IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v168y2016icp16-29.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Research on neighborhood effects on health in the United States: A systematic review of study characteristics

Author

Listed:
  • Arcaya, Mariana C.
  • Tucker-Seeley, Reginald D.
  • Kim, Rockli
  • Schnake-Mahl, Alina
  • So, Marvin
  • Subramanian, S.V.

Abstract

Neighborhood effects on health research has grown over the past 20 years. While the substantive findings of this literature have been published in systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and commentaries, operational details of the research have been understudied. We identified 7140 multi-level neighborhoods and health papers published on US populations between 1995 and 2014, and present data on the study characteristics of the 256 papers that met our inclusion criteria. Our results reveal rapid growth in neighborhoods and health research in the mid-2000s, illustrate the dominance of observational cross-sectional study designs, and show a heavy reliance on single-level, census-based neighborhood definitions. Socioeconomic indicators were the most commonly analyzed neighborhood variables and body mass was the most commonly studied health outcome. Well-known challenges associated with neighborhood effects research were infrequently acknowledged. We discuss how these results move the agenda forward for neighborhoods and health research.

Suggested Citation

  • Arcaya, Mariana C. & Tucker-Seeley, Reginald D. & Kim, Rockli & Schnake-Mahl, Alina & So, Marvin & Subramanian, S.V., 2016. "Research on neighborhood effects on health in the United States: A systematic review of study characteristics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 16-29.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:168:y:2016:i:c:p:16-29
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.08.047
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795361630483X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.08.047?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krieger, Nancy, 1994. "Epidemiology and the web of causation: Has anyone seen the spider?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 887-903, October.
    2. Stephanie A. Robert & Erin Ruel, 2006. "Racial Segregation and Health Disparities Between Black and White Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(4), pages 203-211.
    3. Oakes, J. Michael, 2004. "The (mis)estimation of neighborhood effects: causal inference for a practicable social epidemiology," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(10), pages 1929-1952, May.
    4. Frieden, T.R., 2010. "A framework for public health action: The health impact pyramid," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(4), pages 590-595.
    5. Subramanian, S.V. & Chen, J.T. & Rehkopf, D.H. & Waterman, P.D. & Krieger, N., 2005. "Racial disparities in context: A multilevel analysis of neighborhood variations in poverty and excess mortality among black populations in Massachusetts," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(2), pages 260-265.
    6. Frank, Lawrence Douglas & Saelens, Brian E. & Powell, Ken E. & Chapman, James E., 2007. "Stepping towards causation: Do built environments or neighborhood and travel preferences explain physical activity, driving, and obesity?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(9), pages 1898-1914, November.
    7. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    8. Diez Roux, A.V., 2001. "Investigating neighborhood and area effects on health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(11), pages 1783-1789.
    9. Macintyre, Sally & Ellaway, Anne & Cummins, Steven, 2002. "Place effects on health: how can we conceptualise, operationalise and measure them?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 125-139, July.
    10. Subramanian, S.V. & Elwert, Felix & Christakis, Nicholas, 2008. "Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: The modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 873-884, February.
    11. Clarke, Philippa & Ailshire, Jennifer A. & Lantz, Paula, 2009. "Urban built environments and trajectories of mobility disability: Findings from a national sample of community-dwelling American adults (1986-2001)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 964-970, September.
    12. Stockdale, Susan E. & Wells, Kenneth B. & Tang, Lingqi & Belin, Thomas R. & Zhang, Lily & Sherbourne, Cathy D., 2007. "The importance of social context: Neighborhood stressors, stress-buffering mechanisms, and alcohol, drug, and mental health disorders," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(9), pages 1867-1881, November.
    13. Meijer, Mathias & Röhl, Jeannette & Bloomfield, Kim & Grittner, Ulrike, 2012. "Do neighborhoods affect individual mortality? A systematic review and meta-analysis of multilevel studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(8), pages 1204-1212.
    14. Subramanian, S. V., 2004. "The relevance of multilevel statistical methods for identifying causal neighborhood effects," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(10), pages 1961-1967, May.
    15. Bancroft, Carolyn & Joshi, Spruha & Rundle, Andrew & Hutson, Malo & Chong, Catherine & Weiss, Christopher C. & Genkinger, Jeanine & Neckerman, Kathryn & Lovasi, Gina, 2015. "Association of proximity and density of parks and objectively measured physical activity in the United States: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 22-30.
