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Seo J, Jivraj S. Ethnic Density and Mental Health: Does it Matter Whether the Ethnic Density is Co-ethnic or Multi-ethnic and How Important is Change in Ethnic Density? J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2024:10.1007/s40615-024-02071-4. [PMID: 39042334 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-02071-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
The ethnic density thesis suggests a protective health benefit for ethnic minorities living in places with higher concentration of co-ethnic residents. This paper aims to make a step change in the examination of this thesis by proposing ethnic diversity rather than co-ethnic density will be more protective for mental health. The paper proposes ethnic diversity could be a community asset that benefits the health of all people in a neighbourhood regardless of their own ethnic group. Individual data is taken from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, 2009-2019 linked to aggregate data from the 2001 and 2011 Censuses to test the association between co-ethnic density, ethnic diversity and mental health using the General Health Questionnaire 12-item scale. The paper takes a novel approach by measuring pre-existing (in 2001) and change in (2001-2011) co-ethnic density and ethnic diversity. Moderating effects of individual ethnic group, neighbourhood deprivation and perceived social cohesion are tested. Results show lower pre-existing co-ethnic density is related to lower mental health amongst the White British ethnic group but not in most ethnic minority groups. Greater pre-existing ethnic diversity in more deprived neighbourhoods is associated with better mental health regardless of individual ethnic group. A point of contention in the findings is no association between change in ethnic diversity and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyeong Seo
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Stephen Jivraj
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, UK
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2
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Deng B, McLeod GFH, Boden J, Sabel CE, Campbell M, Eggleton P, Hobbs M. The impact of area-level socioeconomic status in childhood on mental health in adolescence and adulthood: A prospective birth cohort study in Aotearoa New Zealand. Health Place 2024; 88:103246. [PMID: 38796935 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Mental health conditions pose a significant public health challenge, and low area-level socioeconomic status (SES) is a potentially important upstream determinant. Childhood exposure might have influences on later-life mental health. This study, utilises data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study birth cohort, examining the impact of area-level SES trajectories in childhood (from birth to age 16) on mental health at age 16 and from age 18-40 years. Findings revealed some associations between distinct SES trajectories and mental health. The study underscores the importance of using a spatial lifecourse epidemiology framework to understand long-term environmental impacts on later-life health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyu Deng
- Faculty of Health, Te Kaupeka Oranga, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand; GeoHealth Laboratory, Te Taiwhenua o te Hauora, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand.
| | - Geraldine F H McLeod
- Christchurch Health and Development Study, University of Otago, Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo ki Ōtautahi, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand
| | - Joseph Boden
- Christchurch Health and Development Study, University of Otago, Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo ki Ōtautahi, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand
| | - Clive E Sabel
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; BERTHA, Big Data Centre for Environment and Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, UK
| | - Malcolm Campbell
- GeoHealth Laboratory, Te Taiwhenua o te Hauora, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand; School of Earth and Environment, Te Kura Aronukurangi, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand
| | - Phoebe Eggleton
- GeoHealth Laboratory, Te Taiwhenua o te Hauora, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand; School of Earth and Environment, Te Kura Aronukurangi, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand
| | - Matthew Hobbs
- Faculty of Health, Te Kaupeka Oranga, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand; GeoHealth Laboratory, Te Taiwhenua o te Hauora, University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Christchurch, Otautahi, New Zealand
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Choi J, Han SH, Ng YT, Muñoz E. Neighborhood Cohesion Across the Life Course and Effects on Cognitive Aging. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:1765-1774. [PMID: 37350749 PMCID: PMC10561885 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Greater neighborhood cohesion is associated with better cognitive function in adulthood and may serve as a protective factor against cognitive impairment and decline. We build on prior work by examining the effects of perceived neighborhood cohesion across the life course on level and change in cognitive function in adulthood. METHODS Utilizing longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2016) and its Life History Mail Survey, we leveraged data from 3,599 study participants (baseline age: 51-89) who participated in up to 10 waves. Respondents provided retrospective ratings of neighborhood cohesion at childhood (age 10), young adulthood (age at the first full-time job), early midlife (age 40), and concurrently at baseline (i.e., late midlife/adulthood); they completed the modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. We fit a univariate latent growth curve model of change in cognitive function across waves and tested whether neighborhood cohesion during each recollected life stage predicted level and change in cognitive function. RESULTS Greater neighborhood cohesion during childhood and late midlife/adulthood each predicted higher cognitive function at baseline but not the rate of cognitive decline. The final model showed that greater neighborhood cohesion in childhood and in late midlife/adulthood remained significantly associated with higher baseline cognitive function, even after accounting for one another. DISCUSSION Findings provide insight into life-course neighborhood contextual influences on cognitive aging. Our results emphasize the need for more research to understand the life-course dynamics between neighborhood environments and cognitive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Choi
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Sae Hwang Han
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Yee To Ng
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Elizabeth Muñoz
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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Marquez J, Qualter P, Petersen K, Humphrey N, Black L. Neighbourhood effects on loneliness among adolescents. J Public Health (Oxf) 2023; 45:663-675. [PMID: 37170940 PMCID: PMC10470482 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Loneliness is a growing public health concern, but little is known about how place affects loneliness, especially during adolescence. This is the first study to examine the influence of neighbourhoods on loneliness in early-to-mid adolescence. METHODS Baseline data from the #BeeWell cohort study in Greater Manchester (England), including 36 141 adolescents (aged 12-15 years) across 1590 neighbourhoods, were linked to neighbourhood characteristics using administrative data at the level of lower super output areas and analysed using multilevel regression. RESULTS Neighbourhood differences explained 1.18% of the variation in loneliness. Ethnic, gender and sexual orientation inequalities in loneliness varied across neighbourhoods. Several neighbourhood characteristics predicted loneliness at the individual level, including skills deprivation among children and young people, lower population density and perceptions of the local area (feeling safe; trust in local people; feeling supported by local people; seeing neighbours as helpful; the availability of good places to spend free time). Finally, a longer distance from home to school was associated with significantly higher loneliness. CONCLUSIONS Neighbourhoods account for a small but significant proportion of the variation in adolescent loneliness, with some neighbourhood characteristics predicting loneliness at the individual level, and loneliness disparities for some groups differing across neighbourhoods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Marquez
- Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Pamela Qualter
- Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | | | - Neil Humphrey
- Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Louise Black
- Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
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Bakolis I, Murray ET, Hardy R, Hatch SL, Richards M. Area disadvantage and mental health over the life course: a 69-year prospective birth cohort study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2023; 58:735-744. [PMID: 36757437 PMCID: PMC10097760 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-023-02427-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Existing evidence on the mental health consequences of disadvantaged areas uses cross-sectional or longitudinal studies with short observation periods. The objective of this research was to investigate this association over a 69-year period. METHODS Data were obtained from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD; the British 1946 birth cohort), which consisted of 2125 participants at 69 years. We assessed longitudinal associations between area disadvantage and mental health symptoms at adolescence and adulthood with use of multilevel modelling framework. RESULTS After adjustment for father's social class, for each one percentage increase in area disadvantage at age 4, there was a 0.02 (95% CI 0.001, 0.04) mean increase in the total score of the neuroticism scale at age 13-15. After adjustment for father's social class, adult socio-economic position, cognitive ability and educational attainment, a one percentage increase in change score of area disadvantage between age 4 and 26 was associated with a mean increase in the total Psychiatric Symptom Frequency score (MD 0.06; 95% CI 0.007, 0.11). Similar associations were observed with change scores between ages 4, 53, 60 and total General Health Questionnaire-28 score at age 53 (MD 0.05; 95% CI 0.01, 0.11) and 60-64 (MD 0.06; 95% CI 0.009, 0.11). CONCLUSIONS Cohort members who experienced increasing area disadvantage from childhood were at increased risk of poor mental health over the life course. Population-wide interventions aiming at improving social and physical aspects of the early neighbourhood environment could reduce the socio-economic burden of poor mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Bakolis
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
- Centre for Implementation Science, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Emily T Murray
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Hardy
- Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Stephani L Hatch
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, IOPPN and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Marcus Richards
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK
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Liu Y, Liu H, Chen Q, Xiao J, Wan C. The Association of Perceived Neighbourhood Environment and Subjective Wellbeing in Migrant Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Canonical Correlation Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:4021. [PMID: 36901032 PMCID: PMC10001750 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Existing studies often focus on the impact of the neighbourhood environment on the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of the residents. Very few studies explore the impacts of the neighbourhood environment on migrant older adults. This study was conducted to investigate the correlations between perceived neighbourhood environment (PNE) and SWB among migrant older adults. A cross-sectional design was adopted. Data were collected from 470 migrant older adults in Dongguan, China. General characteristics, levels of SWB, and PNE were collected via a self-reported questionnaire. Canonical correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between PNE and SWB. These variables accounted for 44.1% and 53.0% of the variance, respectively. Neighbourhood relations, neighbourhood trust, and similar values in social cohesion made the most important contributions correlated with positive emotion and positive experience. A link between SWB and walkable neighbourhoods characterized by opportunities and facilities for physical activities with other people walking or exercising in their community, is positively associated with positive emotions. Our findings suggest that migrant older adults have a good walkable environment and social cohesion in neighbourhoods positively correlated with their subjective wellbeing. Therefore, the government should provide a more robust activity space for neighbourhoods and build an inclusive community for older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxi Liu
- School of Humanities and Management, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
- Institute of Health Law and Policy, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Huanting Liu
- School of Humanities and Management, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Qin Chen
- School of Humanities and Management, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Junhui Xiao
- School of Humanities and Management, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
- Institute of Health Law and Policy, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Chonghua Wan
- School of Humanities and Management, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
- Research Center for Quality of Life and Applied Psychology, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
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Baranyi G, Welstead M, Corley J, Deary IJ, Muniz-Terrera G, Redmond P, Shortt N, Taylor AM, Ward Thompson C, Cox SR, Pearce J. Association of Life-Course Neighborhood Deprivation With Frailty and Frailty Progression From Ages 70 to 82 Years in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Am J Epidemiol 2022; 191:1856-1866. [PMID: 35882379 PMCID: PMC9626928 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neighborhood features have been postulated to be key predictors of frailty. However, evidence is mainly limited to cross-sectional studies without indication of long-term impact. We explored how neighborhood social deprivation (NSD) across the life course is associated with frailty and frailty progression among older Scottish adults. Participants (n = 323) were persons selected from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 with historical measures of NSD in childhood (1936-1955), young adulthood (1956-1975), and mid- to late adulthood (1976-2014). Frailty was measured 5 times between the ages of 70 and 82 years using the Frailty Index. Confounder-adjusted life-course models were assessed using a structured modeling approach; associations were estimated for frailty at baseline using linear regression and for frailty progression using linear mixed-effects models. Accumulation was the most appropriate life-course model for males; greater accumulated NSD was associated with higher frailty at baseline (b = 0.017, 95% confidence interval: 0.005, 0.029). Among females, the mid- to late adulthood sensitive period was the best-fitting life-course model, and higher NSD in this period was associated with widening frailty trajectories (b = 0.005, 95% confidence interval: 0.0004, 0.009). To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the life-course impact of NSD on frailty in a cohort of older adults. Policies designed to address deprivation and inequalities across the full life course may support healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergő Baranyi
- Correspondence to Dr. Gergő Baranyi, Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh EH89XP, United Kingdom (e-mail: )
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Ghaly M, Jivraj S. An investigation of the longitudinal relationship between neighbourhood income inequality and individual self-rated health in England. Health Place 2022; 76:102847. [PMID: 35738084 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
There are mixed findings on whether neighbourhood income inequality leads to better self-rated health (SRH) or not. This study considers two hypotheses: individuals living in more unequal neighbourhoods have better SRH and the level of neighbourhood income inequality and its impact on SRH is moderated by household and neighbourhood level income related variables. Data from Waves 8-10 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study for respondents living in England at wave 8 were used. Neighbourhood income inequality was measured using Gini coefficients of household income from the Pay As You Earn and benefits systems for Lower Super Output Areas. Longitudinal ordinal multilevel models predicted self-rated health in 2016-18, 2017-19 and 2019-20 by income inequality and its interaction with household income, neighbourhood median income and neighbourhood deprivation, conditional on individual educational attainment, age, sex, ethnic group, years lived in current residence, region of residence and study wave. There were 24,889 respondents analysed over three waves. SRH was worse for those living in more income equal neighbourhoods. There was no indication that neighbourhood inequality was moderated by household income, neighbourhood median income or neighbourhood deprivation. These findings are in line with the balance of existing evidence and support policy interventions that aim to create mixed communities for the purpose of improving population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ghaly
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UK.
| | - Stephen Jivraj
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UK.
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Letarte L, Samadoulougou S, McKay R, Quesnel-Vallée A, Waygood EOD, Lebel A. Neighborhood deprivation and obesity: Sex-specific effects of cross-sectional, cumulative and residential trajectory indicators. Soc Sci Med 2022; 306:115049. [PMID: 35724583 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Obesity is a long-term health issue that is becoming increasingly prevalent. Very few studies have considered the life course effects of neighborhood characteristics on obesity. In a sample of 35,856 adult participants (representative of the population of the Province of Quebec in Canada), we measured the association between neighborhood deprivation and obesity using logistic modelling on indicators of cross-sectional neighborhood deprivation, cumulative neighborhood deprivation and trajectories of neighborhood deprivation. For cross-sectional exposure, we found that females in our sample had higher odds of being affected by obesity when living in high-deprivation (OR 1.73, CI 1.41-2.13) or medium-deprivation neighborhoods (OR 1.27, CI 1.07-1.51) compared to females living in low-deprivation neighborhoods. Males also had higher odds of being affected by obesity when living in medium or high deprivation. For cumulative exposure to neighborhood deprivation, only females in the second highest category for longitudinal exposure to deprived neighborhoods had significantly higher odds of living with obesity (OR 1.89 CI 1.12-3.19) compared to females in the low cumulative exposure category. Using sequence analysis to determine neighborhood deprivation trajectories for up to 17 years, we found that females with a Deprived upward (OR 1.75 CI 1.10-2.78), an Average downward (OR 1.75 CI 1.08-2.84) or a Deprived trajectory (OR 1.81 CI 1.45-2.86) had higher odds of living with obesity compared to the Privileged trajectory. For males, there were no significant associations. Using trajectory indicators was beneficial to our analyses because this method shows that not only are individuals in low socioeconomic status neighborhoods at the end of their trajectory more susceptible to living with obesity, but so are those exposed to neighborhood deprivation at the beginning of their trajectory. These results could help to more precisely identify individuals at higher risk of developing obesity-related health issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Letarte
- Center for Research in Regional Planning and Development (CRAD), Laval University, Quebec, Canada; Evaluation Platform on Obesity Prevention, Quebec Heart and Lung Institute Research Center, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Sekou Samadoulougou
- Center for Research in Regional Planning and Development (CRAD), Laval University, Quebec, Canada; Evaluation Platform on Obesity Prevention, Quebec Heart and Lung Institute Research Center, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rachel McKay
- McGill Observatory on Health and Social Services Reforms, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Canada
| | - Amélie Quesnel-Vallée
- McGill Observatory on Health and Social Services Reforms, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Alexandre Lebel
- Center for Research in Regional Planning and Development (CRAD), Laval University, Quebec, Canada; Evaluation Platform on Obesity Prevention, Quebec Heart and Lung Institute Research Center, Quebec, Canada
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Life Course Neighbourhood Deprivation and Self-Rated Health: Does It Matter Where You Lived in Adolescence and Do Neighbourhood Effects Build Up over Life? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph181910311. [PMID: 34639611 PMCID: PMC8508077 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph181910311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There is an overreliance on concurrent neighbourhood deprivation as a determinant of health. Only a small section of the literature focuses on the cumulative exposure of neighbourhood deprivation over the life course. This paper uses data from the 1958 National Child Development Study, a British birth cohort study, linked to 1971–2011 Census data at the neighbourhood level to longitudinally model self-rated health between ages 23 and 55 by Townsend deprivation score between ages 16 and 55. Change in self-rated health is analysed using ordinal multilevel models to test the strength of association with neighbourhood deprivation at age 16, concurrently and cumulatively. The results show that greater neighbourhood deprivation at age 16 predicts worsening self-rated health between ages 33 and 50. The association with concurrent neighbourhood deprivation is shown to be stronger compared with the measurement at age 16 when both are adjusted in the model. The concurrent association with change in self-rated health is explained by cumulative neighbourhood deprivation. These findings suggest that neglecting exposure to neighbourhood deprivation over the life course will underestimate the neighbourhood effect. They also have potential implications for public policy suggesting that neighbourhood socioeconomic equality may bring about better population health.
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Life Course Neighborhood Deprivation Effects on Body Mass Index: Quantifying the Importance of Selective Migration. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18168339. [PMID: 34444095 PMCID: PMC8392830 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Neighborhood effects research is plagued by the inability to circumvent selection effects —the process of people sorting into neighborhoods. Data from two British Birth Cohorts, 1958 (ages 16, 23, 33, 42, 55) and 1970 (ages 16, 24, 34, 42), and structural equation modelling, were used to investigate life course relationships between body mass index (BMI) and area deprivation (addresses at each age linked to the closest census 1971–2011 Townsend score [TOWN], re-calculated to reflect consistent 2011 lower super output area boundaries). Initially, models were examined for: (1) area deprivation only, (2) health selection only and (3) both. In the best-fitting model, all relationships were then tested for effect modification by residential mobility by inclusion of interaction terms. For both cohorts, both BMI and area deprivation strongly tracked across the life course. Health selection, or higher BMI associated with higher area deprivation at the next study wave, was apparent at three intervals: 1958 cohort, BMI at age 23 y and TOWN at age 33 y and BMI at age 33 y and TOWN at age 42 y; 1970 cohort, BMI at age 34 y and TOWN at age 42 y, while paths between area deprivation and BMI at the next interval were seen in both cohorts, over all intervals, except for the association between TOWN at age 23 y and BMI at age 33 y in the 1958 cohort. None of the associations varied by moving status. In conclusion, for BMI, selective migration does not appear to account for associations between area deprivation and BMI across the life course.
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Yang M, Hagenauer J, Dijst M, Helbich M. Assessing the perceived changes in neighborhood physical and social environments and how they are associated with Chinese internal migrants' mental health. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:1240. [PMID: 34182975 PMCID: PMC8240258 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11289-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Migrants experience substantial changes in their neighborhood physical and social environments along their migration journeys, but little is known about how perceived changes in their neighborhood environment pre- and post-migration correlate with their mental health. Our aim was to examine the associations between recalled changes in the perceived neighborhood physical and social environments and migrants' mental health in the host city. METHODS We used cross-sectional data on 591 migrants in Shenzhen, China. We assessed their risk of mental illness using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Neighborhood perceptions were collected retrospectively pre- and post-migration. We used random forests to analyze possibly non-linear associations between GHQ scores and changes in the neighborhood environment, variable importance, and for exploratory analysis of variable interactions. RESULTS Perceived changes in neighborhood aesthetics, safety, and green space were non-linearly associated with migrants' mental health: A decline in these characteristics was associated with poor mental health, while improvements in them were unrelated to mental health benefits. Variable importance showed that change in safety was the most influential neighborhood characteristic, although individual-level characteristics-such as self-reported physical health, personal income, and hukou (i.e., the Chinese household registration system)-appeared to be more important to explain GHQ scores and also strongly interacted with other variables. For physical health, we found different associations between changes in the neighborhood provoked by migration and mental health. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that perceived degradations in the physical environment are related to poorer post-migration mental health. In addition, it seems that perceived changes in the neighborhood environment play a minor role compared to individual-level characteristics, in particular migrants' physical health condition. Replication of our findings in longitudinal settings is needed to exclude reverse causality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Yang
- Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8A, Utrecht, CB 3584 The Netherlands
| | - Julian Hagenauer
- Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8A, Utrecht, CB 3584 The Netherlands
| | - Martin Dijst
- LISER, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Marco Helbich
- Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8A, Utrecht, CB 3584 The Netherlands
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Longitudinal exposure assessments of neighbourhood effects in health research: What can be learned from people's residential histories? Health Place 2021; 68:102543. [PMID: 33676125 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Health research into neighbourhood effects has generally examined neighbourhoods cross-sectionally, ignoring the fact that neighbourhood exposures might accumulate over people's lives and affect health outcomes later in life. Using longitudinal Dutch register data with complete 15-year residential address histories, we examined whether health effects of neighbourhood socioeconomic characteristics differ between cumulative and current exposures. We illustrated these differences between exposure assessments using suicide mortality among middle-aged adults. All suicides aged 40-64 years between 2012 and 2016 were matched with 10 random controls in a nested case-control design. We measured neighbourhood exposures longitudinally for circular buffers around residential addresses at the current address and through three accumulative measures, each incorporating the residential address history with increasing detail. Covariate-adjusted conditional logistic regressions were used to assess associations between suicide and neighbourhood social fragmentation, population density and unemployment rate. Our results showed that total and male suicide mortality was significantly lower in highly fragmented neighbourhoods when using accumulative exposures, but not when using the current residential address. However, we observed few differences in coefficients between exposures assessments for neighbourhood urbanicity and unemployment rate. None of the neighbourhood characteristics showed evidence that detailed cumulative exposures were a stronger predictor of suicide compared to more crude measures. Our findings provide little evidence that socioeconomic neighbourhood characteristics measured cumulatively along people's residential histories are stronger predictors of suicide mortality than cross-sectional exposures.
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Bricard D, Jusot F, Trannoy A, Tubeuf S. Inequality of opportunities in health and death: an investigation from birth to middle age in Great Britain. Int J Epidemiol 2020; 49:1739-1748. [PMID: 33011793 PMCID: PMC7746403 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyaa130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective We assess the existence of unfair inequalities in health and death using the normative framework of inequality of opportunities, from birth to middle age in Great Britain. Methods We use data from the 1958 National Child Development Study, which provides a unique opportunity to observe individual health from birth to the age of 54, including the occurrence of mortality. We measure health status combining self-assessed health and mortality. We compare and statistically test the differences between the cumulative distribution functions of health status at each age according to one childhood circumstance beyond people’s control: the father’s occupation. Results At all ages, individuals born to a ‘professional’, ‘senior manager or technician’ father report a better health status and have a lower mortality rate than individuals born to ‘skilled’, ‘partly skilled’ or ‘unskilled’ manual workers and individuals without a father at birth. The gap in the probability to report good health between individuals born into high social backgrounds compared with low, increases from 12 percentage points at age 23 to 26 at age 54. Health gaps are even more marked in health states at the bottom of the health distribution when mortality is combined with self-assessed health. Conclusions There is increasing inequality of opportunities in health over the lifespan in Great Britain. The tag of social background intensifies as individuals get older. Finally, there is added analytical value to combining mortality with self-assessed health when measuring health inequalities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Florence Jusot
- PSL, Université Paris-Dauphine, LEDA-LEGOS, Paris, France
| | - Alain Trannoy
- CNRS, EHESS, Centrale Marseille, AMSE, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Sandy Tubeuf
- Institute of Health and Society (IRSS) and Institute of Economic and Social Research (IRES), Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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15
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Abstract
Studies of the effect of neighborhood poverty on health are dominated by research designs that measure neighborhood poverty at a single point in time, ignoring the potential influence of exposure to neighborhood poverty over the life course. Applying latent class analysis to restricted residential history data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 Cohort, we identify four trajectories of life-course exposure to high-poverty neighborhoods between adolescence and midlife and then examine how these groups differ in their physical health conditions (SF-12 score) and self-rated health at around age 40. Linear and logistic regression analyses show that life-course exposure to high-poverty neighborhoods is a stronger predictor of midlife physical health than are point-in-time measures of neighborhood poverty observed during either adolescence or midlife. Our findings suggest that a life-course approach can enhance our understanding of how neighborhood poverty affects physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tse-Chuan Yang
- University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA.
| | - Scott J South
- University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
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Moon G, Pearce J. Twenty-five years of Health & Place: Citation classics, internationalism and interdisciplinarity. Health Place 2020; 61:102202. [PMID: 32329719 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
To mark 25 years of Health & Place Health & Place, we identify and appraise some key contributions to the journal over this period. We use citation data to identify 'classics' from the journal's back catalogue. We also examine trends in the international reach and disciplinary homes of our authors. We show that there has been a near 7-fold increase in the number of published papers between the early and most recent years of the journal and that the journal's citation levels are amongst the top 2% of social science journals. Amongst the most cited papers, some clear themes are evident such as physical activity, diet/food, obesity and topics relating to greenspace. The profile of the journal's authors is becoming more internationally diverse, represents a broader range of disciplines, and increasingly demonstrating cross/interdisciplinary ways of working. Although Anglophone countries have led the way, there is an increasing number of contributions from elsewhere including emerging economies such as China. We conclude with some comments on likely future directions for the journal including enduring concerns such as greenspace, obesity, diet and unhealthy commodities (alcohol, tobacco, ultra-processed food) as well as more recent directions including planetary health, longitudinal and lifecourse analyses, and the opportunities (and challenges) of big data and machine learning. Whatever the thematic concerns of the papers over next 25 years, we will continue to welcome outstanding research that is concerned with the importance place makes to health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Moon
- School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, England, United Kingdom.
| | - Jamie Pearce
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, EH8 9XP, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Stalling life expectancy and increased mortality in working ages deserve urgent attention. LANCET PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 4:e543-e544. [DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(19)30207-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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