Most Cited Health & Place Articles
Volume 14, Issue 2, June 2008, Pages 217-227
Carver, A. | Timperio, A. | Crawford, D.
Compared with previous generations, children spend less time playing outdoors and have lower participation rates in active transport. Many studies have identified lack of neighbourhood safety as a potential barrier to children's physical activity. This review describes concerns regarding 'stranger danger' and road safety, and discusses empirical studies that examine associations between neighbourhood safety and physical activity among youth. Variability of perceptions of safety between parents and youth are examined; 'social traps' are identified; and physical/social environmental interventions aimed at improving neighbourhood safety are discussed. A research agenda is suggested for further study of perceived and objective measures of neighbourhood safety and their associations with children's physical activity. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 2, June 2009, Pages 491-495
Morland, K.B. | Evenson, K.R.
Disparities in access to healthy foods have been identified particularly in the United States. Fewer studies have measured the effects these disparities have on diet-related health outcomes. This study measured the association between the presence of food establishments and obesity among 1295 adults living in the southern region of the United States. The prevalence of obesity was lower in areas that had supermarkets and higher in area with small grocery stores or fast food restaurants. Our findings are consistent with other studies showing that types of food stores and restaurants influence food choices and, subsequently, diet-related health outcomes. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 16, Issue 2, March 2010, Pages 175-190
Feng, J. | Glass, T.A. | Curriero, F.C. | Stewart, W.F. | Schwartz, B.S.
We completed a systematic search of the epidemiologic literature on built environment and obesity and identified 63 relevant papers, which were then evaluated for the quality of between-study evidence. We were able to classify studies into one of two primary approaches for defining place and corresponding geographic areas of influence: those based on contextual effects derived from shared pre-determined administrative units and those based on individually unique geographic buffers. The 22 contextual papers evaluated 80 relations, 38 of which did not achieve statistical significance. The 15 buffer papers evaluated 40 relations, 24 of which did not achieve statistical significance. There was very little between-study similarity in methods in both types of approaches, which prevented estimation of pooled effects. The great heterogeneity across studies limits what can be learned from this body of evidence. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 14, Issue 2, June 2008, Pages 336-346
Zenk, S.N. | Powell, L.M.
We examined the availability of fast food restaurants and convenience stores within walking distance (0.5 miles or 805 m) of US public secondary schools. We found that one-third of schools nationwide have at least one fast food restaurant or convenience store within walking distance. In multivariate analyses, schools in the lowest-income versus the highest-income neighborhoods have more fast food restaurants and convenience stores, while schools in African-American versus White neighborhoods generally have fewer food outlets. Furthermore, urban neighborhoods with a high school versus no secondary school have more food outlets. Curbing the obesity epidemic among adolescents requires addressing the food environment surrounding schools. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 2, June 2009, Pages 586-595
Maas, J. | van Dillen, S.M.E. | Verheij, R.A. | Groenewegen, P.P.
This study explored whether social contacts are an underlying mechanism behind the relationship between green space and health. We measured social contacts and health in 10,089 residents of the Netherlands and calculated the percentage of green within 1 and a 3 km radius around the postal code coordinates for each individual's address. After adjustment for socio-economic and demographic characteristics, less green space in people's living environment coincided with feelings of loneliness and with perceived shortage of social support. Loneliness and perceived shortage of social support partly mediated the relation between green space and health. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The association between neighborhood socioeconomic status and exposure to supermarkets and fast food outlets
Volume 14, Issue 4, December 2008, Pages 740-754
Smoyer-Tomic, K.E. | Spence, J.C. | Raine, K.D. | Amrhein, C. | Cameron, N. | Yasenovskiy, V. | Cutumisu, N. | Hemphill, E. | Healy, J.
This study examines whether exposure to supermarkets and fast food outlets varies with neighborhood-level socioeconomic status in Edmonton, Canada. Only market area and fast food proximity predicted supermarket exposure. For fast food outlets, the odds of exposure were greater in areas with more Aboriginals, renters, lone parents, low-income households, and public transportation commuters; and lower in those with higher median income and dwelling value. Low wealth, renter-occupied, and lone parent neighborhoods had greater exposure to fast food outlets, which was not offset by better supermarket access. The implications are troubling for fast food consumption among lone parent families in light of growing obesity rates among children. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 16, Issue 5, September 2010, Pages 876-884
Walker, R.E. | Keane, C.R. | Burke, J.G.
Increasingly, studies are focusing on the role the local food environment plays in residents' ability to purchase affordable, healthy and nutritious foods. In a food desert, an area devoid of a supermarket, access to healthy food is limited. We conducted a systematic review of studies that focused on food access and food desert research in the United States. The 31 studies identified utilized 9 measures to assess food access. Results from these studies can be summarized primarily into four major statements. Findings from other countries offer insight into ways, in which future research, policy development and program implementation in the U.S. may continue to be explored. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 15, Issue 2, June 2009, Pages 578-585
Ball, K. | Timperio, A. | Crawford, D.
This study investigated whether the availability and accessibility of supermarkets and fruit and vegetable stores, and the availability, variety and price of foods within these stores, varied across areas of different levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in Melbourne, Australia. Data on food store locations, and food variety and price within stores were obtained through objective audits of 45 neighbourhoods of varying socioeconomic disadvantage. Geographical accessibility of healthy food stores was mostly better amongst those living in more advantaged neighbourhoods. Availability of healthy foods within stores only slightly favoured those in advantaged neighbourhoods. However food prices favoured those living in disadvantaged areas. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 3, September 2009, Pages 827-840
Pont, K. | Ziviani, J. | Wadley, D. | Bennett, S. | Abbott, R.
This systematic review investigated the environmental (physical, economic, socio-cultural and political) correlates of active transportation (AT) among young people aged 5-18 years to better inform the promotion of active living. Greater distance, increasing household income and increasing car ownership are consistently associated with lower rates of AT among children. Having a non-white ethnic background has a convincing positive association with AT. Having recreation facilities and walk or bike paths present are possibly associated with higher rates of AT. Further research requires longitudinal and intervention studies, utilizing multi-level design methodologies and objective measures of environmental attributes. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 1, March 2009, Pages 18-24
Palmer, R.F. | Blanchard, S. | Wood, R.
The objective of this study was to determine if proximity to sources of mercury pollution in 1998 were related to autism prevalence in 2002. Autism count data from the Texas Educational Agency and environmental mercury release data from the Environmental Protection Agency were used. We found that for every 1000 pounds of industrial release, there was a corresponding 2.6% increase in autism rates (p<.05) and a 3.7% increase associated with power plant emissions(P<.05). Distances to these sources were independent predictors after adjustment for relevant covariates. For every 10 miles from industrial or power plant sources, there was an associated decreased autism Incident Risk of 2.0% and 1.4%, respectively (p<.05). While design limitations preclude interpretation of individual risk, further investigations of environmental risks to child development issues are warranted. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 1, March 2009, Pages 107-116
The world became mainly urban in 2007. It is thus timely to review the state of knowledge about urban health and the current priorities for research and action. This article considers both health determinants and outcomes in low-income urban areas of developing countries. The need to study urban health in a multi-level and multi-sectoral way is highlighted and priorities for research are identified. Interventions such as the Healthy Cities project are considered and obstacles to the effective implementation of urban health programmes are discussed. Concepts such as the double burden of ill health and the urban penalty are re-visited. Finally, a call for a shift from 'vulnerability' to 'resilience' is presented. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 3, September 2009, Pages 670-678
Bécares, L. | Nazroo, J. | Stafford, M.
Studies in the United Kingdom (UK) show a consistent inequality between the health of ethnic minorities and that of white people. This is exacerbated by the over-representation of ethnic minorities in deprived areas, which have been associated with poorer infant and child health, chronic disease, and high mortality rates. Ethnic density, defined as the proportion of ethnic minority residents in an area, is generally thought of in relation to the negative impacts of area effects on health. However, it can be considered in terms of social networks and supportive communities, possibly mitigating the detrimental impact of racism on the health of ethnic minority people. This study investigated the ethnic density effect and hypothesised that ethnic minority people who live in areas of high ethnic density would report decreased experienced racism and better health outcomes compared to their counterparts living in areas of low ethnic density. Multiple logistic regressions were conducted using data from the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities and the 1991 UK Census. Results showed a negative association between ethnic density and psychotic symptomatology, but no evidence of an association between ethnic density and general self-rated health. Findings confirm that the experience of racism is lower in places of higher ethnic density and indicate a tendency for a weaker association between racism and health as ethnic density increases. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Come take a walk with me: The "Go-Along" interview as a novel method for studying the implications of place for health and well-being
Volume 15, Issue 1, March 2009, Pages 263-272
This paper aims to serve as a four-part introductory primer on the "go-along" qualitative interview methodology for studying the health issues of neighborhood or local-area contexts. First, I describe the purpose and different types of implementation of go-alongs. Second, I discuss its advantages for studying how place may matter for health (particularly in terms of the participants) and how it may facilitate researchers' understandings of local knowledge as well as the social and physical context. Third, I consider the method's strengths and limitations for population health research on neighborhoods and local areas. Fourth and finally, I discuss how go-alongs may be used in tandem with other qualitative and quantitative approaches for multi-method research. Informing this discussion are my own experiences with a particular type of go-along interview-"walk-along" interviews-during a study of social capital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin neighborhoods. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 2, June 2009, Pages 403-411
Richmond, C.A.M. | Ross, N.A.
Environmental dispossession disproportionately affects the health of Canada's Aboriginal population, yet little is known about how its effects are sustained over time. We use a critical population health approach to explore the determinants of health in rural and remote First Nation and Inuit communities, and to conceptualize the pathways by which environmental dispossession affects these health determinants. We draw from narrative analysis of interviews with 26 Community Health Representatives (CHRs) from First Nation and Inuit communities across Canada. CHRs identified six health determinants: balance, life control, education, material resources, social resources, and environmental/cultural connections. CHRs articulated the role of the physical environment for health as inseparable from that of their cultures. Environmental dispossession was defined as a process with negative consequences for health, particularly in the social environment. Health research should focus on understanding linkages between environmental dispossession, cultural identity, and the social determinants of health. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The anatomy of the safe and social suburb: An exploratory study of the built environment, social capital and residents' perceptions of safety
Volume 14, Issue 1, March 2008, Pages 15-31
Wood, L. | Shannon, T. | Bulsara, M. | Pikora, T. | McCormack, G. | Giles-Corti, B.
This study explored the relationship between social capital and aspects of the built environment, focusing in particular on the walkability of suburbs as determined by street network design and the mix of land uses. We measured social capital and feelings of personal safety in 335 residents of three suburbs in metropolitan Perth, WA, and collected objective and perceived data on the built environment. After adjustment for demographic factors, the built environment was found to have a significant but small effect on social capital and feelings of safety, particularly in relation to the number and perceived adequacy of destinations. A high level of neighbourhood upkeep was associated with both higher social capital and feelings of safety. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 14, Issue 2, June 2008, Pages 198-208
Cohen, D.A. | Inagami, S. | Finch, B.
