Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Sep;73(7):572-9.
doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e318227b062. Epub 2011 Aug 23.

Neighborhood context and social disparities in cumulative biological risk factors

Katherine E King  1 , Jeffrey D Morenoff, James S House
Affiliations

Neighborhood context and social disparities in cumulative biological risk factors

Katherine E King et al. Psychosom Med. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: This study examines the role of neighborhood context in the accumulation of biological risk factors and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities.

Methods: Data came from face-to-face interviews and blood sample collection on a probability sample of adults (n = 549) in the 2002 Chicago Community Adult Health Study. Following the approach of prior studies, we constructed an index of cumulative biological risk (CBR) by counting how many of eight biomarkers exceeded clinically defined criteria for "high risk": systolic and diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, hemoglobin A(1c), C-reactive protein, waist size, and total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Data are presented as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) based on generalized linear models with a Poisson link function and population-average estimates with robust standard errors.

Results: Non-Hispanic blacks (n = 200), Hispanics (n = 149), and people with low (n = 134) and moderate (n = 275) level of education had significantly higher numbers of biological risks than their respective reference groups (IRR = 1.48, 1.59, 1.62, and 1.48, respectively, with p < .01). Black-white (p < .001) and Hispanic-white (p < .003) disparities in CBR remained significant after adjusting for individual-level socioeconomic position and behavioral factors, whereas individual-level controls substantially diminished the low/high (p < .069) and moderate/high (p < .042) educational differences. Estimating "within-neighborhood" disparities to adjust for neighborhood context fully explained the black-white gap in CBR (p < .542) and reduced the Hispanic-white gap to borderline significance (p < .053). Neighborhood affluence predicted lower levels of CBR (IRR = 0.82, p < .027), but neighborhood disadvantage was not significantly associated with CBR (IRR = 1.00, p < .948).

Conclusions: Neighborhood environments seem to play a pivotal role in the accumulation of biological risk and disparities therein.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Two Dimensions of Socioeconomic Status in Chicago Neighborhoods (Focal n=80; Non-Focal n=263)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Seplaki CL, Goldman N, Weinstein M, Lin YH. How are biomarkers related to physical and mental well-being? Journals of Gerontology Series a-Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2004;59:201–17. - PubMed
    1. Seplaki CL, Goldman N, Weinstein M, Lin YH. Measurement of cumulative physiological dysregulation in an older population. Demography. 2006;4:165–83. - PubMed
    1. Seeman TE, Singer BH, Rowe JW, Horwitz RI, McEwen BS. Price of adaptation - Allostatic load and its health consequences - MacArthur studies of successful aging. Archives of Internal Medicine. 1997;157:2259–68. - PubMed
    1. Sabbah W, Watt RG, Sheiham A, Tsakos G. Effects of allostatic load on the social gradient in ischaemic heart disease and periodontal disease: evidence from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 2008;62:415–20. - PubMed
    1. Hu PF, Wagle N, Goldman N, Weinstein M, Seeman TE. The associations between socioeconomic status, allostatic load and measures of health in older Taiwanese persons: Taiwan social environment and biomarkers of aging study. Journal of Biosocial Science. 2007;39:545–56. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms