Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles reported results from their study that focused on the impact of neighborhood context on end-of-life issues for older adults.
A growing body of research indicates that concrete social contextual characteristics, especially local neighborhood and family factors, are associated with the risk of death among the general population. The most widely known link between social context and health or mortality is socioeconomic status. Similar findings have been established linking ethnic or racial neighborhood segregation and population density to health and mortality. Drilling down on these findings, at their core, poverty and residential stability are the primary neighborhood level characteristics driving the relationship between social context and health.
Though interesting, these findings are not specific enough when considering the needs of older adults, who are more likely to face mobility and transportation issues than younger neighbors, and they’re more likely to be isolated socially.
Using data from the Study of Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old and the U.S. Census, the researchers calculated the log odds of dying between two points in time during the study. Primarily, they found that the odds of dying are much less in affluent neighborhoods than poorer ones. The researchers speculate that wealthier neighborhoods tend to have a more even distribution of high quality health care options than poorer neighborhoods. Access to care is easier and untreated chronic illnesses are less likely.
More research needs to be done, specifically in regards to the types of local contextual factors that impact health and mortality. The body of literature that exists to date, however, indicates that simple things like local access to walkable commerce, an active civic life, and quality health care all contribute to the health and quality of life of residents.
Source: Wight, R., Cummings, J., Karlamangla, A., Aneshensel, C. 2010. Urban neighborhood context and mortality in late life. Journal of Aging and Health Online First.
