Measures Of Neighborhood Quality Research Articles

Comparing two measures of neighborhood quality and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in the adolescent brain cognitive development study.

There is widespread recognition of the importance and complexity of measuring neighborhood contexts within research on child psychopathology. In this study, we assessed the cross-sectional associations between two measures of neighborhood quality and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in preadolescence. Drawing on baseline data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (n = 10,577 preadolescents), we examined two multi-component assessments of neighborhood quality in relation to children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms: the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), which measures socioeconomic adversity, and the Child Opportunity Index 2.0 (COI), which measures economic, educational, and environmental opportunity. Both measures were categorized into quintiles. We then used mixed-effects linear regression models to examine bivariate and adjusted associations. The bivariate associations displayed strong inverse associations between the COI and ADI and externalizing symptoms, with a graded pattern of fewer externalizing behaviors with increasing neighborhood quality. Only the ADI was associated with externalizing behaviors in models adjusted for child and family characteristics. We did not observe a clear association between either measure of neighborhood quality and internalizing behaviors in bivariate or adjusted models. Neighborhood quality, as measured by the COI and ADI, was associated with externalizing behaviors in preadolescent children. The association using the ADI persisted after adjustment for family-level characteristics, including financial strain. Our results indicate that different assessments of neighborhood quality display distinct associations with preadolescent behavioral health. Future research is needed to assess the association between neighborhood quality and behavior trajectories and to identify place-based intervention strategies.

County-Level Maternal Vulnerability and Preterm Birth in the US

(Abstracted from JAMA Network Open 2023;6(5):e2315306) In the United States, approximately 1 in 10 births are considered preterm, or born at <37 weeks of gestation. Historically, studies on preterm birth (PTB) have focused on maternal characteristics. However, an appreciation for the impact of community factors, such as poverty, air pollution, and other measures of neighborhood quality, on PTB is growing.

Association of Neighborhood Child Opportunity Index with presenting visual acuity in amblyopic children

To demonstrate the use of a novel measure of neighborhood quality, the Child Opportunity Index (COI), for investigating health disparities in pediatric ophthalmology. This study included children 2-12 years of age from a registry of patients diagnosed with amblyopia at an urban pediatric hospital between 2010 and 2014. Children previously treated for amblyopia were excluded. Patient demographics, residential addresses, and logMAR visual acuities were collected. The association between visual acuity at presentation and COI was examined using linear mixed-effects models adjusting for individual-level factors, including age, sex, race, ethnicity, and insurance type. This study included 1,050 amblyopic children, of whom 317 (37%) were non-White and 149 (19%) were Hispanic; 461 (44%) had public insurance. Regarding residence, 129 (12%) lived in areas of very low opportunity (COI <20); 489 (47%) in areas of very high opportunity (COI ≥80). Children residing in the lowest opportunity neighborhoods correctly identified approximately two fewer letters at presentation with their better-seeing eye compared with children from the highest opportunity neighborhoods after adjusting for individual-level factors (-0.0090 logMAR per 20 unit increase in COI; 95% CI, -0.0172 to -0.0008; P = 0.031). No difference was appreciated in the worse-seeing eye. Amblyopic children residing in communities with low neighborhood opportunity had slightly worse visual acuity in the better-seeing eye at presentation. Although statistically significant in the better-seeing eye, the two-letter difference attributable to neighborhood environment may not be clinically significant, and the impact of this disparity on treatment outcomes deserves further investigation.

Abstract PO-079: Interactions with neighbors and depressive symptom severity influence associations between exercise and inflammation in African Americans

Abstract Background: African Americans (AAs) are disproportionately affected by chronic disease and some cancers. Adequate amounts of moderate and vigorous exercise are essential to maintaining good health. The impacts of exercise on health occur through inflammatory mechanisms, which are implicated in most chronic diseases. More exercise is each related to lower levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Recent research has identified that perceptions of neighborhood quality, such as frequency of social interactions with neighbors impact health behavior and cardiometabolic health among AAs. This may occur through stress and allostatic load, as higher levels of CRP and IL-6 are indicative of chronic stress. We seek to extend this research by investigating whether social aspects of neighborhood quality moderate associations between exercise and inflammation. Furthermore, depression has been shown to increase inflammation, worsen health outcomes, and may further moderate these associations. Methods: Data from the Midlife in the United States survey collected during the Refresher phase (2011-2016) were used. 155 AA adults, aged between 25 and 73 (mean age= 47), completed psychosocial surveys, daily diaries of exercise, measures of neighborhood quality, and objectively measured WC, CRP and IL-6. Results: The sample had a mean WC of 102.35 cm, was highly educated (68.4% at least some college), and 69% female. There was an interactive association between frequency of social interaction with neighbors and exercise and IL-6 (B=.23, p=.04) and CRP (B=.35, p=.045). Having social interactions with neighbors several times a week and more exercise was associated with higher levels of IL-6 and CRP. Those with little social interactions with neighbors showed typical negative associations between exercise and inflammation. Depression symptom severity moderated the interaction between exercise and frequency of social interactions on CRP (B=.046, p=.04), such that those with clinical severity may benefit differently from some regular interaction with neighbors. Conclusion: Frequent social interactions with neighbors may not always be positive, even in the presence of high levels of exercise. Conversations about illness, loss, crime, insufficient resources, or discrimination are factors that can affect inflammation over time. However, this is likely to differ by neighborhood and mental health status of the participant. Further analyses in larger and more diverse AA samples may show a complexity of the stress response in AAs that must be further explored. Citation Format: Olga M. Herren, Keri Kirk, Tanya Agurs-Collins. Interactions with neighbors and depressive symptom severity influence associations between exercise and inflammation in African Americans [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-079.

