. Bias in cross-sectional estimations of place-health associations was assessed analysing neighbourhood-level deprivation and housing quality in relation to self-assessed health. Multiple age-related events were predictive of moving. Three out of 10 individuals moved at least once. Two thirds of movers experienced a change in neighbourhood type and such changes were not associated with income. No systematic biases in estimating place effects on health using cross-sectional data were observed. Given that individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) was neither a predictor of moving nor of its consequences in terms of neighbourhood type, controlling for SES could potentially lead to biased estimations of place-health associations. Results suggest that cross-sectional data can yield valid estimations of place-health associations among older adults.

Highlights

Numerous studies have reported associations between features of the residential environment and individuals’ health or health-related behaviours
The remaining objectives were to describe changes in the type of neighbourhood experienced by movers and evaluate if such changes were associated with household income
This study sought to determine whether the use of cross-sectional data for estimating place effects on health leads to bias on the basis of exposure misclassification arising from residential mobility

Summary

Introduction

Numerous studies have reported associations between features of the residential environment and individuals’ health or health-related behaviours. Associations between health and places characteristics estimated from cross-sectional data preclude accounting for residential mobility in its impact on the estimated associations. Such estimations may be biased if the observed distribution of key residential factors is unrepresentative of the distribution of such influences in their impact on the distribution of health across the life course. Discrepancies between current and past exposures to such factors are all the more important for understanding the role of place effects on health among the aged This group will by its very nature reflect by extended empirical induction periods over which disease processes can develop based on past residential area exposures and, potentially, the impact of mobility from area to area shaping disease outcomes

Methods

Results

Conclusion