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Cunningham SD, Mandelbaum J, Shebl FM, Abraham M, O’Connor Duffany K. Neighborhood Social Environment and Body Mass Index: The Mediating Role of Mental Wellbeing. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6602. [PMID: 37623185 PMCID: PMC10454589 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20166602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
The association between neighborhood-built environment and body mass index (BMI) is well-characterized, whereas fewer studies have explored the mechanisms underlying the relationship between neighborhood social environment and obesogenic behaviors. Using data from a random sample of 16,820 residents ≥18 years from all 169 Connecticut towns and seven ZIP Codes in New York, this study examines the influence of neighborhood social environment on residents' mental wellbeing, physical activity, and BMI. Structural equation modeling was conducted to estimate direct and indirect effects of neighborhood social environment on BMI, using mental wellbeing and physical activity as intermediate variables. There were significant total [β(SE) = 0.741 (0.170), p < 0.0001], direct [β(SE) = 0.456 (0.1890), p = 0.016], and indirect [β(SE) = 0.285 (0.061), p < 0.0001] effects of neighborhood social environment on BMI. Low physical activity was a partial mediator of the effect of non-favorable neighborhood social environment on BMI [β(SE) = -0.071 (0.011), p < 0.0001]. The association between neighborhood social environment and BMI was also mediated by mental wellbeing [β(SE) = 0.214 (0.060), p < 0.0001], and by mental wellbeing through physical activity [β(SE) = 0.071 (0.011), p < 0.0001]. Study findings provide further support for building strong social environments to improve population health and suggest that strategies prioritizing mental wellbeing may benefit behavioral interventions aimed at reducing obesity risk and should be a focus of prevention efforts in and of itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayna D. Cunningham
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06032, USA;
| | | | - Fatma M. Shebl
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Kathleen O’Connor Duffany
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
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2
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Han G, Zhai Y. The association between food insecurity and social capital under the lockdowns in COVID-hit Shanghai. URBAN STUDIES (EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND) 2023:00420980231172403. [PMCID: PMC10225810 DOI: 10.1177/00420980231172403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
As an emergency, food insecurity threatens people’s well-being, while social capital is expected to enhance their resilience in this situation. This study examined the relationship between food insecurity and social capital during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai. We collected a dataset of 1064 participants by random sampling. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the dynamics of social capital before and after lockdowns. The results show that the level of post-lockdown social capital was higher than that of pre-lockdown social capital. Pre-lockdown social capital predicted the extent to which people suffered from food insecurity and their approaches to obtaining food. Participation in group purchases and food exchange with other residents predicted the levels of post-lockdown social capital. The results shed light on the interaction between emergencies and social capital. Our study theoretically contributes to understanding social capital through a dynamic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yida Zhai
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
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3
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Irfan M, Buckley K, Cheung SY, Lewis JJ, Koj A, Thomas H. Mapping social capital across Wales (UK) using secondary data and spatial analysis. SN SOCIAL SCIENCES 2023; 3:56. [PMID: 36908486 PMCID: PMC9987399 DOI: 10.1007/s43545-023-00639-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Social capital, a powerful community resource based on trust, relationships, norms, culture, values, networks and belonging, could shape the acceptance, cooperation, and involvement of citizens towards new policies or interventions. In past, connections of social capital have been studied in relation to human health, wellbeing, social and economic development. More recently, social capital has been studied with respect to human resilience and adaptation to climate change. We argue that social capital could also play a vital role in our efforts to reduce carbon footprint through behaviour change, a shift on shared local renewable energy resources, and adoption of low carbon technologies. In Wales (UK) there is no national scale dataset, reflecting its social capital landscape, that could be used for designing the right policies/interventions in this context, based on an expected level of trust, cooperation, and support within the communities. This paper is an effort to fill this data gap using secondary datasets. Firstly, a literature review is carried out to identify the indicators of social capital (cognitive and participatory). Secondary datasets have then been identified and acquired. Geospatial analysis has been carried out to produce the criterion maps for various indicators of social capital. Finally, Analytical Hierarchy Process is applied to generate a social capital map of Wales combining these indicators together. For validation of the produced data, social capital's known correlations were tested with crime rates, income level and multiple deprivations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43545-023-00639-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Irfan
- Y Lab - the Public Services Innovation Lab for Wales, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Kelly Buckley
- Y Lab - the Public Services Innovation Lab for Wales, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sin Yi Cheung
- School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - James J Lewis
- Y Lab - the Public Services Innovation Lab for Wales, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Hywel Thomas
- School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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4