Collective efficacy, i.e., perception of mutual trust and willingness to help each other, is a measure of neighborhood social capital and has been associated with positive health outcomes including lower rates of assaults, homicide, premature mortality, and asthma. Collective efficacy is frequently considered a "cause", but we hypothesized that environmental features might be the foundation for or the etiology of personal reports of neighborhood collective efficacy. We analyzed data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Study (LAFANS) together with geographical data from Los Angeles County to determine which social and environmental features were associated with personal reports of collective efficacy, including presence of parks, alcohol outlets, elementary schools and fast food outlets. We used multi-level modeling controlling for age, education, annual family income, sex, marital status, employment and race/ethnicity at the individual level. At the tract level, we controlled for tract-level disadvantage, the number of off-sale alcohol outlets per roadway mile, the number of parks and the number of fast food outlets within the tract and within 1/2 mile of the tract's boundaries. We found that parks were independently and positively associated with collective efficacy; alcohol outlets were negatively associated with collective efficacy only when tract-level disadvantage was not included in the model. Fast food outlets and elementary schools were not linearly related to collective efficacy. Certain environmental features may set the stage for neighborhood social interactions, thus serving as a foundation for underlying health and well-being. Altering these environmental features may have greater than expected impact on health. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mingling, observing, and lingering: Everyday public spaces and their implications for well-being and social relations
Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2008, Pages 544-561
Cattell, V. | Dines, N. | Gesler, W. | Curtis, S.
The rejuvenation of public spaces is a key policy concern in the UK. Drawing on a wide literature and on qualitative research located in a multi-ethnic area of East London, this paper explores their relationship to well-being and social relations. It demonstrates that ordinary spaces are a significant resource for both individuals and communities. The beneficial properties of public spaces are not reducible to natural or aesthetic criteria, however. Social interaction in spaces can provide relief from daily routines, sustenance for people's sense of community, opportunities for sustaining bonding ties or making bridges, and can influence tolerance and raise people's spirits. They also possess subjective meanings that accumulate over time and can contribute to meeting diverse needs. Different users of public spaces attain a sense of well- being for different reasons: the paper calls for policy approaches in which the social and therapeutic properties of a range of everyday spaces are more widely recognised and nurtured. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 14, Issue 2, June 2008, Pages 117-132
Daniel, M. | Moore, S. | Kestens, Y.
Causal inference regarding the impact of place on health is constrained by limited attention to the biological plausibility of associations. The utility of such evidence also requires demonstrating that place-based exposures precede effects on health. We propose a conceptual framework that integrates time and two plausible biosocial pathways by which the geospatial clustering of social disadvantage might be viewed as causally related to the development of cardiovascular and glycemic disease. The framework distinguishes environmental risk conditions that condition the expression of individual behavioural and psychosocial characteristics, and socioeconomic and material conditions that influence regulatory systems through conscious and non-conscious mechanisms. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method for measuring spatial accessibility to primary care physicians
Volume 15, Issue 4, December 2009, Pages 1100-1107
Luo, W. | Qi, Y.
This paper presents an enhancement of the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method for measuring spatial accessibility, addressing the problem of uniform access within the catchment by applying weights to different travel time zones to account for distance decay. The enhancement is proved to be another special case of the gravity model. When applying this enhanced 2SFCA (E2SFCA) to measure the spatial access to primary care physicians in a study area in northern Illinois, we find that it reveals spatial accessibility pattern that is more consistent with intuition and delineates more spatially explicit health professional shortage areas. It is easy to implement in GIS and straightforward to interpret. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 14, Issue 4, December 2008, Pages 623-635
Argeseanu Cunningham, S. | Ruben, J.D. | Venkat Narayan, K.M.
This paper identifies the overarching patterns of immigrant health in the US. Most studies indicate that foreign-born individuals are in better health than native-born Americans, including individuals of the same race/ethnicity. They tend to have lower mortality rates and are less likely to suffer from circulatory diseases, overweight/obesity, and some cancers. However, many foreign-born groups have higher rates of diabetes, some infections, and occupational injuries. There is heterogeneity in health among immigrants, whose health increasingly resembles that of natives with duration of US residence. Prospective studies are needed to better understand migrant health and inform interventions for migrant health maintenance. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 15, Issue 4, December 2009, Pages 909-916
Townshend, T. | Lake, A.A.
