The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

3339.0: Monday, November 17, 2003 - 4:42 PM

Abstract #59998

Pathways between neighborhood-level material deprivation and chronic diseases

Catherine Cubbin, PhD, Marilyn A. Winkleby, PhD, MPH, Ying-Chih Chuang, PhD, David Ahn, PhD, and Namita Oswal, MS. Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1000 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1825, 6504984626, ccubbin@stanford.edu

Background: Neighborhood-level material deprivation (lacking basic goods, services and community resources) is thought to influence chronic diseases through its direct and indirect effects on risk factors/health behaviors, psychological stress, and/or health knowledge. Purpose: This presentation investigates (1) whether neighborhood material deprivation is independently associated with (a) risk factors/health behaviors (diabetes, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, physical activity, smoking, dietary habits), (b) psychological stressors, and (c) health knowledge; and (2) whether associations between neighborhood deprivation and the dependent variables (risk factors/behaviors, stressors, knowledge) vary by individual socioeconomic status. Methods: Individual-level data are from 8,419 women and men aged 25-74 who participated in the Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Program (SHDPP), conducted between 1979-1990. SHDPP participants lived in 82 different neighborhoods in four Northern California cities. Data from five SHDPP cross-sectional surveys and multiple sources of historical data measuring goods and services were geocoded and linked with decennial census data (1980, 1990). Neighborhood deprivation is constructed using both census data (e.g., poverty concentration) and density of and/or proximity to goods (e.g., grocery stores), services (e.g, banking facilities), or resources (e.g., recreational space) using factor and cluster analyses. Main analyses are conducted using multilevel, multivariate linear models. Hypotheses: We hypothesize that neighborhood material deprivation exerts independent effects on the dependent variables and that those effects are most pronounced among socioeconomically (i.e., lower SES) disadvantaged individuals. Implications: Policies and interventions that address neighborhood deprivation may broaden current individually-focused efforts to reduce disparities in chronic diseases.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Social Inequalities, Chronic Diseases

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Understanding Social Capital as a Means to Improve Healthy Lifestyle Choices

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA