Neighbourhood characteristics, individual attributes and self-rated health among older Canadians.
This study drew on three cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey and the 2001 Census to examine between-neighbourhood variation in positive and negative self-rated health and the relative effect of individual and neighbourhood characteristics on self-rated health among Canadian adults aged > or = 65. Multilevel logistic regression results showed that there was modest, but significant between-neighbourhood variation in self-rated health. Neighbourhood factors including income, education, and percentage of people aged > or = 65, and visible minority accounted for about 50% and 30% of the neighbourhood variation in negative and positive self-rated health, respectively. Relative to neighbourhood-level characteristics, individual characteristics had a stronger effect on self-rated health with involvement in physical activity, alcohol consumption, sense of community belonging, income, and education being the most important. Although the findings suggest that neighbourhood effects on self-rated health are modest and that individual-level factors are relatively more important determinants of health, research concern for contextual influences on health should continue.
Walter Rasugu Omariba
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Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, 100 Tunney's Pasture Driveway, R.H. Coats Building 24B, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0T6. Walter.Omariba@statcan.gc.ca
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada; D019352:Censuses; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors