title: Associations between neighborhood characteristics and self-rated health: a cross-sectional investigation in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort.
abstract: Quantifying the effects of specific neighborhood features on self-reported health is important in understanding the global health impact of neighborhood context. We investigated associations of neighborhood poverty, sociability and walkability with self-rated physical and mental health in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). In separate models, each neighborhood variable was associated with physical health but associations with sociability and walkability were stronger than those for poverty. Only walkability remained significant after adjusting for the other neighborhood variables. There was no evidence that self-rated mental health as assessed by the SF12 was associated with neighborhood poverty, walkability or sociability. This study provides information on how neighborhood context is associated with global health in diverse midlife and older persons.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. Electronic address: ktea@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomey
authors.forename: Ana V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Diez Roux
authors.forename: Philippa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seeman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Education; Employment; Income; Neighborhood; Self-rated health