Perceived Neighborhood Quality Research Articles

Neighborhood Deprivation and Changes in Oral Health in Older Age: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study

The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors (objective and perceived) are associated with poor oral health in older adults over time, independent of individual socioeconomic position. Data for this cross-sectional and longitudinal observation study came from a socially and geographically representative cohort of men aged 71 to 92 y in 2010–12 (n = 1,622), drawn from British general practices, which was followed up in 2018–19 (aged 78–98 y; N = 667). Dental measures at both times included number of teeth, periodontal pocket depth, self-rated oral health, and dry mouth. Neighborhood deprivation was based on Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and a cumulative index measuring perceptions about local environment. Individual-level socioeconomic position was based on longest-held occupation. Multilevel and multivariate logistic regressions, adjusted for relevant sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors, were performed to examine the relationships of dental measures with IMD and perceived neighborhood quality index, respectively. Cross-sectionally, risks of tooth loss, periodontal pockets, and dry mouth increased from IMD quintiles 1 to 5 (least to most deprived); odds ratios (ORs) for quintile 5 were 2.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–3.51), 2.82 (95% CI, 1.72–4.64), and 1.51 (95% CI, 1.08–2.09), respectively, after adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors. Risks of increased pocket depth and dry mouth were significantly greater in quintile 5 (highest problems) of perceived neighborhood quality index compared to quintile 1. Over the 8-y follow-up, deterioration of dentition (tooth loss) was significantly higher in the most deprived IMD quintiles after full adjustment (OR for quintile 5 = 2.32; 95% CI, 1.09–4.89). Deterioration of dentition and dry mouth were significantly greater in quintile 5 of perceived neighborhood quality index. Neighborhood-level factors were associated with poor oral health in older age, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, particularly with tooth loss, and dry mouth, independent of individual-level socioeconomic position.

Thwarted Belonging and Perceived Burdensomeness During Middle and Older Adulthood: The Role of Generativity.

Using a sample of middle-aged and older adults, this research explores associations between generativity and two key risk factors for suicide: thwarted belonging (T.B.) and perceived burdensomeness (P.B.). These variables are typically studied as predictors of suicide; the current study is unique in examining their psychosocial correlates. Erikson described, generativity as a psychosocial construct that characterizes adult well-being in mid-life, conceptualized as the sense one has successfully guided and contributed to the younger generation through mentoring. Using the Midlife in the United States Survey (MIDUS), the current analyses indicate that generativity is associated with lower levels of P.B. and T.B., even after accounting for measures of hopelessness, depressive symptoms, financial stability, perceived neighborhood quality, chronic health conditions, and respondent's demographic characteristics including gender and age. Results are discussed in terms of applications for suicide-risk prevention, and with regard to the promotion of positive psychosocial development across the lifespan.

Community Violence, Perceived Neighborhood Quality, Collectivism and Children’s Life Satisfaction: A Cross-national Perspective

Community Violence, Perceived Neighborhood Quality, Collectivism and Children’s Life Satisfaction: A Cross-national Perspective

Childhood sound disturbance and sleep problems in Alpine valleys with high levels of traffic exposures and greenspace

Sound disturbance and sleep problems are regarded as the most common adverse effects of environmental noise but evidence of the role of air pollution and greenspace is scant. This is especially true for children who find themselves in a sensitive developmental period and experience their environment differently than adults. This study examined the joint effects of traffic exposures and residential greenspace on child sound disturbance and sleep problems via perceptions of neighborhood quality. We used cross-sectional data for 1251 schoolchildren (8–12 years) in the Tyrol region of Austria/Italy. Questionnaires provided information on sociodemographic and housing factors, perceived neighborhood quality, sound disturbance in different situations, and sleep problems. Modelled acoustic indicators included day-evening-night sound levels and the highest percentile level, and night-time sound level and a bespoke sleep disturbance index. Nitrogen dioxide served as a proxy for traffic-related air pollution. The normalized difference vegetation index was calculated as a measure of residential greenspace, and presence of a domestic garden was self-reported. Results showed that higher level of traffic-related exposures was positively associated with sound disturbance and sleep problems, while living in a greener area, especially in a house with a garden, was associated with lower sound disturbance and less sleep problems even in the presence of traffic. Traffic exposures contributed to more unfavorable, and greenspace to more positive perceptions in terms of traffic-related stressors, opportunities for outdoor recreation, and general satisfaction with the neighborhood. This indirect path seemed more important for greenspace than for traffic exposures. In conclusion, it seems advantageous to combine traffic-related mitigation with improving access to greenspace in interventions for supporting the acoustic comfort of children during day and nighttime. Even highly nature-dominated environments could still benefit from proximal green infrastructure, especially from domestic gardens.

Contextualizing black emerging adults' perceptions of neighborhood quality.

The ways in which Black emerging adults perceive and evaluate their neighborhoods may be impacted by a host of social and political factors that interplay with their social identities, the social identities of other urban residents, and their time in the area. Early literature on Black emerging adults' perceived neighborhood quality (PNQ) tended to make comparisons to White people and to focus disproportionately on the perceptions of low-income Black people residing in predominately racial/ethnic minority and underresourced communities. Subsequent work on subjective neighborhood assessment has considered specific features of neighborhoods, such as safety or disorder, but a general sense of the quality of one's neighborhood features is still underexplored. The current study adapts Connerly and Marans' (1985) PNQ model to explore the relations between social identities and locations, neighborhood sociostructural features, time in the area, and PNQ among Black urban-residing emerging adults. Block-wise regression results suggest that education and partner status were associated with PNQ. Perceptions of the percentage of Black neighbors and Census Bureau proportions of residents in the zip code who are poor were also associated with PNQ. Length of residence in the neighborhood was marginally associated with PNQ while length of residence in the city/town was not significantly associated with PNQ. For young Black women, combined household income was marginally associated with PNQ, but neighborhood sociostructural features were the strongest contributors to PNQ. In contrast, education was the only significant contributor to PNQ for young Black men. We discuss the ways that the social positions of young Black residents and their neighbors may impact their experiences and evaluations of urban areas.

Black Emerging Adults’ Critical Consciousness and Perceived Neighborhood Quality

We examine the relations between critical consciousness and perceptions of neighborhood quality (PNQ) in the context of social positions among young Black adults in the U.S. ( n = 524 ; μ age = 26.4; SD = 3.29). Multigroup structural equation modeling revealed that social identities, such as age and income, were positively related to PNQ for Black women. Critical reflection and critical agency were positively related to PNQ for Black men and critical action was negatively associated with PNQ for Black women. Model fit indices suggest that gender significantly moderates these associations. These findings suggest that reflection on societal inequities, agency and motivation to address injustices, and social justice-oriented actions are related to how Black emerging adults perceive and evaluate urban areas, and in different ways for Black men and Black women. Considerations for studying spatial critical consciousness and for supporting Black emerging adults’ wellbeing in urban areas are discussed.

Noise in restorative environments - Perceptions, positive and negative environmental components in Tyrolean children

Background: Annoyance is regarded as the most common adverse reaction to environmental noise, and yet, relatively little is known of noise annoyance in children, even though children find themselves in a vulnerable developmental period. Noise perception is usually studied as a unidimensional phenomenon with an emphasis on annoyance, disregarding positive appraisals of the acoustic environment. This study aims to explore the joint relationships between traffic noise, other built and natural environment indicators and children's perception of noise and associated environmental restorative quality. Methods: Data are gathered from a cross-section survey among 1251 children (8 - 12 years old) in the cross-border Tyrol area (Austria/Italy). Children and their mothers completed questionnaires on sociodemographics, living conditions, perceived neighborhood quality, and noise annoyance in different situations. Children's residential locations were assigned traffic noise, air pollution, and built environment/natural landscape indicators, including imperviousness density, greenness, and the composite indicator distance to nature (D2N; Rüdisser et al., 2012), which are aimed to allow an integrated prediction of noise perception and restorative quality in these children. Results: This paper will present findings on the association between contextual influences and noise perception in children, with a focus on both positive and negative appraisals of the environment.

Supplemental Material for Love, Health, and the ‘Hood: An Examination of Romantic Relationship Adjustment and Perceived Neighborhood Quality as Predictors of Partnered Black Americans’ Long-Term Psychological Health

Supplemental Material for Love, Health, and the ‘Hood: An Examination of Romantic Relationship Adjustment and Perceived Neighborhood Quality as Predictors of Partnered Black Americans’ Long-Term Psychological Health

Neighborhood conditions and birth outcomes: Understanding the role of perceived and extrinsic measures of neighborhood quality.

Background:Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. Most prior studies have conceptualized neighborhoods using census boundaries and few have examined the role of neighborhood perceptions, which may better capture the neighborhood environment. In the present study, we examined associations between extrinsic and perceived neighborhood quality measures and adverse birth outcomes.Methods:Participants resided in the San Francisco Bay Area of California and were enrolled in Chemicals in Our Bodies, a prospective birth cohort (N = 817). The Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE) for income, Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and the Urban Displacement Project’s measure of gentrification were included as census block group-level extrinsic neighborhood quality measures. Poor perceived neighborhood quality was assessed using an interview questionnaire. Linear regression models were utilized to examine associations between extrinsic and perceived neighborhood quality measures, and gestational age and birthweight for gestational age z-scores. Covariates in adjusted models were chosen via a directed acyclic graph (DAG) and included maternal age, education, and marital status.Results:In adjusted models, having poor perceived neighborhood quality was associated with higher birthweight z-scores, relative to those who did not perceive their neighborhood as poor quality (β = 0.21, 95% confidence intervals = 0.01, 0.42). Relative to the least disadvantaged tertile, the upper tertile of the ADI was associated with a modest reduction in gestational age (β = –0.35, 95% confidence intervals = –0.67, –0.02).Conclusions:In the Chemicals in Our Bodies study population, extrinsic and perceived neighborhood quality measures were inconsistently associated with adverse birth outcomes.

Adjacency Neighborhood Effects and Owner-Assessed Home Values

Adjacency neighborhood effects such as neighbor interactions or perceived neighborhood quality have been neglected in the housing literature due to a lack of data. We investigate the impact of these effects on the housing wealth perceived by homeowners. Using a national longitudinal survey, we find that perceived neighborhood quality positively impacts owner-assessed home values. However, this effect is driven by homeowners’ assessment of their neighborhoods’ quality relative to other neighborhoods rather than their neighborhoods’ perceived cleanliness or upkeep. Depending on the financial characteristics of homeowners, we also find neighbor interactions and perceived neighborhood safety to have a significant relation with self-assessed home values. Trust and support among neighbors and joint feel of the home and neighborhood on the other hand have no relation with estimated values. While neighborhood quality consistently explains owner-assessed values, home quality only has a relation with value estimates for homeowners with certain financial characteristics. Considering the importance of perceived housing wealth for household financial decisions as well as transaction prices, our findings have implications for policy makers and developers.

Sleep deserts: a key determinant of sleep inequities.

Sleep deserts: a key determinant of sleep inequities.

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.

The association of cultural and environmental factors with mental health among Asian immigrants

Purpose During exposure to new cultures, immigrants face numerous life changes and challenges, which negatively affect mental health, yet environmental supports may address these concerns. This study aims to examine how neighborhood quality, acculturation and acculturative stress are associated with immigrants’ mental health. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 511 Asian immigrants who were born in their country of origin and immigrated to the USA. Path analysis using analysis of moment structures (version 22.0) was conducted to test the hypothesized model. Findings The results from the path analysis indicated that perceived neighborhood quality and acculturative stress had direct effects on mental health among Asian immigrants. The study also found a significant indirect pathway to mental health where more favorable perceptions of neighborhood quality were associated with higher levels of acculturation and lower levels of acculturative stress, which, in turn, resulted in better mental health. Originality/value The results of the study highlight the importance of improving neighborhood quality as a means by which to facilitate cultural adjustment/adaptation to US culture and thus, improve mental health among Asian immigrants. In addition, the authors suggested considering cultural origin in designing health programs and/or policies for Asian immigrants, which could promote mental health among Asian immigrants. Based on the results of the model, this study produced insightful information and suggestions on how to improve Asian immigrants’ mental health more effectively.

Relationship of perceived environmental characteristics to self-efficacy and leisure time physical activity among Asian immigrants in the U.S.

Background: Given the high prevalence of physical inactivity among Asian immigrants and its potential negative effects on health, more attention should be paid to identifying factors that might affect their participation in leisure time physician activity (LTPA). This study examined how perceived environmental characteristics are related to self-efficacy and LTPA among Asian immigrants in the United States. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data from an on-line survey administered through Qualtrics, a web-based survey software company. In the data analysis, 512 Asian immigrants were included. As independent variables, we assessed perceived environmental characteristics with regard to the perceived accessibility of LTPA-related sites and neighborhood quality. As mediating and outcome variables, we measured self-efficacy and LTPA, respectively. Using AMOS version 22, a path analysis was conducted to measure model fit. Results: The perceived accessibility of the LTPA-related sites (b = 0.10, P = 0.04) and self-efficacy(b = 0.26, P = 0.001) were positively related to LTPA. Perceived neighborhood quality (b = 0.11,P = 0.012 was positively associated with self-efficacy, yet not directly associated with LTPA. Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between the perceived accessibility of LTPA-related sites and LTPA (estimate=0.036, 95% CI=0.015–0.067, P = 0.003). Conclusion: This study suggests that perceiving easy access to LTPA-related sites and living in quality neighborhoods can encourage people to participate in LTPA more often by increasing their self-efficacy toward LTPA. These findings highlight a need for public infrastructural investments to improve accessibility to LTPA-related resources and neighborhood quality, which can potentially increase self-efficacy and promote LTPA among Asian immigrants.

Ethnic‐racial Socialization, Perceived Neighborhood Quality, and Psychosocial Adjustment among African American and Caribbean Black Adolescents

Ethnic-racial socialization is employed by ethnic minority parents to support their children's psychosocial adjustment. These socialization messages may be associated differently with psychosocial adjustment for Black youth according to ethnicity and qualities of the neighborhood context. This research examined whether associations between ethnic-racial socialization messages and psychosocial adjustment vary by ethnicity and perceived neighborhood quality in a nationally representative sample of Black adolescents who participated in the National Survey of American Life Adolescent supplement study. The effects of promotion of mistrust messages varied by ethnicity, and the effects of egalitarianism messages varied depending on perceived neighborhood quality. These findings help clarify prior research which has yielded equivocal results for the effects of these messages for Black youth's psychosocial adjustment.

Neighborhood Perceptions Among Pregnant African American Women in St. Louis, Missouri, Before and After the Shooting of Michael Brown.

Purpose: This study aims to examine perceptions of neighborhood quality and safety before and after the death of Michael Brown and the unrest that followed.Methods: In this secondary analysis of baseline data from one site in The Lifestyle Interventions for Expectant Moms (LIFE-Moms) Consortium, pregnant African American women in the St. Louis region completed a survey of neighborhood perceptions. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between perceptions among those completing baseline surveys and entering the study before and after August 9, 2014 (range: 2012–2015), adjusted for demographic characteristics.Results: Of 267 participants, half (n=134) completed the survey after August 9, 2014. Thirty-four percent of participants completing the survey after this date felt “The crime rate in my neighborhood makes it unsafe to go on walks during the day” compared with 21% of those completing the survey before (adjusted odds ratio=2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.1–3.7). There were no consistently significant differences in demographic characteristics or in the remaining 16 neighborhood items.Conclusions: This study is an example of how an unexpected shift in the community context in the wake of a profound event may impact health behaviors and outcomes in a measurable way.Clinical Trials Registration: NCT01768793.

DOES A PERCEIVED CONNECTION TO A NEIGHBORHOOD REDUCE LONELINESS?

This study investigated whether perceived neighborhood quality was associated with chronic loneliness for adults 60 and older in the United States. Although loneliness can be episodic and overcome, chronic loneliness has been identified as a social determinant of health. Utilizing ecological systems theory we hypothesized that higher levels of neighborhood social cohesiveness would be associated with lower odds of chronic loneliness. We postulated that the networks available to people in the proximal area where they live could provide social opportunities for reducing loneliness. This idea was consistent with prior findings indicating the salience of neighborhoods for retirees, but inconsistent with research indicating the importance of a confidant in reducing loneliness. Data from the 2008 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study Psychosocial Surveys were used (n = 3530). Loneliness was measured using the 3-item scale developed by Hughes and colleagues in 2004. Findings from unadjusted logistic regression indicated that loneliness was inversely related to neighborhood cohesion as measured by an index of the trustworthiness, friendliness and helpfulness of neighbors and cleanliness, occupancy, lack of graffiti, and sense of belonging in the area (OR = .73, p < .001). When demographic and health-related factors were entered into the model the odds of being lonely were significantly lower for those with higher ratings of social cohesion (OR = .83, p < .001). These findings were consistent with the idea that neighborhoods are an important social place for older persons and interventions at the neighborhood level may be more effective than individualized treatment plans.

Implications of Perceived Neighborhood Quality, Daily Discrimination, and Depression for Social Integration Across Mid- and Later Life: A Case of Person-Environment Fit?

Integration in one's social community may depend in part upon feeling safe and secure within one's physical community, or neighborhood. Moreover, high-quality neighborhoods may serve as a supportive resource, potentially "buffering" against the harmful influence of experiences such as discrimination or depression that could otherwise erode adults' sense of belonging. This study examines longitudinal associations of perceived neighborhood quality, daily discrimination, and depression with social integration among midlife and older adults, and tests whether perceived neighborhood quality is of increased importance with age and/or in the contexts of discrimination and depression. Multilevel random intercept models analyzed 6,016 observations of 3,102 individuals drawn from the 3 waves of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS, 1995-2014). Perceived neighborhood quality was associated with greater social integration throughout adulthood, though its impact was slightly attenuated with age. Moreover, depression was harmful for social integration across the age range, yet its influence was significantly buffered by perceived neighborhood quality. Daily discrimination was not associated with social integration, net of covariates. Findings underscore the importance of physical place and person-environment fit for social well-being throughout adulthood, and confirm the deleterious effects of depression for adults' social integration. Further, results highlight perceived neighborhood quality as a critical component for successful "aging in place," particularly as a social resource adults may call upon in the context of depression.

Unique Effects of Perceived Neighborhood Physical Disorder and Social Cohesion on Episodic Memory and Semantic Fluency.

Objective measures of neighborhood quality are associated with physical and mental health outcomes for older adults, but the relationship between perceived neighborhood quality and cognitive health has not been fully explored. Furthermore, positive and negative neighborhood characteristics may influence cognition through different mechanisms. The present study aimed to determine whether perceptions of neighborhood quality predict cognitive functioning in two domains, above and beyond individual-level risk factors, in a nationally representative sample of older adults. Using cross-sectional weighted data from 13,919 participants aged 51 and older from the Health and Retirement Study, linear regression models tested independent associations between perceived neighborhood quality (physical disorder and social cohesion) and cognition (episodic memory and semantic verbal fluency), controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, chronic disease burden, and depressive symptoms. Interaction terms tested whether neighborhood social cohesion moderated the relationship between neighborhood physical disorder and each cognitive outcome. Perception of greater neighborhood physical disorder was significantly associated with worse episodic memory, while perception of lower neighborhood social cohesion was significantly associated with worse semantic fluency. There were no significant interactions between physical disorder and social cohesion. Results provide preliminary evidence for different mechanisms underlying associations between aspects of neighborhood quality and cognition (e.g., stress vs. social interaction). Additional intervention work is needed to determine whether improving neighborhood physical conditions and promoting social cohesion at the neighborhood level could reduce cognitive morbidity among older adults.

Mining Social Media to Measure Neighborhood Quality in the City of Atlanta

This article presents a model to classify perceptions of various Atlanta neighborhoods based on social media. Tweets were extracted using Twitter's API and categorized to determine 1) whether they are neighborhood related; 2) whether a positive or negative sentiment could be assigned, and 3) whether they belong to one of eight categories of neighborhood quality assessments. These eight categories are public safety, transportation, density, walkability, maintenance, aesthetics, open space, and quality of dining and entertainment venues. Tweets that were related to neighborhood quality and geo-tagged accounted for 4% of all filtered Tweets. Overall 49% of neighborhood perception related Tweets were extracted to create an indicator of perceived neighborhood quality. The study then compared the perception of neighborhoods from social media analysis with quantitative indicators of neighborhood quality.