Associations Between Neighborhood Characteristics, Social Cohesion, and Perceived Sex Partner Risk and Non-Monogamy Among HIV-Seropositive and HIV-Seronegative Women in the Southern U.S.

Abstract Neighborhood environments shape the availability of resources for social engagement and social interaction, which are associated with better health outcomes. However, these contextual factors are also considered sources of potential social distress and tension, increasing the risk of subsequent health deficits, including cognitive decline. Our understanding of the linkage between childhood neighborhood environments and cognitive functioning in later life is limited. This study employed three waves of nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2015; N = 11,105) to investigate the relationship between self-reported neighborhood social cohesion during childhood (i.e., neighborhood safety, neighbors willing to help, and close-knit neighborhood) and cognitive functioning (Chinese version of TICS). We employed latent growth curve modeling to test hypotheses relating to life course models of childhood conditions and later life cognitive functioning (the long arm of childhood). The results showed that perceptions regarding the willingness of neighbors to help and close-knit neighborhood characteristics during childhood were positively associated with levels of later life cognitive function. Further, growing up in a neighborhood characterized by the willingness of neighbors to help others was negatively associated with the rate of cognitive decline, net of childhood and adulthood covariates. Self-report of neighborhood safety during childhood was unrelated to cognitive function (level and change). These findings underscored the long-term ramifications of childhood conditions as potential risk factors for later-life cognitive health. Social cohesion at the neighborhood level as experienced during childhood may be a protective factor for healthy cognitive aging among older Chinese adults.

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Conceptualizing the Effect of Community and Neighborhood Factors on Type 2 Diabetes Health Outcomes

Environment and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0013916516652440 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 49 (5) ◽

pp. 560-582 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Brittany L. Smalls ◽

Chris M. Gregory ◽

James S. Zoller ◽

Leonard E. Egede

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Medication Adherence ◽

Glycemic Control ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Direct Effects ◽

Neighborhood Factors

The objective of this study was to validate a conceptual framework of the relationship between neighborhood factors and diabetes process and outcomes in type 2 diabetes. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct path analysis to examine relationships between neighborhood characteristics and diabetes self-care and glycemic control based on an adapted conceptual framework. Medication adherence and social cohesion has significant direct effects on glycemic control. There was an indirect effect between social support and glycemic control, where 46% of the effect was mediated by medication adherence. Last, medication adherence, food insecurity, and social cohesion had significant total effects on glycemic control. Furthermore, walking environment, social support, neighborhood safety, and neighborhood problems had significant direct effects on food insecurity. The modified conceptual model was validated using path analysis, and neighborhood characteristics had direct and indirect effects on glycemic control.

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Neighborhood Characteristics and Inflammation among Older Black Americans: The Moderating Effects of Hopelessness and Pessimism

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab121 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ann W Nguyen ◽

Harry Owen Taylor ◽

Karen D Lincoln ◽

Weidi Qin ◽

Tyrone Hamler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cohesion ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

Black Americans ◽

Black Population ◽

National Sample ◽

Health Problems ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Chronic Health ◽

Adverse Health Effects ◽

Chronic Health Problems

Abstract Background Research documents the adverse health effects of systemic inflammation. Overall, older Black Americans tend to have higher inflammation than older non-Hispanic white adults. Given that inflammation is related to a range of chronic health problems that disproportionately affect Blacks compared to whites, this racial disparity in inflammation may contribute to racial disparities in particular chronic health problems. Thus, a better understanding of its determinants in the older Black population is of critical importance. This analysis examined the association between neighborhood characteristics and inflammation in a national sample of older non-Hispanic Black Americans. An additional aim of this study was to determine whether hopelessness and pessimism moderates the association between neighborhood characteristics and inflammation. Methods A sample of older non-Hispanic Black Americans aged 60+ were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (N=1,004). Neighborhood characteristics included neighborhood physical disadvantage and neighborhood social cohesion. Inflammation was assessed by C-reactive protein (CRP). Results The analyses indicated that neighborhood physical disadvantage and social cohesion were not associated with CRP. Hopelessness and pessimism moderated the association between neighborhood physical disadvantage and CRP. Conclusions Knowledge regarding the role of hopelessness and pessimism as moderator in the neighborhood-inflammation association can inform cognitive-behavioral interventions targeted at changes in cognition patterns.

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Linking Neighborhood Characteristics to Food Insecurity in Older Adults: The Role of Perceived Safety, Social Cohesion, and Walkability

Journal of Urban Health ◽

10.1007/s11524-011-9633-y ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 89 (3) ◽

pp. 407-418 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Wai Ting Chung ◽

William T. Gallo ◽

Nancy Giunta ◽

Maureen E. Canavan ◽

Nina S. Parikh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Perceived Safety

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ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS MEDIATE THE LINK BETWEEN PERCEIVED NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS AND COGNITION

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.248 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S64-S64

Author(s):

Neika Sharifian ◽

Afsara B Zaheed ◽

Briana N Spivey ◽

Laura B Zahodne

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Later Life ◽

Neighborhood Context ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Physical Disorder ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics

Abstract Although prior research has linked perceived neighborhood characteristics to cognition, scant research has investigated underlying mechanisms regarding how neighborhood characteristics impact cognition. One pathway, in particular, may be through mental health outcomes. Poorer neighborhood characteristics have been independently linked to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms, which may, in turn, be risk factors for cognitive decline in later life. The current study examined direct and indirect effects of perceived neighborhood characteristics (social cohesion, physical disorder) on cognitive functioning (episodic memory, executive functioning) through anxiety and depressive symptoms using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010–2014). Results revealed that higher social cohesion was associated with better memory and executive functioning through lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. Physical disorder was associated with worse episodic memory and executive functioning through greater anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of neighborhood context for promoting both mental and cognitive health outcomes in older adulthood.

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Childhood maltreatment and illicit drug use in middle adulthood: The role of neighborhood characteristics

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579412000338 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 723-738 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Preeti Chauhan ◽

Cathy Spatz Widom

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Childhood Abuse ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

Neighborhood Disorder ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Middle Adulthood ◽

Abuse And Neglect

AbstractThis paper examined whether childhood maltreatment increases the risk of living in neighborhoods with less desirable characteristics (i.e., more disorder and disadvantage, less social cohesion, social control and advantage, and fewer resources) in middle adulthood and whether these neighborhood characteristics influence subsequent illicit drug use. Using a prospective cohort design study, court documented cases of childhood abuse and neglect and matched controls (n = 833) were first interviewed as young adults (mean age = 29 years) from 1989 to 1995 and again in middle adulthood from 2000 to 2002 (mean age = 40 years) and 2003 to 2005 (mean age = 41 years). In middle adulthood, individuals with histories of childhood abuse and neglect were more likely to live in neighborhoods with more disorder and disadvantage and less social cohesion and advantage compared to controls and to engage in illicit drug use during the past year. Path analyses showed an indirect effect on illicit drug use via neighborhood disorder among maltreated children, even after accounting for drug abuse symptoms in young adulthood, although this was sex specific and race specific, affecting women and Whites. Overall, child abuse and neglect places children on a negative trajectory that dynamically influences negative outcomes at multiple levels into middle adulthood.

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The Implications of Respondent Concurrency on Sex Partner Risk in a National, Web-Based Study of Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States

JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes ◽

10.1097/qai.0b013e318294bcce ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 514-521 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Eli S. Rosenberg ◽

Richard B. Rothenberg ◽

David G. Kleinbaum ◽

Rob B. Stephenson ◽

Patrick S. Sullivan

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Web Based ◽

Sex With Men ◽

Partner Risk ◽

Sex Partner

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Neighborhood Characteristics and Accelerated Aging: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.944 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 246-246

Author(s):

Haena Lee ◽

Jennifer Ailshire ◽

Eileen Crimmins

Keyword(s):

Social Cohesion ◽

Green Space ◽

Accelerated Aging ◽

Biological Age ◽

Physical Disorder ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Summary Measure ◽