    16. Roux, A.V.D., 2011. "Complex systems thinking and current impasses in health disparities research," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(9), pages 1627-1634.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stafford, Mai & Duke-Williams, Oliver & Shelton, Nicola, 2008. "Small area inequalities in health: Are we underestimating them?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 891-899, September.
    2. Etsuji Suzuki & Saori Kashima & Ichiro Kawachi & S V Subramanian, 2012. "Geographic Inequalities in All-Cause Mortality in Japan: Compositional or Contextual?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(6), pages 1-12, June.
    3. Bolte, Gabriele, 2018. "Epidemiologische Methoden und Erkenntnisse als eine Grundlage für Stadtplanung und gesundheitsfördernde Stadtentwicklung," Forschungsberichte der ARL: Aufsätze, in: Baumgart, Sabine & Köckler, Heike & Ritzinger, Anne & Rüdiger, Andrea (ed.), Planung für gesundheitsfördernde Städte, volume 8, pages 118-134, ARL – Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft.
    4. Subramanian, S.V. & Elwert, Felix & Christakis, Nicholas, 2008. "Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: The modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 873-884, February.
    5. De Clercq, B. & Vyncke, V. & Hublet, A. & Elgar, F.J. & Ravens-Sieberer, U. & Currie, C. & Hooghe, M. & Ieven, A. & Maes, L., 2012. "Social capital and social inequality in adolescents’ health in 601 Flemish communities: A multilevel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 202-210.
    6. Steffen Andreas Schüle & Gabriele Bolte, 2015. "Interactive and Independent Associations between the Socioeconomic and Objective Built Environment on the Neighbourhood Level and Individual Health: A Systematic Review of Multilevel Studies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-31, April.
    7. Petteway, Ryan J. & Mujahid, Mahasin & Allen, Amani & Morello-Frosch, Rachel, 2019. "The body language of place: A new method for mapping intergenerational “geographies of embodiment” in place-health research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 51-63.
    8. Maria Holst Algren & Carsten Kronborg Bak & Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff & Pernille Tanggaard Andersen, 2015. "Health-Risk Behaviour in Deprived Neighbourhoods Compared with Non-Deprived Neighbourhoods: A Systematic Literature Review of Quantitative Observational Studies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    9. Debrand, Thierry & Pierre, Aurélie & Allonier, Caroline & Lucas-Gabrielli, Véronique, 2012. "Critical urban areas, deprived areas and neighbourhood effects on health in France," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 92-101.
    10. Mitchell, Richard & Dujardin, Claire & Popham, Frank & Farfan Portet, Maria-Isabel & Thomas, Isabelle & Lorant, Vincent, 2011. "Using matched areas to explore international differences in population health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(8), pages 1113-1122.
    11. Spielman, Seth E. & Yoo, Eun-hye, 2009. "The spatial dimensions of neighborhood effects," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1098-1105, March.
    12. McNeill, Lorna Haughton & Kreuter, Matthew W. & Subramanian, S.V., 2006. "Social Environment and Physical activity: A review of concepts and evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(4), pages 1011-1022, August.
    13. Butler, Danielle C. & Thurecht, Linc & Brown, Laurie & Konings, Paul, 2013. "Social exclusion, deprivation and child health: a spatial analysis of ambulatory care sensitive conditions in children aged 0–4 years in Victoria, Australia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 9-16.
    14. Eleonore M Veldhuizen & Karien Stronks & Anton E Kunst, 2013. "Assessing Associations between Socio-Economic Environment and Self-Reported Health in Amsterdam Using Bespoke Environments," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-10, July.
    15. Anna Maria Santiago & Kristen A. Berg & Joffré Leroux, 2021. "Assessing the Impact of Neighborhood Conditions on Neurodevelopmental Disorders during Childhood," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-14, August.
    16. Jason M. Orr & Jonathon P. Leider & Margaret J. Gutilla, 2023. "System approaches in governmental public health: Findings from an analysis of the literature," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 159-169, January.
    17. Clarke, Christina A. & Miller, Tim & Chang, Ellen T. & Yin, Daixin & Cockburn, Myles & Gomez, Scarlett L., 2010. "Racial and social class gradients in life expectancy in contemporary California," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(9), pages 1373-1380, May.
    18. Thomas Schofield & Melissa Merrick & Chia-Feng Chen, 2016. "Reciprocal Associations between Neighborhood Context and Parent Investments: Selection Effects in Two Longitudinal Samples," Working Papers wp16-08-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    19. Kamyar Hasanzadeh & Tiina Laatikainen & Marketta Kyttä, 2018. "A place-based model of local activity spaces: individual place exposure and characteristics," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 227-252, July.
    20. Margaret Weden & Christine Peterson & Jeremy Miles & Regina Shih, 2015. "Evaluating Linearly Interpolated Intercensal Estimates of Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics of U.S. Counties and Census Tracts 2001–2009," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(4), pages 541-559, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:168:y:2016:i:c:p:16-29. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.