Objective and perceived neighborhood environment, individual SES and psychosocial factors, and self-rated health: An analysis of older adults in Cook County, Illinois

Lack of agreement between measured and self-reported distance from public green parks in Glasgow, Scotland

BACKGROUND

Reviews have reported mixed findings for associations between physical activity and proximity to a range of environmental resources. Initially most studies used self reported proximity, but more are now using GIS techniques to measure proximity objectively. We know little about the extent of agreement between self reported and directly measured proximity of the same resource.

METHODS

We used previously collected data in a community survey in Glasgow in which 658 respondents aged around 40 and 60 were asked whether they lived within half a mile of a public park. We compared their answers with GIS measures of whether there was a park within a half mile service area of their home (and whether their home was within a half mile crow fly buffer of a park).

RESULTS

Agreement was poor; percentage agreement between measured network distance and reported residence within 0.5 miles of a park was 62.0%, and the kappa value was 0.095. Agreement was no higher than poor in any socio-demographic subgroup, or when using crow fly buffers instead of service areas.

CONCLUSION

One should be cautious about assuming that respondents' self reports of proximity to a resource are a valid proxy for actual distance, or vice versa. Further research is needed to establish whether actual or self-reported proximity predict physical activity or other behaviours, and if so which is the strongest predictor. Further, qualitative study, also needs to examine the basis of people's judgements about the location of resources, and the possibility that these are shaped by their social and personal significance.

Pathways to depression: the impact of neighborhood violent crime on inner-city residents in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Crime and neighborhood disorder may negatively impact the health of urban residents. Neighborhoods with high levels of violent crime may also increase residents' risk of experiencing violence. Most studies supporting the assertion that neighborhood disorder impacts mental health have used residents' own ratings of their neighborhoods. The present study examines the relationships among block-group level crime, perceived neighborhood disorder, violence experienced in the neighborhood, and depression. The sample comprising the current and former drug users (n=786) nested in 270 block groups within Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Using path analysis, we tested the hypothesis that neighborhood violent crime has a direct impact on experiences of violence. Also, we hypothesized that neighborhood violence had a direct and indirect impact on depressive symptoms. Results support a model in which violence is associated with psychological distress through perceptions of neighborhood disorder, and through experiences of violence. We conclude that community and structural level interventions are needed to decrease neighborhood crime and improve residents' perception of their neighborhood.

Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and minority composition are associated with better potential spatial access to the ground-truthed food environment in a large rural area

Little is known about spatial inequalities and potential access to the food environment in rural areas. In this study, we assessed the food environment in a 6-county rural region of Texas (11,567 km2) through ground-truthed methods that included direct observation and on-site Global Positioning System technology to examine the relationship between neighborhood inequalities (e.g., socioeconomic deprivation and minority composition) and network distance from all 101 rural neighborhoods to the nearest food store (FS). Neighborhood deprivation was determined from socioeconomic characteristics using 2000 census block group (CBG) data. Network distances were calculated from the population-weighted center of each CBG to the nearest supermarket, grocery, convenience, and discount store. Multiple regression models examined associations among deprivation, minority composition, population density, and network distance to the nearest FS. The median distance to the nearest supermarket was 14.9 km one way (range 0.12 to 54.0 km). The distance decreased with increasing deprivation, minority composition, and population density. The worst deprived neighborhoods with the greatest minority composition had better potential spatial access to the nearest FS. For >20% of all rural residents, their neighborhoods were at least 17.7 km from the nearest supermarket or full-line grocery or 7.6 km from the nearest convenience store. This makes food shopping a challenge, especially in rural areas that lack public transportation and where many have no vehicular access. Knowledge of potential access to the food environment is essential for combining environmental approaches and health interventions so that families, especially those in rural areas, can make healthier food choices.

Subjective and objective neighborhood characteristics and adult health

This study examines both objective and subjective assessments of neighborhood conditions, exploring the overlap between different sources of information on neighborhoods and the relative strength of their association with adult self-rated health. Data on perceived neighborhood quality from Wave IV (2001/2002) of the nationally representative U.S. Americans Changing Lives study are merged with neighborhood-level census tract data to measure subjective and objective neighborhood constructs. Structural equation models indicate that subjective and objective constructs are both related to health. However, the subjective construct (perceived neighborhood quality) is most strongly associated with health and mediates associations between health and the objective constructs (neighborhood disadvantage and affluence). Additionally, individual characteristics play an important role in shaping the contribution of neighborhood conditions through selection and mediation. Our results demonstrate the independent associations between both objective and perceived neighborhood quality and health, and highlight the particularly strong association between perceived neighborhood quality and health.

Neighbourhood deprivation and self-rated health: the role of perceptions of the neighbourhood and of housing problems

It has been known for a long time that people living in socially and economically deprived neighbourhoods generally experience poorer health. However, it is often not clear what processes underlie the relationship between neighbourhood deprivation and individual health. In this study we explore the association between neighbourhood socio-economic status and self-rated health using the Caerphilly Health and Social Needs Survey (n=10,892). We found that the association between neighbourhood deprivation and self-rated health was substantially reduced after adjusting for individual socio-economic status, but remained statistically significant. This suggests that the health effects of neighbourhood deprivation are partly contextual. We also found that the association between neighbourhood deprivation and self-rated health was further attenuated when controlling for perceptions of the neighbourhood and of housing problems, suggesting that these variables may play a role in mediating the health effects of neighbourhood deprivation. The implications of the results are that health policy should target 'places' as well as 'people'; and that policies aimed at improving the quality of housing, access to amenities, neighbourhood safety, and social cohesion may help to reduce health inequalities.

How do objective and subjective assessments of neighbourhood influence social and physical functioning in older age? Findings from a British survey of ageing

The objective was to investigate associations between type of area, individuals' perceptions of their neighbourhoods, and indicators of social and physical functioning. Social functioning was measured using numbers of social activities and frequency of social contacts in the past month. Physical functioning was measured with Townsend's Activities of Daily Living scale. The study was a British cross-sectional population survey of people aged 65 plus living at home. Multilevel analyses indicated that respondents who lived in affluent areas were less likely to have low levels of social activity independently of individual demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Individuals' perceptions of the area as neighbourly and having good facilities were also independently associated with lower likelihood of low social activities. Affluence of the area and perceived neighbourhood were associated with physical functioning, although these associations disappeared once adjustment was made for individuals' characteristics. Both objective and more subjective measures of the neighbourhood independently contributed to our understanding of the determinants of social and physical functioning in older age. The unique value of this paper is its inclusion of the influence of perceived neighbourhood on the social and physical functioning of an older population, which are key components of active ageing.