Retirement Study

Abstract An individual’s rate of aging directly impacts one’s functioning, morbidity and mortality. Identifying factors related to accelerated or delayed aging may provide important information for potential areas of intervention. While race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and behavior characteristics have been linked to biological aging, it is unclear whether neighborhood characteristics are associated with one’s rate of aging. We use a novel aging measure, Expanded Biological Age, from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study Venous Blood Study (HRS-VBS) to investigate whether individuals living with unfavorable neighborhood conditions are experiencing accelerated aging compared to those living in more favorable conditions. We constructed a summary measure of expanded biological age using 22 novel biomarkers in the HRS-VBS; we then regressed the summary measure on age and used the residuals as indicators of accelerated or delayed aging. We measured neighborhood physical disorder, presence of green space, and perceived social cohesion using the 2016 HRS Interviewer Observation data and Self-Administered Questionnaire. We find that individuals living with higher levels of neighborhood physical disorder appeared 1.05 years older biologically than the average for those of the same chronological age. Individuals living near green space including parks were 1.5 years younger biologically than expected based on their chronological age though this association was marginally significant. We did not find an association between neighborhood social cohesion and accelerated aging. This implies that living with severe neighborhood disorder, characterized by presence of disrepair, trash/litter, and abandoned structures, and living near green space, play an important role in who lives longer.

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Perceived Neighborhood and Walking Among Older Brazilian Adults Living in Urban Areas: A National Study (ELSI-Brazil)

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2020-0227 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Bruno de Souza Moreira ◽

Amanda Cristina de Souza Andrade ◽

Luciana de Souza Braga ◽

Alessandra de Carvalho Bastone ◽

Juliana Lustosa Torres ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Noise Pollution ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Physical Disorder ◽

National Study ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Cross Sectional

The study goal was to examine the association between perceived neighborhood characteristics and walking in urban older adults in Brazil. A cross-sectional study including 4,027 older adults from the baseline of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) was performed. Walking was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Neighborhood characteristics were questions about physical disorder, noise pollution, safety, violence, social cohesion, services, concerns with community mobility, and pleasantness. Multinomial logistic regression was used. Concern about taking the bus, subway, or train was inversely associated with walking for men. Violence (victim of theft, robbery, or had home broken into) and social cohesion (trust in neighbors) were positively and inversely associated with walking for women, respectively. A significant interaction term between social cohesion and number of chronic diseases was observed for women. These findings demonstrate the need for sex-specific interventions and policies to increase the walking levels among older Brazilian adults.

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Abstract 003: Neighborhood Characteristics And Arterial Stiffness Among Black Adults - Results From The Jackson Heart Study & Morehouse Emory Center For Health Equity

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.143.suppl_1.003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Shabatun Islam ◽

Jeong Hwan Kim ◽

Xiaona Li ◽

Yi-An Ko ◽

Peter Baltrus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Arterial Stiffness ◽

Health Equity ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Food Access ◽

Social Characteristics ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Jackson Heart Study ◽

Neighborhood Problems ◽

Heart Study

Introduction: Poor quality neighborhoods are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) but are understudied in Blacks, who face large CVD health disparities. Arterial stiffness (AS) precedes development of hypertension and adverse CVD events but the effect of neighborhood on AS among Blacks remain unknown. Objective: We compared the association between neighborhood environment and AS among Blacks in Jackson, MS and Atlanta, GA. Methods: We studied 1592 Blacks (age 58 ± 10, 38% male) living in Jackson, MS from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) and 451 Blacks (age 53 ± 10, 39% male) living in Atlanta, GA from the Morehouse/Emory Center for Health Equity (MECA) study, without known CVD. Neighborhood problems (includes measures of aesthetic quality, walking environment, food access), social cohesion (includes activity with neighbors), and violence/safety were assessed using validated questionnaires. AS was measured as pulse wave velocity (PWV) using MRI in JHS and as PWV and augmentation index (AIx) using applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor Inc) in MECA. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between neighborhood characteristics and AS, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Improved social characteristics, measured as social cohesion in JHS (β = -0.32 [-0.63, - 0.02], p=0.04) and activity with neighbors (β = -0.23 [-0.40, - 0.05] p=0.01) in MECA, were associated with lower PWV in both cohorts and lower AIx (β = -1.74 [-2.92, - 0.56], p=0.004) in MECA, after adjustment for CVD risk factors and income. Additionally, in MECA better food access (β = -1.18 [-2.35, - 0.01], p=0.05) was associated with lower AIx, and in JHS, lower neighborhood problems (β = -0.33 [-0.64, - 0.02], p=0.04) and lower violence (β = -0.30 [-0.61, 0.002], p=0.05) were associated with lower PWV (Fig). Conclusion: Neighborhood social characteristics show an independent association with vascular health of Blacks, findings that were reproducible in two distinct American cities.

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