There is a growing body of research, which suggests that many contemporary urban environments do not support healthy lifestyle choices and are implicated in the obesity pandemic. This paper reviews the evidence from this field in relation to theory, policy and practice, from three different disciplinary perspectives: urban design, geography and public health nutrition. In the UK, our development has been higher density and our urban form more varied, yet the paper concludes that it still may be making a contribution to our own obesity crisis. The dynamics of this, however, are highly complex and currently little understood. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd.
Fried chicken and fresh apples: Racial segregation as a fundamental cause of fast food density in black neighborhoods
Volume 14, Issue 1, March 2008, Pages 32-44
As rates of overweight and obesity have surged in the US, researchers have turned attention to the environmental context of diet and disparities in access to healthful foods. Despite evidence that Black neighborhoods are disproportionately exposed to fast food, few explanations have been advanced to illuminate explanatory mechanisms. This paper contends that race-based residential segregation is a fundamental cause of fast food density in Black neighborhoods. Segregation's effects on population and economic characteristics, physical infrastructure, and social processes work in tandem to increase the likelihood that Black neighborhoods in urban environments will bear a disproportionate burden of fast food restaurants. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Neighbourhood social capital and common mental disorder: Testing the link in a general population sample
Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2008, Pages 394-405
Stafford, M. | De Silva, M. | Stansfeld, S. | Marmot, M.
General population multilevel studies of social capital and mental health are few in number. This multilevel study examined external measures of neighbourhood social capital and common mental disorders (CMD). Main effects and stress buffering models were tested. Based on data from over 9000 residents in 239 neighbourhoods in England and Scotland, there was no evidence of a main effect of social capital. For people living in deprived circumstances only, associations between neighbourhood social capital and CMD were seen. Elements of bridging social capital (contact amongst local friends) were associated with lower reporting of CMD. Elements of bonding social capital (attachment to neighbourhood) were associated with higher reporting of CMD. Findings provide some support for the hypothesis that social capital may protect against CMD, but indicate that initiatives should be targeted to deprived groups, focus on specific elements of social capital and not neglect the important relationship between personal socioeconomic disadvantage and CMD. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 14, Issue 4, December 2008, Pages 636-652
Korpela, K.M. | Ylén, M. | Tyrväinen, L. | Silvennoinen, H.
The study was based on the answers to a mailed questionnaire of a simple random sample of respondents from two cities (Helsinki, Tampere) in Finland. Ten determinants of restorative experiences in favorite places (≤15 km from home; n=1089) were effective. These determinants included "immediate" use of the favorite place (duration and frequency), personal background of nature experiences (nature orientedness, nature hobbies, childhood nature experiences), and situational factors in life, which were related to stress (hassles at work and with money, satisfaction with life) and to social relations (uplifts of social relations, visiting alone vs. in company). Different variables were associated with restorative experiences in different favorite settings (extensively managed nature areas, built-up green spaces, waterside environments, exercise and activity/hobby areas, and indoor and outdoor urban areas). The concept of "favorite place prescriptions" is introduced as an analogy to "exercise prescriptions" in primary healthcare. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Associations of neighborhood problems and neighborhood social cohesion with mental health and health behaviors: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Volume 14, Issue 4, December 2008, Pages 851-863
Echeverría, S. | Diez-Roux, A.V. | Shea, S. | Borrell, L.N. | Jackson, S.
Few studies have investigated the specific features implicated in neighborhood-health associations. We examined associations between measures of neighborhood problems and neighborhood social cohesion with depression, smoking, drinking, and walking for exercise in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort. Neighborhoods were characterized according to participant self-report and aggregated measures based on other MESA participants. Individuals living in the least problematic neighborhoods were significantly less likely to be depressed, to smoke, or to drink. Less socially cohesive neighborhoods were associated with increased depression, smoking, and not walking for exercise. Results persisted after adjusting for individual-level variables. Each measure appeared to capture distinct features of the neighborhood and associations did not differ by race/ethnicity. Results for neighborhood problems were robust to the use of aggregate measures but results for social cohesion generally were not. Future work should determine the health effect of modifying specific features of the neighborhood context. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.