Inter-relationships between objective and subjective measures of the residential environment among urban African American women.
The inter-relationships between objective (census based) and subjective (resident reported) measures of the residential environment is understudied in African American (AA) populations.



Using data from the Life Influences on Fetal Environments Study (2009-2011; n = 1387) of AA women, we quantified the area-level variation in subjective reports of residential healthy food availability, walkability, safety, and disorder that can be accounted for with an objective neighborhood disadvantage index (NDI). Two-level generalized linear models estimated associations between objective and subjective measures of the residential environment, accounting for individual-level covariates.



In unconditional models, intraclass correlation coefficients for block-group variance in subjective reports ranged from 11% (healthy food availability) to 30% (safety). Models accounting for the NDI (vs. both NDI and individual-level covariates) accounted for more variance in healthy food availability (23% vs. 8%) and social disorder (40% vs. 38%). The NDI and individual-level variables accounted for 39% and 51% of the area-level variation in walkability and safety, respectively. Associations between subjective and objective measures of the residential environment were significant and in the expected direction.



Future studies on neighborhood effects on health, especially among AAs, should include a wide range of residential environment measures, including subjective, objective, and spatial contextual variables.
Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. Electronic address: ssealyjeffers@vcu.edu.
Shawnita
S
Sealy-Jefferson
School of Community Health, College of Urban and Public Affairs, Portland State University, Portland, OR.
Lynne
L
Messer
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Doctoral Nursing Program, College of Nursing & Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
Jaime
J
Slaughter-Acey
Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.
Dawn P
DP
Misra
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
African Americans; Neighborhood disadvantage; Neighborhood measurement; Objective; Physical and social; Residential environment; Subjective; Urban