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Impact of Neighborhood Spatial Scale on Associations Among Neighborhood Physical and Social Environment Measures
Methods Census tracts (CT) and block groups (BG) were used to define neighborhoods in East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, resulting in 70 CT and 142 BG neighborhoods. Pearson correlation coefficients and principal component factor analysis were assessed among measures of the food environment, including 1) fast food restaurants (FFRs), 2) convenience stores, and 3) grocery stores; the PA environment, including 4) parks and 5) fitness and recreation centers (FRCs); and the social environment, including 6) crime.
Results In both CT and BG neighborhoods, high crime was negatively correlated with FRCs (r=-0.244, p=0.042 (CT); r=-0.170, p=0.043 (BG)) and convenience stores were positively correlated with FFRs (r=0.249, p=0.036 (CT); r=0.172, p=0.041 (BG)). For BG neighborhoods, FFRs were negatively correlated with high crime (r=-0.187, p=0.026) and positively correlated with FRCs (r=0.206, p=0.014) and grocery stores (r=0.166, p=0.049), and parks were positively correlated with FRCs (r=0.325, p<0.001). Factor analyses produced 3 factors at each neighborhood scale. Similarly, parks and FRCs loaded positively on the first factor and grocery stores and convenience stores loaded positively on the second factor. Between neighborhood scales, FFRs loaded positively for CT neighborhoods and negatively for BG neighborhoods on the third factor, and high crime loaded negatively on the first factor for CT neighborhoods and positively on the third factor for BG neighborhoods.
Conclusions Multiple significant associations were shown among neighborhood measures with similar relationships demonstrated between neighborhood spatial scales. Findings also demonstrated that the colocation of neighborhood measures between the spatial scales were largely similar. Findings highlight the importance of spatial scale in delineating neighborhoods.
Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programsLearning Objectives:
Describe important neighborhood environments that influence health outcomes
Analyze associations among neighborhood physical and social environments across neighborhood spatial scales
Demonstrate the importance of spatial scale in delineating neighborhoods
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Postdoctoral Fellow studying environmental influences on health behaviors and outcomes. My mentor and co-author, Stephanie Broyles, Ph.D., has been the principal or co-principal investigator on research studies examining environmental influences on health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.