Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107998

Dinah Phillips Welch, MSN, ARNP, College of Nursing, University of Florida, PO Box 100197, Gainesville, FL 32610-0197, 352-273-6516, dwelch@nursing.ufl.edu

Humans do not exist in a vacuum, as such, health and illness do not occur entirely as the result of individual behaviors. People are intrinsically both social and physical beings and are therefore affected by myriad social factors. The areas in which people conduct their activities of daily living are an integral part of the frame through which people view their successes, abilities, failures and aspirations for the future. Lived experiences vary tremendously depending on the area one inhabits. Constituting different aspects of the environment that shape one's daily experiences; the social and physical attributes of neighborhoods and housing are--at the same time--both a product and mediator of larger social, economic, and political forces. Economically disadvantaged neighborhoods are characterized by high poverty rates, high percentages of persons on public assistance, female heads of households, and male unemployment. Neighborhood disadvantage has been positively related to higher levels of stress, lower social resources, and higher levels of psychological distress A multilevel analysis of data from two community studies was conducted to; a) determine if women who live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods report higher levels of perceived stress and psychological distress than those who live in more economically advantaged neighborhoods, b) determine the effects of neighborhood economic disadvantage on psychological distress, and c) determine if neighborhood social cohesion and individual social support mediate the effects of neighborhood economic disadvantage on perceived stress and psychological distress. Findings and implications for public health nursing practice will be presented.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Discuss the effects of neighborhood economic disadvantage on women’s psychological distress
• Recognize the implications of neighborhood and health disparity research on public health nursing practice
• Articulate upstream approaches to improving women’s health disparities.

Keywords: Community, Low-Income

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.