In a world called catastrophe: the impact of COVID-19 on neighbourhood level crime in Vancouver, Canada

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown mixed results regarding the relationship between social capital and the risk of developing a psychotic disorder, and this has yet to be studied in North America. This study aims to examine the relationship between neighbourhood-level social capital, marginalization, and the incidence of psychotic disorders in Toronto, Canada. Methods A retrospective cohort of people aged 14 to 40 years residing in Toronto, Canada in 1999 (followed to 2008) was constructed from population-based health administrative data. Incident cases of schizophrenia spectrum psychotic disorders were identified using a validated algorithm. Voter participation rates in a municipal election were used as a proxy neighbourhood-level indicator of social capital. Exposure to neighbourhood-level marginalization was obtained from the Ontario Marginalization Index. Poisson regression models adjusting for age and sex were used to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRR) for each social capital quintiles and marginalization quintile. Results In the study cohort (n = 640,000) over the 10-year follow-up period, we identified 4,841 incident cases of schizophrenia spectrum psychotic disorders. We observed elevated rates of psychotic disorders in areas with the highest levels (IRR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.00–1.27) and moderate levels (IRR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.12–1.36) of social capital, when compared to areas with the lowest levels of social capital, after adjusting for neighbourhood-level indicators of marginalization. The risk associated with social capital was not present when analyzed in only the females in the cohort. All neighbourhood marginalization indicators, other than ethnic concentration, were significantly associated with risk. Discussion The risk of developing a psychotic disorder in Toronto, Canada is associated with socioenvironmental exposures. Social capital is associated with risk, however, the impact of social capital on risk differs by sex and social capital quintile. Across the entire cohort, exposure to all neighbourhood-level marginalization indicators, except ethnic concentration, impacts risk. Future research should examine how known individual-level risk factors, including immigration, ethnicity, and family history of a mental disorder may interact with these findings.

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The Impact of Neighbourhood-Level Factors on Children's Everyday Lives, Well-Being and Identity: A Qualitative Study of Children Living in Ocean View, Cape Town

Social Dynamics ◽

10.1080/02533950608628721 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 102-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Susan Moses

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Cape Town ◽

Well Being ◽

Everyday Lives ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

The Impact

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Neighbourhood walking tours for physicians-in-training

Postgraduate Medical Journal ◽

10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-138914 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. postgradmedj-2020-138914

Author(s):

Jeremiah Joseph Cross ◽

Anita Arora ◽

Benjamin Howell ◽

Dowin Boatright ◽

Pavithra Vijayakumar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internal Medicine ◽

Primary Care ◽

Participation Rate ◽

Community Resources ◽

Individual Level ◽

Walking Tour ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

Patient Health ◽

The Impact ◽

Walking Tours

Social and economic factors have a profound impact on patient health. However, education about these factors has been inconsistently incorporated into residency training. Neighbourhood walking tours may help physician-residents learn about the social determinants of health (SDoH). We assessed the impact of a neighbourhood walking tour on physician-residents’ perceptions of SDoH, plans for counselling patients and knowledge of community resources. Using a community-based participatory research approach, in 2017 we implemented a neighbourhood walking tour curriculum for physician-residents in internal medicine, internal medicine/primary care, emergency medicine, paediatrics, combined internal medicine/paediatrics and obstetrics/gynaecology. In both pre-tour and post-tour, we asked participants to (1) rank the importance of individual-level and neighbourhood-level factors affecting patients’ health, (2) describe strategies used to improve health behaviours and (3) describe knowledge of community resources. Eighty-one physician-residents participated in walks (pre-tour surveys (93% participation rate (n=75)), and post-tour surveys (53% participation rate (n=43)). Pre-tour, the factor ranked most frequently affecting patient health was ‘access to primary care’ (67%) compared with post-tour: ‘income’ (44%) and ‘transportation’ (44%). In describing ways to improve diet and exercise, among pre-tour survey respondents, 67% discussed individual-level strategies and 16% discussed neighbourhood-level, while among post-tour survey respondents, 39% of respondents discussed individual-level strategies and 37% discussed neighbourhood-level. Percentage of respondents aware of community resources changed from 5% to 76% (p<0.001). Walking tours helped physician-residents recognise the importance of SDoH and the value of community resources, and may have broadened frameworks for counselling patients on healthy lifestyles.

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Predicting dengue outbreaks at neighbourhood level using human mobility in urban areas

Journal of The Royal Society Interface ◽

10.1098/rsif.2020.0691 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (171) ◽

pp. 20200691

Author(s):

Rafael Bomfim ◽

Sen Pei ◽

Jeffrey Shaman ◽

Teresa Yamana ◽

Hernán A. Makse ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neural Networks ◽

Dengue Virus ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Human Mobility ◽

Mechanistic Models ◽

Mobility Data ◽

Dengue Transmission ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

Dengue Outbreaks ◽

The Impact

Dengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by the Aedes genus mosquito. It causes financial burdens on public health systems and considerable morbidity and mortality. Tropical regions in the Americas and Asia are the areas most affected by the virus. Fortaleza is a city with approximately 2.6 million inhabitants in northeastern Brazil that, during the recent decades, has been suffering from endemic dengue transmission, interspersed with larger epidemics. The objective of this paper is to study the impact of human mobility in urban areas on the spread of the dengue virus, and to test whether human mobility data can be used to improve predictions of dengue virus transmission at the neighbourhood level. We present two distinct forecasting systems for dengue transmission in Fortaleza: the first using artificial neural network methods and the second developed using a mechanistic model of disease transmission. We then present enhanced versions of the two forecasting systems that incorporate bus transportation data cataloguing movement among 119 neighbourhoods in Fortaleza. Each forecasting system was used to perform retrospective forecasts for historical dengue outbreaks from 2007 to 2015. Results show that both artificial neural networks and mechanistic models can accurately forecast dengue cases, and that the inclusion of human mobility data substantially improves the performance of both forecasting systems. While the mechanistic models perform better in capturing seasons with large-scale outbreaks, the neural networks more accurately forecast outbreak peak timing, peak intensity and annual dengue time series. These results have two practical implications: they support the creation of public policies from the use of the models created here to combat the disease and help to understand the impact of urban mobility on the epidemic in large cities.

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The Impact of Home Sharing on Residential Real Estate Markets

Journal of Risk and Financial Management ◽

10.3390/jrfm13080161 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 161

Author(s):

Helen X. H. Bao ◽

Saul Shah

Keyword(s):

Real Estate ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Real Estate Markets ◽

The Past ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

This paper explores the effects of home-sharing platforms in general and Airbnb in particular on rental rates at a neighbourhood level. Using consumer-facing Airbnb data from ten neighbourhoods located within large metropolitan areas in the U.S. between 2013–2017, as well as rental data from the American online real estate database company, Zillow, this paper examines the relationship between Airbnb penetration and rental rates. The results indicate that the relationship is not as unanimous as once thought. Viewing the relationship at an aggregate level, an approach used by many researchers in the past, hides the complexities of the underlying effects. Instead, Airbnb’s impact on rental rates depends on a neighbourhood’s individual characteristics. This study also urges policy makers to create tailor-made solutions that help curb the negative impacts associated with the platform whilst still harnessing its economic benefits.

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Herpes zoster in older adults in Ontario, 2002–2016: Investigating incidence and exploring equity

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0246086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0246086

Author(s):

Sarah A. Buchan ◽

Nick Daneman ◽

Jun Wang ◽

Sarah E. Wilson ◽

Gary Garber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Herpes Zoster ◽

Age Groups ◽

Population Based ◽

Income Quintile ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

Before And After ◽

Future Work ◽

The Impact

Older adults are at increased risk of herpes zoster (HZ) and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and HZ vaccines are available to help prevent infection. The objective of our study was to provide updated data on incidence of HZ and PHN related to clinical and demographic factors in older adults to inform immunization practices. We conducted a population-based, retrospective cohort study and included all cases of HZ seen in outpatient, emergency department, and hospital settings for adults aged 65 years and over between April 1, 2002 to August 31, 2016 in Ontario, Canada. We calculated the incidence of HZ and PHN, and estimated the proportion within each subgroup that developed PHN. We also assessed incidence by neighbourhood-level income quintile before and after the availability of vaccine for private purchase. The average annual incidence of HZ in any setting was 59.0 per 10,000 older adults, with higher incidence in outpatient as opposed to hospital settings. Incidence was higher in the oldest age groups, females, and those classified as immunocompromised or frail. Relative to the pre-vaccine era, the disparities in incidence of HZ by neighbourhood-level income increased, with higher rates of HZ and PHN seen in those residing in lower income quintiles. Additional prevention efforts should be targeted toward adults who are immunocompromised, frail, and those living in lower socioeconomic quintiles. Future work should assess the impact of the zoster vaccine program with a particular focus on equity in the publicly-funded era.

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Not so welcome here? Modelling the impact of ethnic in-movers on the length of stay of home-owners in micro-neighbourhoods

Urban Studies ◽

10.1177/0042098018822615 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 56 (14) ◽

pp. 2847-2862

Author(s):

Sue Easton ◽

Gwilym Pryce

Keyword(s):

Length Of Stay ◽

Survival Time ◽

Home Ownership ◽

Ethnic Population ◽

Data Set ◽

Consistent Finding ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

Name Matching ◽

The Impact ◽

House Buyers

This paper considers the length of stay of home-owners with white British names in the 40% most-deprived census areas of Glasgow, Scotland. We estimate the impact of ethnically ‘other’ name-group inflows through property purchases at the micro-neighbourhood level. We use a novel longitudinal data set, constructed from the population of home-buyers recorded in all property transaction records from 2003 to 2014, from which we impute ethnicity using name-matching software. We estimate how the survival time (length of ownership) of home-owners with white British names is affected by in-migration of house-buyers from different ethnic name-groups into the micro-neighbourhood, defined as a 50 m radius around each home. Results suggest a complex set of associations between ethnically ‘other’ purchasers/in-movers (based on name groups) and duration of home-ownership for white-British named owners. The most consistent finding is for in-moving purchasers with Pakistani (primarily Muslim) names, which tend to have a relatively large accelerant effect on the moving propensity of home-owners who have white British names. This was true in areas of both high and low non-white ethnic population share. We also find evidence of nonlinearity in this relationship: the accelerant effect diminishes with each additional in-move from purchasers with Pakistani names. The name group with the largest overall accelerant effect was for in-movers with non-white Other names, which were also primarily Muslim in origin, though this effect was less consistent across models.

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The impact of ethnic segregation on neighbourhood-level social distancing in the United States amid the early outbreak of COVID-19

Urban Studies ◽

10.1177/00420980211050183 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 004209802110501

Author(s):

Wei Zhai ◽

Xinyu Fu ◽

Mengyang Liu ◽

Zhong-Ren Peng

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Ethnic Minorities ◽

Diversity Index ◽

The United States ◽

Ethnic Segregation ◽

Minority Communities ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has been argued to be the ‘great equaliser’, but, in fact, ethnically and racially segregated communities are bearing a disproportionate burden from the disease. Although more people have been infected and died from the disease among these minority communities, still fewer people in these communities are complying with the suggested public health measures like social distancing. The factors contributing to these ramifications remain a long-lasting debate, in part due to the contested theories between ethnic stratification and ethnic community. To offer empirical evidence to this theoretical debate, we tracked public social-distancing behaviours from mobile phone devices across urban census tracts in the United States and employed a difference-in-difference model to examine the impact of racial/ethnic segregation on these behaviours. Specifically, we focussed on non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic communities at the neighbourhood level from three principal dimensions of ethnic segregation, namely, evenness, exposure, and concentration. Our results suggest that (1) the high ethnic diversity index can decrease social-distancing behaviours and (2) the high dissimilarity between ethnic minorities and non-Hispanic Whites can increase social-distancing behavior; (3) the high interaction index can decrease social-distancing behaviours; and (4) the high concentration of ethnic minorities can increase travel distance and non-home time but decrease work behaviours. The findings of this study shed new light on public health behaviours among minority communities and offer empirical knowledge for policymakers to better inform just and evidence-based public health orders.

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Objective and subjective neighbourhood characteristics and suicidality: a multilevel analysis

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291721002579 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Jennifer Dykxhoorn ◽

Joseph Hayes ◽

Kavya Ashok ◽

Alma Sörberg Wallin ◽

Christina Dalman

Keyword(s):

Political Institutions ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Multilevel Modelling ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Independent Effect ◽

Neighbourhood Environment ◽

Suicidal Thoughts ◽

Neighbourhood Level ◽

Neighbourhood Characteristics ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Characteristics of the neighbourhood environment, including population density, social fragmentation, and trust, have been linked to mental health outcomes. Using a longitudinal population-based cohort, we explored the relationship between objective and subjective neighbourhood characteristics and the odds of suicidal thoughts and attempts. Methods We conducted a longitudinal study of 20764 participants living in Stockholm County who participated in the Stockholm Public Health Survey. We used multilevel modelling to examine if suicidal thoughts and attempts were associated with neighbourhood characteristics, independent of individual associations. We included objective and subjective measures to explore if there was a different relationship between these measures of the neighbourhood environment and suicidality. Results Associations between neighbourhood factors and suicidality were predominantly explained by individual characteristics, with the exception of neighbourhood-level deprivation and average residential trust. Each unit increase of deprivation was linked to increased odds of suicidal thoughts [Odds ratio (OR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00–1.07] and attempts (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06–1.17). Decreasing residential trust was associated with increased odds of suicide attempts (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02–1.17). There was no evidence that neighbourhood-level fragmentation or average trust in public and political institutions had an independent effect on suicidality once individual and sociodemographic factors were accounted for. Conclusions This study showed that much of the neighbourhood-level variation in suicidal thoughts and attempts could be explained by compositional factors, including sociodemographic clustering within neighbourhoods. The independent effect of neighbourhood-level deprivation and average residential trust provide evidence that the neighbourhood context may exert an independent effect on suicidality beyond the impact of individual characteristics.

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