Erratum to: "Helpfulness, Trust, and Safety of Neighborhoods: Social Capital, Household Income, and Self-Reported Health of Older Adults".

Background and Objectives Growing literature documents that where you live has an impact on your health, due in part to social capital. Building on social capital literature, we assess how subjective appraisals of neighborhood quality are associated with self-reported health (SRH) for older adults. Research Design and Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the 2014 California Health Interview Survey, a representative survey of diverse, noninstitutionalized California residents. We use three measures of neighborhood quality: trustworthy neighbors, helpful neighbors, and feeling safe. Using weighted ordinary least squares regression, we assess the associations of trust, helpfulness, and safety to SRH, controlling for neighborhood, demographic, and health care variables. We then examine how these associations vary by household income. Results We find that characterizing neighbors as helpful and feeling safe are associated with better SRH, even controlling for community, demographic, and health care variables. However, the importance of these dimensions varies across household income: helpfulness is positively associated, whereas trust is negatively associated with SRH for lower income residents; safety is positively associated with SRH in all but the lowest income residents. These findings show that social capital dimensions work differently from one another, and differentially affect the health of older adults. Discussion and Implications Scholarly analyses of neighborhood effects should include a range of social capital measures and stratify by household income. Our findings may also inform priority setting for social capital programs, especially for older adults with limited economic resources. Policies and programs should consider actions that raise perceptions of helpfulness and safety.

Helpfulness, Trust, and Safety of Neighborhoods: Social Capital, Household Income, and Self-Reported Health of Older Adults.

Growing literature documents that where you live has an impact on your health, due in part to social capital. Building on social capital literature, we assess how subjective appraisals of neighborhood quality are associated with self-reported health (SRH) for older adults. Cross-sectional analysis of the 2014 California Health Interview Survey, a representative survey of diverse, noninstitutionalized California residents. We use three measures of neighborhood quality: trustworthy neighbors, helpful neighbors, and feeling safe. Using weighted ordinary least squares regression, we assess the associations of trust, helpfulness, and safety to SRH, controlling for neighborhood, demographic, and health care variables. We then examine how these associations vary by household income. We find that characterizing neighbors as helpful and feeling safe are associated with better SRH, even controlling for community, demographic, and health care variables. However, the importance of these dimensions varies across household income: helpfulness is positively associated, whereas trust is negatively associated with SRH for lower income residents; safety is positively associated with SRH in all but the lowest income residents. These findings show that social capital dimensions work differently from one another, and differentially affect the health of older adults. Scholarly analyses of neighborhood effects should include a range of social capital measures and stratify by household income. Our findings may also inform priority setting for social capital programs, especially for older adults with limited economic resources. Policies and programs should consider actions that raise perceptions of helpfulness and safety.

Associations between Built Environment, Air Quality, and Quality of Life in Xi’an, China

Associations between Built Environment, Air Quality, and Quality of Life in Xi’an, ChinaAbstract Number:2669 Meiling Gao*, Junji Cao, Edmund Seto, and Catherine Koshland Meiling Gao* University of California Berkeley, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Junji Cao Institute for Earth Environment Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Edmund Seto University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , and Catherine Koshland University of California Berkeley, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author AbstractRapid economic development has led to dramatic changes in the physical environments of Chinese cities as they grow to accommodate a growing population. Changes in the urban environment has important public health implications by affecting how people live, travel, and access goods and services but this process is not well understood. This study examines the associations between built environment characteristics, air quality and quality of life in an urban Chinese population to inform how cities can be designed to promote health. Measures of neighborhood quality and quality of life were collected in a cross-sectional study of 1602 adults in 20 neighborhoods of Xi’an, China in 2013. Self-reported measures using the NEWS-A survey evaluated a neighborhood’s walkability, ease of access, safety, aesthetics and resources. Health-related quality of life using the SF-12 Health Survey included mental (MCS) and physical (PCS) component scales. Objective measures of walkability and accessibility were also assessed using Asian Development Bank’s Walkability survey and geographic information systems methods. Short-term deployments of 19 filter-based (MiniVol) and 34 passive monitors (Ogawa) in the heating and non-heating periods measured ambient PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and O3 concentrations. Using remote sensing, land-use regression, and principal components analysis, exposures to ambient pollution were estimated for the surveyed population. Preliminary analyses using population averaged models suggest self-reported measures of neighborhoods are more closely associated with the two components of health-related quality of life. Improving the pedestrian infrastructure and increasing access to resources within shorter walking distances is significantly associated with increases in both the MCS and PCS across the population.Results from this study can be used to inform how neighborhoods can be redesigned to improve health-related quality of life.

Measures of Neighborhood Quality: Self-reports of Mothers of Infant Children

Poor neighborhood perceptions among mothers during pregnancy are associated with negative health outcomes such as maternal stress, preterm birth and long-term mental health problems in children. Given the increasing research on neighborhood perceptions, we examined the maternal-, child-, and neighborhood-level correlates of self-reported maternal neighborhood satisfaction at 13 months post-partum. Women were recruited from the post-partum units at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island from January 5, 2009 to March 19, 2009. Unadjusted and adjusted regression coefficients were estimated using linear regression. In the full model, being a mother in excellent or very good health, being Hispanic/Latino, and having a higher or unknown household income were associated with a higher neighborhood satisfaction rating at 13 months, and having a stubborn baby, having more than a high school or GED education, as well as living in a neighborhood with a higher percent of black and Latino residents were significantly associated with a lower neighborhood satisfaction rating. Our results indicate that various aspects of the neighborhood environment, maternal characteristics, and characteristics of the child influence maternal neighborhood satisfaction post-partum. All of these characteristics should be accounted for when assessing the relationship between maternal neighborhood perceptions and both short- and long-term health effects in the offspring. In addition, when assessing neighborhood perception at any point in the life course, it is important to account for neighborhood- and individual-level characteristics, as well as risk factors associated with daily stress at the time of assessment.

Pricing Location: A Case Study of the Munich Office Market

We present a hedonic price analysis of office rents in Munich, Germany, based on a data set of 46 buildings. Using three parameters – the distance to the city center ‘Marienplatz’, the distance to the Munich Airport and access to public transportation – we build a parsimonious model of the impact of location on office rents. After including structural features of the buildings, the explanatory power rises only slightly, given the homogenous structure of the buildings included in the particular dataset. The regressions suggest that the model should be extended by some quantitative measures of neighborhood quality.

Neighborhood quality and somatic complaints among American youth

Purpose This study examines the relationship between the social context of neighborhood and somatic complaints in a national probability sample of adolescents. Methods Structural equation modeling is used to estimate paths of influence between neighborhood quality and somatic complaints. An analysis of variance highlights the relationship between demographic characteristics and neighborhood quality. Results Neighborhood quality appears to play an indirect role in producing somatic complaints in adolescents. Linkages between correlates of somatic complaints, such as stressful life events, family environment, psychological distress, and measures of neighborhood quality are discussed. Conclusions These findings emphasize the need to conceptualize adolescent somatization as contextually dependent and to use an ecological perspective when intervening with somaticizing teens.

Measuring Neighborhood and School Environments Perceptual and Aggregate Approaches

This paper describes scales measuring perceptions of neighborhood and school quality. The scales are short and easy to administer, and easily understood by respondents. The measure of neighborhood quality (the NegNeb) has high reliability (alpha = .81), correlates with census data, shows sensitivity to change in neighborhood quality, and discriminates among urban neighborhoods. The measure of school quality (the NegEd) correlates to an index of aggregate school problems. Theories posit that the impact of environment on mental health is determined by perception of that environment. A regression model controlling for family and other characteristics showed that perception of neighborhood (as measured by the NegNeb) contributed unique variance to adolescent mental health. Perception of school did not. However, a second regression model showed that perception of school environment contributed unique variance to peer misbehavior, which was the largest predictor of mental health problems in the first equation. In each regression model aggregate measures of neighborhood and school quality contributed less to the model than did perceived measures. Because adolescents' perceptions of their neighborhood and school environments are clearly linked to their mental health and peer environment, researchers interested in effects of neighborhood and school environment should use subjects' perceptions to conceptualize and measure these realities.

Specification of hedonic regressions: Non-nested tests on measures of neighborhood quality

The J test (a non-nested test) is used to determine which set of neighborhood variables best explains the variation in housing prices. The results indicate that characteristics of neighbors (race and socio-economic descriptors) are more important than the quality of public services.

Social determinants of neighborhood attachment

The research assesses the relative contribution of social participation and satisfaction with the neighborhood to attachment to the local community or neighborhood. It analyzes the importance of two different sources of community affect on residents’ attachment to their neighborhood. Previous research has focused on subjective social indicators as measures of neighborhood quality, and the establishment of social bonds and interaction as the basis of attachment to the local area of residence. The evidence we present, using multiple regression techniques, shows that both models are important for the assessment of neighborhood attachment. This research indicates that satisfaction with the neighborhood (environmentally and safety‐wise) and local social ties are important predictors of neighborhood attachment. The personal characteristics of race and home ownership are also found to be significant indicators of neighborhood attachment.