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

Abstract #118498

Scott Brown, PhD and Jose` Szapocznik, PhD. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1425 NW 10th Avenue, Room 207, Miami, FL 33136, (305) 243-4410, sbrown@med.miami.edu

Background: Evidence is rapidly emerging that physical and social environments sustain and/or diminish the health and well-being of inhabitants, yet few studies have systematically examined the mechanisms by which the architectural features (built environment) of residential environments affect human health and behavior. Methods: An initial structural-equation model is described for an ongoing study examining how, and to what extent, the architectural features of an elder's built environment (e.g., low sill-height) that are theorized to promote social connectedness through increased visibility and walking, impact the mental health of Hispanic elders residing in a low-SES urban neighborhood, East Little Havana (ELH). This study utilized a built-environment database, containing the architectural features of 3857 lots in each of 403 blocks in ELH, that were collected using a manualized coding system. This architectural assessment was followed by assessments of mental health (e.g., depression, cognition) and social behaviors for 273 Hispanic elders residing in ELH (one elder randomly selected per block).Results: A structural-equation model revealed small but significant relationships between features of an elder's block-level built environment (e.g., balconies; no ground-floor parking, low sill-height) and the elder's neighboring behavior and social support, which in turn were associated with cognitive and affective functioning, Chi-squared(63)=85.202, p=.033, CFI=.997, RMSEA=.036. Surprisingly, however, not all relationships were in the hypothesized direction (i.e., low sill-height was associated with less social support).Conclusions: Although preliminary, these results suggest that architectural features that achieve the proper balance between needs for privacy and social connectedness may be beneficial for residents' mental health.

Learning Objectives:

• Educate participants about the associations between architectural features of the built environment hypothesized to relate to social connectedness (e.g., balconies; ground-floor parking; low sill height) and older adults’ mental health (i.e., psychological distress, cognitive functioning).
• Educate participants about whether older adults’ neighboring behavior and social supports are the underlying mechanisms through which the built environment influences older adults’ mental health.

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.