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Yang G, Thornton LE, Daniel M, Chaix B, Lamb KE. Comparison of spatial approaches to assess the effect of residing in a 20-minute neighbourhood on body mass index. Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol 2022; 43:100546. [PMID: 36460452 DOI: 10.1016/j.sste.2022.100546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Beliefs that neighbourhood environments influence body mass index (BMI) assume people residing proximally have similar outcomes. However, spatial relationships are rarely examined. We considered spatial autocorrelation when estimating associations between neighbourhood environments and BMI in two Australian cities. Using cross-sectional data from 1329 participants (Melbourne = 637, Adelaide = 692), spatial autocorrelation in BMI was examined for different spatial weights definitions. Spatial and ordinary least squares regression were compared to assess how accounting for spatial autocorrelation influenced model findings. Geocoded household addresses were used to generate matrices based on distances between addresses. We found low positive spatial autocorrelation in BMI; magnitudes differed by matrix choice, highlighting the need for careful consideration of appropriate spatial weighting. Results indicated statistical evidence of spatial autocorrelation in Adelaide but not Melbourne. Model findings were comparable, with no residual spatial autocorrelation after adjustment for confounders. Future neighbourhoods and BMI research should examine spatial autocorrelation, accounting for this where necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guannan Yang
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lukar E Thornton
- Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mark Daniel
- Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia; Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
| | - Basile Chaix
- INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Nemesis Research Team, Sorbonne Université, Paris F75012, France
| | - Karen E Lamb
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
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5
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Fava NM, Panisch LS, Burke SL, Li T, Spadola CE, O'Driscoll J, Leviyah X. The Mediating Effect of Maternal Wellbeing on the Association between Neighborhood Perception and Child Wellbeing: A Longitudinal Investigation. Matern Child Health J 2022; 26:2070-2078. [PMID: 35934723 PMCID: PMC10319474 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-022-03490-7] [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: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Negative perceptions of one's neighborhood are linked to poor mental and physical health. However, it is unclear how caregiver's neighborhood perception affects health outcomes in children. This study assessed the mediating effect of maternal wellbeing on the association between neighborhood perception and child wellbeing at different time points and overall. METHOD A structural equation model (SEM) was used to evaluate whether maternal wellbeing mediates the influence of neighborhood perception on child wellbeing at different ages. The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study data from years 3, 5, and 9 was analyzed. The delta method evaluated the mediation effect of maternal wellbeing, controlling for mothers' age. Direct and indirect effects of neighborhood perception at year 3 on child wellbeing at year 9 via maternal wellbeing at year 5 were analyzed via a longitudinal mediation with a two time points lag. RESULTS Maternal wellbeing partially mediated the effect of neighborhood perception on child wellbeing at different ages. Longitudinal mediation analyses revealed that better neighborhood perception at year 3 improved maternal wellbeing at year 5 and child wellbeing at year 9; maternal wellbeing at year 5 partially mediated the effect of neighborhood perception at year 3 on child wellbeing at year 5. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE Our findings suggest that it may be beneficial for mental health practitioners to discuss relationships between neighborhood environment and wellbeing with caregivers, with a focus on reframing negative self-perceptions. Future research should evaluate longitudinal relationships between changes in neighborhood infrastructure and corresponding wellbeing in caregivers and children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Fava
- School of Social Work, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, Westchester, Florida, U.S.,Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Westchester, Florida, U.S
| | - Lisa S Panisch
- School of Social Work, Wayne State University, 5447 Woodward Avenue, 48202, Detroit, MI, USA.
| | - Shanna L Burke
- School of Social Work, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, Westchester, Florida, U.S
| | - Tan Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, Westchester, Florida, U.S
| | - Christine E Spadola
- School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington, 211 S. Cooper Street, Box 19129, Arlington, Texas, 76019, United States
| | - Janice O'Driscoll
- School of Social Work, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, Westchester, Florida, U.S
| | - Xeniah Leviyah
- School of Social Work, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, Westchester, Florida, U.S.,Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Westchester, Florida, U.S
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6
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Determinants
of Interdependent Happiness Focusing on the Role of Social Capital: Empirical Insight From Japan
1. JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jpr.12415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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He Z, Ghose B, Yaya S, Cheng Z, Zhou Y. Perceived neighborhood safety and exercise behavior among community dwellers in Gauteng, South Africa. Medicine (Baltimore) 2020; 99:e23552. [PMID: 33371081 PMCID: PMC7748175 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000023552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Maintaining a physically active life is an important determinant of overall health and psychosocial wellbeing among adults. Physical exercise behavior can be influenced by various social and environmental circumstances including neighborhood safety. Using data from South Africa Quality of life Survey 2015/16, this study aimed to assess the hypothesis that lack of perceived neighborhood safety (PNS) can reduce the likelihood of engaging in physical exercise (PE). The participants were 30,002 men and women aged 18 years and above. The association between self-reported PE behavior and neighborhood safety were assessed by multivariable regression method while adjusting for potentially confounding factors. Less than a quarter (23.41%) of the participants reported taking exercise on daily basis whereas 27.90% reported never taking any. Respectively 6.0% and 38.1% of the participants reported feeling very unsafe walking in the neighborhood during day and night. In regression analysis, both the pooled and stratified models indicated that lack of PNS was inversely associated with regular PE. Lack of PNS (bit unsafe) during day was associated with lower odds of PE both among men (OR = 0.776, P < .001) and women (OR = 0.874, P < .001). The negative association between lack of PNS and PE during day was significant among those living with disability (OR = 0.758, P < .001). Further analysis showed that the negative association between lack of PNS with regular PE during day was significant in Johannesburg (OR = 0.800, P < .001), Tshwane (OR = 0.735, P < .001) and Emfuleni (OR = 0.619, P < .001) only, while that during night was significant in Johannesburg (OR = 0.737, P < .001), Ekurhuleni (OR = 0.673, P < .001), Emfuleni (OR = 0.418, P < .001), Lesedi (OR = 0.385, P < .001), Mogale City (OR = 0.693, P < .001), and Randfontein (OR = 0.565, P < .001). Overall, the findings highlight a significantly inverse association between lack of PNS and PE behavior. In light of the current findings, it is recommended that PE promotion programs pay special attention on population living in the neighborhoods fraught with crime concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifei He
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing
| | | | - Sanni Yaya
- Faculty of Social Sciences, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, 120 University Private, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Zhaohui Cheng
- Chongqing Health Information Center, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing
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8
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Wu C. How does gun violence affect Americans' trust in each other? SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2020; 91:102449. [PMID: 32933647 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This article examines how Americans' actual experience of gun victimization affects their trust in others and how this further connects to the widely-discussed association between gun crime and trust at the place level. Analyzing data from the U.S. General Social Survey (GSS), I find that, regardless when it occurred in life, Americans who were victimized by guns trust much less in others than those who had no such experience. In terms of the size of the effect, repeated gun victimization has the strongest effect, followed by adulthood victimization, and then childhood victimization. I also find that individuals who later achieve higher socioeconomic status are better able to recover from the psychological effect of childhood gun victimization, lending support for the experiential theory of trust that people can update their trust according to changing experiences later in life. Finally, combing the GSS data with data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I also show that higher percentages of nonfatal and fatal gun violence victims lead to lower levels of trust both across and within the U.S. census divisions over time. Findings of this study demonstrate that America's gun violence affects not only just those killed, injured, or present during gunfire, but it can also sabotage the social and psychological well-being of all Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cary Wu
- Department of Sociology, York University, Vari Hall, Room 2060, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada.
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9
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Takagi D, Shimada T. A Spatial Regression Analysis on the Effect of Neighborhood-Level Trust on Cooperative Behaviors: Comparison With a Multilevel Regression Analysis. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2799. [PMID: 31920842 PMCID: PMC6930930 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is no reason to suppose that neighborhood effects based on residents' trust vary according to administrative boundaries. We examined the relationship between neighborhood trust and cooperative behaviors using the spatial Durbin model which assumed that people are influenced by closer neighbors regardless of administrative boundaries, comparing the results with those of the multilevel model. We used data from 476 residents in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, Japan. For each respondent, we assigned a unique 'neighborhood trust' value weighted by the inverse distance between the respondent and all other respondents as an independent variable. The dependent variables were perceived neighbors' cooperative behaviors and respondents' own cooperative behaviors. The spatial Durbin model showed that spatially weighted neighborhood trust was positively associated with cooperative behaviors. Meanwhile, the multilevel models did not show the statistically significant effect of neighborhood trust. We concluded that the spatial model might model the neighborhood effects in society more precisely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Takagi
- School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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10
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Aliyas Z. Social Capital and Physical Activity Level in an Urban Adult Population. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH EDUCATION 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/19325037.2019.1691092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Mohamed R. Resident Perceptions of Neighborhood Conditions, Food Access, Transportation Usage, and Obesity in a Rapidly Changing Central City. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15061201. [PMID: 29880764 PMCID: PMC6025634 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15061201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There is a lack of research on obesity that uses primary data and fine-grained information on neighborhoods. I use primary data for 367 participants in Detroit to examine neighborhood predictors of obesity. These data were supplemented with public data. I considered multilevel and spatial modeling, but the data lent itself best to ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions. I find that socioeconomic factors, the built environment, transportation usage, and perceptions of neighborhoods are important predictors of obesity. Importantly, litter is associated with higher levels of obesity. Planners can take measures to reduce litter and collaborate with other policy-makers to encourage less driving, though drawing direct lines of causality is complicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayman Mohamed
- Urban Studies and Planning, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
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Villalonga-Olives E, Kawachi I. The dark side of social capital: A systematic review of the negative health effects of social capital. Soc Sci Med 2017; 194:105-127. [PMID: 29100136 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing literature demonstrating the health benefits of social capital (defined as the resources accessed through social connections). However, social capital is also acknowledged to be a "double-edged" phenomenon, whose effects on health are not always positive. We sought to systematically review studies that have found a negative (i.e. harmful) association between social capital and health outcomes. Our objective was to classify the different types of negative effects, following a framework originally proposed by Portes (1998). We conducted a literature search in Pubmed, Embase and PsychInfo. We identified 3530 manuscripts. After detailed review, we included 44 articles in our systematic review. There are at least two negative consequences of social capital besides the classification proposed by Portes: behavioral contagion and cross-level interactions between social cohesion and individual characteristics. When leveraging the concept of social capital for health promotion interventions, researchers need to take account of these potential "downsides" for health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Villalonga-Olives
- Pharmaceutical Health Services Research Department, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - I Kawachi
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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13
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Peres MFT, Nivette A. Social disorganization and homicide mortality rate trajectories in Brazil between 1991 and 2010. Soc Sci Med 2017; 190:92-100. [PMID: 28846989 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Since the 1990s, researchers have noted declining trends in crime and violence, particularly homicide, in Western countries. Studies have explored national and sub-national trends using latent trajectory analysis techniques and identified several factors associated with declining and/or increasing trajectories. Social disorganization (SD) has been consistently linked to increases in homicide rates over time, explaining at least some of the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of homicide. Similar studies have not yet been carried out in Latin America's cities. In this paper we use Group Based Trajectory models to study homicide mortality rate [HMR] trajectories in Brazilian municipalities between 1991 and 2010. Then, through binary and multinomial logistic regression we investigated the association between SD in 1991, and the likelihood of an increasing HMR trajectory. We carried out an ecological time series study using all Brazilian municipalities in the period between 1991 and 2010 (n = 4491). Data on homicide deaths were collected from the Mortality Information System of the Ministry of Health and standardized by age to calculate HMR per 100,000 population. Socioeconomic and demographic data for 1991 were used to compose the composite measure of SD. Our results highlight the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of homicide mortality in Brazilian municipalities. While national trends are steadily increasing, disaggregating municipal trajectories shows that this is driven by a small proportion of municipalities in the country. We found that SD is associated with an ascending homicide trajectory. This result generally supports the notion that poor social structural conditions can create 'space' for criminal behavior and groups and, consequently, violent death.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Nivette
- Department of Sociology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
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14
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Vafaei A, Pickett W, Zunzunegui MV, Alvarado BE. Relationships Between Neighborhood Social Capital and The Occurrence of Outdoor Falls in Canadian Older Adults: A Multilevel Analysis. J Aging Health 2017; 30:1108-1135. [PMID: 28553821 DOI: 10.1177/0898264317706236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine whether neighborhood-level social capital is a risk factor for falls outside of the home in older adults. METHODS Health questionnaires were completed by community-dwelling Canadians aged +65 years living in Kingston (Ontario) and St-Hyacinthe (Quebec), supplemented by neighborhood-level census data. Multilevel logistic regression models with random intercepts were fit. Variations in the occurrence of falls across neighborhoods were quantified by median odds ratio and 80% interval odds ratio. RESULTS Between-neighborhood differences explained 7% of the variance in the occurrence of falls; this variance decreased to 2% after adjustment for neighborhood-level variables. In the fully adjusted models, higher levels of social capital increased the odds of falls by almost 2 times: (odds ratio [OR] = 2.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.19, 3.71]). DISCUSSION Living in neighborhoods with higher levels of social capital was associated with higher risk of falling in older adults, possibly through more involvement in social activities.
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15
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Ransome Y, Kawachi I, Dean LT. Neighborhood Social Capital in Relation to Late HIV Diagnosis, Linkage to HIV Care, and HIV Care Engagement. AIDS Behav 2017; 21:891-904. [PMID: 27752875 PMCID: PMC5306234 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-016-1581-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
High neighborhood social capital could facilitate earlier diagnosis of HIV and higher rates of linkage and HIV care engagement. Multivariate analysis was used to examine whether social capital (social cohesion, social participation, and collective engagement) in 2004/2006 was associated with lower 5-year average (2007-2011) prevalence of (a) late HIV diagnosis, (b) linked to HIV care, and (c) engaged in HIV care within Philadelphia, PA, United States. Census tracts (N = 332). Higher average neighborhood social participation was associated with higher prevalence of late HIV diagnosis (b = 1.37, se = 0.32, p < 0.001), linked to HIV care (b = 1.13, se = 0.20, p < 0.001) and lower prevalence of engaged in HIV care (b = -1.16, se = 0.30, p < 0.001). Higher collective engagement was associated with lower prevalence of linked to HIV care (b = -0.62, se = 0.32, p < 0.05).The findings of different directions of associations among social capital indicators and HIV-related outcomes underscore the need for more nuanced research on the topic that include longitudinal assessment across key populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuf Ransome
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge 7th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Ichiro Kawachi
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge 7th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lorraine T Dean
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Vafaei A, Pickett W, Zunzunegui MV, Alvarado BE. Neighbourhood social and built environment factors and falls in community-dwelling canadian older adults: A validation study and exploration of structural confounding. SSM Popul Health 2016; 2:468-475. [PMID: 29349162 PMCID: PMC5757896 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2016.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Older persons are vulnerable to the ill effects of their social and built environment due to age-related limitations in mobility and bio-psychological vulnerability. Falls are common in older adults and result from complex interactions between individual, social, and contextual determinants. We addressed two methodological issues of neighbourhood-health and social epidemiological studies in this analysis: (1) validity of measures of neighbourhood contexts, and (2) structural confounding resulting from social sorting mechanisms. Baseline data from International Mobility in Aging Study were used. Samples included community-dwelling Canadians older than 65 living in Kingston (Ontario) and St-Hyacinthe (Quebec). We performed factor analysis and ecometric analysis to assess the validity of measures of neighbourhood social capital, socioeconomic status, and the built environment and stratified tabular analyses to explore structural confounding. The scales all demonstrated good psychometric and ecometric properties. There was an evidence of the existence of structural confounding in this sample of Canadian older adults as some combinations of strata for the three neighbourhood measures had no population. This limits causal inference in studying relationships between neighbourhood factors and falls and should be taken into account in aetiological aging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afshin Vafaei
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - William Pickett
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | - Beatriz E Alvarado
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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Tavares R, Catalan VDB, Romano PMDM, Melo EM. Homicídios e vulnerabilidade social. CIENCIA & SAUDE COLETIVA 2016; 21:923-34. [DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232015213.12362015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a distribuição espacial das taxas de homicídios (H) segundo os índices de vulnerabilidade social (IVS) e de qualidade de vida urbana (IQVU), em Betim/MG, de 2006 a 2011. Foram feitas análise descritiva, análise de correlação espacial utilizando o índice de Moran e análise espacial de H, IVS e IQVU. Ocorreram no período, 1.383 óbitos, com predomínio de homens (91,9%), de 15 a 24 anos (46,9%), pardos/pretos (76,9%), com ensino médio (51,1%) e solteiros (83,9%). Não se verificou autocorrelação espacial, indicando que a distribuição das taxas de homicídio é aleatória, o mesmo ocorrendo com o IVS e com o IQVU. Em conjunto, no entanto, houve sobreposição de H, IVS, IQV, o que foi analisado à luz de diferentes teorias explicativas do crime, desde as que abordam a desigualdade social, passando pelas que pautam o tráfico de armas e drogas até chegar às teorias de Durkheim e Habermas, respectivamente, anomia e colonização do mundo da vida. Conclusão: tanto do ponto de vista empírico como teórico, vulnerabilidade social e homicídio se mostram associados.
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Noah AJ. Putting Families Into Place: Using Neighborhood-Effects Research and Activity Spaces to Understand Families. JOURNAL OF FAMILY THEORY & REVIEW 2015; 7:452-467. [PMID: 26681979 PMCID: PMC4677482 DOI: 10.1111/jftr.12119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Neighborhood is an important context in which individuals and families are embedded. Yet family studies researchers have been relatively slow to incorporate spatial approaches into family science. Although limited theoretical and methodological attention has been devoted to families in neighborhood-effects research, family scholars can contribute greatly to theories about neighborhood effects, and neighborhood-effects research can help move the field of family studies forward. This article reviews the theories, applications, and limitations of research on neighborhood effects and discusses how family studies can benefit from incorporating a spatial perspective from neighborhood-effects research. I then present an innovative methodology-referred to as activity spaces-emerging in neighborhood-effects research, and I discuss how this approach can be used to better understand the complexity and heterogeneity of families. Last, I highlight ways to incorporate space into family studies by "putting families into place."
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La Flair LN, Fullerton CS, Cozza SJ, Herberman Mash HB, Mccarroll JE, Ortiz CD, Ursano RJ. MILITARY FAMILIES: MEASUREMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE ADEQUACY. Psychol Rep 2015; 117:133-43. [PMID: 26270990 DOI: 10.2466/08.pr0.117c14z0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Understanding features of community strength both on and off the military installation will help identify and address the needs of military families. This study introduced a measure to identify adequacy of community resources for military families. Using confirmatory factor analysis with data from 717 service users (M age = 37.3 yr., SD = 10.6) representing four large U.S. Army installations, two domains of community resource adequacy were identified: resources on the installation and resources off the installation. This measure could be used in health research with military families and in improving resources available to this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lareina N La Flair
- 1 Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
| | - Carol S Fullerton
- 1 Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
| | - Stephen J Cozza
- 1 Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
| | - Holly B Herberman Mash
- 1 Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
| | - James E Mccarroll
- 1 Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
| | - Claudio D Ortiz
- 1 Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
| | - Robert J Ursano
- 1 Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
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20
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Takagi D, Ikeda K, Kobayashi T, Harihara M, Kawachi I. The Impact of Crime on Social Ties and Civic Participation. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/casp.2243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Takagi
- Graduate School of Medicine; The University of Tokyo; Tokyo Japan
| | - Ken'ichi Ikeda
- Faculty of Social Studies; Doshisha University; Kyoto Japan
| | - Tetsuro Kobayashi
- Information and Society Research Division; National Institute of Informatics; Tokyo Japan
| | - Motoko Harihara
- School of Arts and Sciences; Tokyo Woman's Christian University; Tokyo Japan
| | - Ichiro Kawachi
- Harvard School of Public Health; Harvard University; Boston MA USA
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21
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Dean LT, Hillier A, Chau-Glendinning H, Subramanian SV, Williams DR, Kawachi I. Can you party your way to better health? A propensity score analysis of block parties and health. Soc Sci Med 2015; 138:201-9. [PMID: 26117555 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
While other indicators of social capital have been linked to health, the role of block parties on health in Black neighborhoods and on Black residents is understudied. Block parties exhibit several features of bonding social capital and are present in nearly 90% of Philadelphia's predominantly Black neighborhoods. This analysis investigated: (1) whether or not block parties are an indicator of bonding social capital in Black neighborhoods; (2) the degree to which block parties might be related to self-rated health in the ways that other bonding social indicators are related to health; and (3) whether or not block parties are associated with average self-rated health for Black residents particularly. Using census tract-level indicators of bonding social capital and records of block parties from 2003 to 2008 for 381 Philadelphia neighborhoods (defined by census tracts), an ecological-level propensity score was generated to assess the propensity for a block party, adjusting for population demographics, neighborhood characteristics, neighborhood resources and violent crime. Results indicate that in multivariable regression, block parties were associated with increased bonding social capital in Black neighborhoods; however, the calculation of the average effect of the treatment on the treated (ATT) within each propensity score strata showed no effect of block parties on average self-rated health for Black residents. Block parties may be an indicator of bonding social capital in Philadelphia's predominantly Black neighborhoods, but this analysis did not show a direct association between block parties and self-rated health for Black residents. Further research should consider what other health outcomes or behaviors block parties may be related to and how interventionists can leverage block parties for health promotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorraine T Dean
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, 909 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Amy Hillier
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Design, 102 Meyerson Hall, 210 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Hang Chau-Glendinning
- Valley Medical Center, Department of Family Medicine, 3915 Talbot Rd South, Suite 401, Renton, WA 98055, USA.
| | - S V Subramanian
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7th Floor, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - David R Williams
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 6th Floor, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Ichiro Kawachi
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7th Floor, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Yang TC, Noah A, Shoff C. Exploring geographic variation in US mortality rates using a spatial Durbin approach. POPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE 2015; 21:18-37. [PMID: 25642156 PMCID: PMC4310504 DOI: 10.1002/psp.1809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies focused on identifying the determinants of mortality in US counties have examined the relationships between mortality and explanatory covariates within a county only, and have ignored the well-documented spatial dependence of mortality. We challenge earlier literature by arguing that the mortality rate of a certain county may also be associated with the features of its neighboring counties beyond its own features. Drawing from both the spillover (i.e., same direction effect) and social relativity (i.e., opposite direction effect) perspectives, our spatial Durbin modeling results indicate that both theoretical perspectives provide valuable frameworks to guide the modeling of mortality variation in US counties. Our empirical findings support that mortality rate of a certain county is associated with the features of its neighbors beyond its own features. Specifically, we found support for the spillover perspective in which the percentage of the Hispanic population, concentrated disadvantage, and the social capital of a specific county are negatively associated with the mortality rate in the specific county and also in neighboring counties. On the other hand, the following covariates fit the social relativity process: health insurance coverage, percentage of non-Hispanic other races, and income inequality. Their direction of the associations with mortality in the specific county is opposite to that of the relationships with mortality in neighboring counties. Methodologically, spatial Durbin modeling addresses the shortcomings of traditional analytic approaches used in ecological mortality research such as ordinary least squares, spatial error, and spatial lag regression. Our results produce new insights drawn from unbiased estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tse-Chuan Yang
- Department of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Tel:+1-814-777-6592, 351 Arts & Sciences Building, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Aggie Noah
- Department of Sociology, Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, 712 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Carla Shoff
- Population Research Institute, Social Science Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, 801 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Medina JC. Neighborhood firearm victimization rates and social capital over time. VIOLENCE AND VICTIMS 2015; 30:81-96. [PMID: 25774416 DOI: 10.1891/0886-6708.vv-d-13-00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Distribution of firearm victimization is not equal within cities. Victimization can persistently concentrate in a small number of neighborhoods, while others experience very little violence. Theorists have pointed to one possible explanation as the ability of groups to control violence using social capital. Researchers have shown this association at the U.S. county, state, and national levels. Few studies, however, have examined the relationship between neighborhood social capital and violence over time. This study uses longitudinal data to ask whether neighborhood social capital both predicts and is influenced by firearm victimization over 3 years in Philadelphia. The results of several regression analyses suggest that trusting others and firearm victimization are inversely related over time. Implications for neighborhood policy planning and social capital as a theoretical framework are discussed.
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Cooper HLF, Hunter-Jones J, Kelley ME, Karnes C, Haley DF, Ross Z, Rothenberg R, Bonney LE. The aftermath of public housing relocations: relationships between changes in local socioeconomic conditions and depressive symptoms in a cohort of adult relocaters. J Urban Health 2014; 91:223-41. [PMID: 24311024 PMCID: PMC3978147 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-013-9844-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
USA is experiencing a paradigm shift in public housing policy: while policies used to place people who qualified for housing assistance into spatially concentrated housing complexes, they now seek to geographically disperse them, often to voucher-subsidized rental units in the private market. Programs that relocate residents from public housing complexes tend to move them to neighborhoods that are less impoverished and less violent. To date, studies have reached conflicting findings about the relationship between public housing relocations and depression among adult relocaters. The present longitudinal multilevel analysis tests the hypothesis that pre-/postrelocation improvements in local economic conditions, social disorder, and perceived community violence are associated with declines in depressive symptoms in a cohort of African-American adults; active substance misusers were oversampled. We tested this hypothesis in a cohort of 172 adults who were living in one of seven public housing complexes scheduled for relocation and demolition in Atlanta, GA; by design, 20% were dependent on substances and 50% misused substances but were not dependent. Baseline data captured prerelocation characteristics of participants; of the seven census tracts where they lived, three waves of postrelocation data were gathered approximately every 9 months thereafter. Surveys were administered at each wave to assess depressive symptoms measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), perceived community violence, and other individual-level covariates. Participants' home addresses were geocoded to census tracts at each wave, and administrative data sources were used to characterize tract-level economic disadvantage and social disorder. Hypotheses were tested using multilevel models. Between waves 1 and 2, participants experienced significant improvements in reported depressive symptoms and perceived community violence and in tract-level economic disadvantage and social disorder; these reductions were sustained across waves 2-4. A 1 standard deviation improvement in economic conditions was associated with a 1-unit reduction in CES-D scores; the magnitude of this relationship did not vary by baseline substance misuse or gender. Reduced perceived community violence also predicted lower CES-D scores. Our objective measure of social disorder was unrelated to depressive symptoms. We found that relocaters who experienced greater pre-/postrelocation improvements in economic conditions or in perceived community violence experienced fewer depressive symptoms. Combined with past research, these findings suggest that relocation initiatives should focus on the quality of the places to which relocaters move; future research should also identify pathways linking pre-/postrelocation changes in place characteristics to changes in mental health.
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Riumallo-Herl CJ, Kawachi I, Avendano M. Social capital, mental health and biomarkers in Chile: assessing the effects of social capital in a middle-income country. Soc Sci Med 2014; 105:47-58. [PMID: 24495808 PMCID: PMC4089037 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2013] [Revised: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In high-income countries, higher social capital is associated with better health. However, there is little evidence of this association in low- and middle-income countries. We examine the association between social capital (social support and trust) and both self-rated and biologically assessed health outcomes in Chile, a middle-income country that experienced a major political transformation and welfare state expansion in the last two decades. Based on data from the Chilean National Health Survey (2009-10), we modeled self-rated health, depression, measured diabetes and hypertension as a function of social capital indicators, controlling for socio-economic status and health behavior. We used an instrumental variable approach to examine whether social capital was causally associated with health. We find that correlations between social capital and health observed in high-income countries are also observed in Chile. All social capital indicators are significantly associated with depression at all ages, and at least one social capital indicator is associated with self-rated health, hypertension and diabetes at ages 45 and above. Instrumental variable models suggest that associations for depression may reflect a causal effect from social capital indicators on mental well-being. Using aggregate social capital as instrument, we also find evidence that social capital may be causally associated with hypertension and diabetes, early markers of cardiovascular risk. Our findings highlight the potential role of social capital in the prevention of depression and early cardiovascular disease in middle-income countries.
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26
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Neutens T, Vyncke V, De Winter D, Willems S. Neighborhood differences in social capital in Ghent (Belgium): a multilevel approach. Int J Health Geogr 2013; 12:52. [PMID: 24225005 PMCID: PMC3833648 DOI: 10.1186/1476-072x-12-52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little research has focused on the spatial distribution of social capital, despite social capital's rising popularity in health research and policy. This study examines the neighborhood differences in social capital and the determinants that explain these differences. METHODS Five components of neighborhood social capital are identified by means of factor and reliability analyses using data collected in the cross-sectional SWING study from 762 inhabitants in 42 neighbourhoods in the city of Ghent (Belgium). Neighborhood differences in social capital are explored using hierarchical linear models with cross-level interactions. RESULTS Significant neighborhood differences are found for social cohesion, informal social control and social support, but not for social leverage and generalized trust. Our findings suggest that neighborhood social capital depends on both characteristics of individuals living in the neighborhood (attachment to neighborhood) and characteristics of the neighborhood itself (deprivation and residential turnover). Our analysis further shows that neighborhood deprivation reinforces the negative effect of declining neighborhood attachment on social cohesion and informal social control. CONCLUSIONS This study foregrounds the importance of contextual effects in encouraging neighborhood social capital. Given the importance of neighborhood-level characteristics, it can be anticipated social capital promoting initiatives are likely to be more effective when tailored to specific areas. Second, our analyses show that not all forms of social capital are influenced by contextual factors to the same extent, implying that changes in neighborhood characteristics are conducive to, say, trust while leaving social support unaffected. Finally, our analysis has demonstrated that complex interrelationships between individual- and neighborhood-level variables exist, which are often overlooked in current work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tijs Neutens
- Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Research Foundation Flanders, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Veerle Vyncke
- Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Research Foundation Flanders, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dieter De Winter
- Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sara Willems
- Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Hajat A, Diez-Roux AV, Adar SD, Auchincloss AH, Lovasi GS, O'Neill MS, Sheppard L, Kaufman JD. Air pollution and individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status: evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2013; 121:1325-33. [PMID: 24076625 PMCID: PMC3855503 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1206337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although research has shown that low socioeconomic status (SES) and minority communities have higher exposure to air pollution, few studies have simultaneously investigated the associations of individual and neighborhood SES with pollutants across multiple sites. OBJECTIVES We characterized the distribution of ambient air pollution by both individual and neighborhood SES using spatial regression methods. METHODS The study population comprised 6,140 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Year 2000 annual average ambient PM2.5 and NOx concentrations were calculated for each study participant's home address at baseline examination. We investigated individual and neighborhood (2000 U.S. Census tract level) SES measures corresponding to the domains of income, wealth, education, and occupation. We used a spatial intrinsic conditional autoregressive model for multivariable analysis and examined pooled and metropolitan area-specific models. RESULTS A 1-unit increase in the z-score for family income was associated with 0.03-μg/m3 lower PM2.5 (95% CI: -0.05, -0.01) and 0.93% lower NOx (95% CI: -1.33, -0.53) after adjustment for covariates. A 1-SD-unit increase in the neighborhood's percentage of persons with at least a high school degree was associated with 0.47-μg/m3 lower mean PM2.5 (95% CI: -0.55, -0.40) and 9.61% lower NOx (95% CI: -10.85, -8.37). Metropolitan area-specific results exhibited considerable heterogeneity. For example, in New York, high-SES neighborhoods were associated with higher concentrations of pollution. CONCLUSIONS We found statistically significant associations of SES measures with predicted air pollutant concentrations, demonstrating the importance of accounting for neighborhood- and individual-level SES in air pollution health effects research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjum Hajat
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Matthews SA, Yang TC. Spatial Polygamy and Contextual Exposures (SPACEs): Promoting Activity Space Approaches in Research on Place and Health. THE AMERICAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST 2013; 57:1057-1081. [PMID: 24707055 PMCID: PMC3975622 DOI: 10.1177/0002764213487345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Exposure science has developed rapidly and there is an increasing call for greater precision in the measurement of individual exposures across space and time. Social science interest in an individual's environmental exposure, broadly conceived, has arguably been quite limited conceptually and methodologically. Indeed, we appear to lag behind our exposure science colleagues in our theories, data, and methods. In this paper we discuss a framework based on the concept of spatial polygamy to demonstrate the need to collect new forms of data on human spatial behavior and contextual exposures across time and space. Adopting new data and methods will be essential if we want to better understand social inequality in terms of exposure to health risks and access to health resources. We discuss the opportunities and challenges focusing on the potential seemingly offered by focusing on human mobility, and specifically the utilization of activity space concepts and data. A goal of the paper is to spatialize social and health science concepts and research practice vis-a-vis the complexity of exposure. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research focusing on theoretical and conceptual development, promoting research on new types of places and human movement, the dynamic nature of contexts, and on training. "When we elect wittingly or unwittingly, to work within a level … we tend to discern or construct - whichever emphasis you prefer - only those kinds of systems whose elements are confined to that level."Otis Dudley Duncan (1961, p. 141)."…despite the new ranges created by improved transportation, local government units have tended to remain medieval in size."Torsten Hägerstrand (1970, p.18)"A detective investigating a crime needs both tools and understanding. If he has no fingerprint powder, he will fail to find fingerprints on most surfaces. If he does not understand where the criminal is likely to have put his fingers, he will not look in the right places. Equally, the analyst of data needs both tools and understanding."John Tukey (1977, p.1)"When we observe the environment, we necessarily do so on only a limited number of scales."Simon Levin (1992, p. 1945)There is a desperate need to develop methods with the same precision for an individual's environmental exposure as we have for an individual's genome … even a partial, targeted understanding of exposure can provide substantial advantages."Christopher Wild (2005, p.1848).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A Matthews
- Department of Sociology, Department of Anthropology, and the Population Research Institute, Penn State
| | - Tse-Chuan Yang
- Department of Biobehavioral Health and the Population Research Institute, Penn State
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