Dataset Information

Long-Term Exposure to Walkable Residential Neighborhoods and Risk of Obesity-Related Cancer in the New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Living in neighborhoods with higher levels of walkability has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity and higher levels of physical activity. Obesity has been linked to increased risk of 13 cancers in women. However, long-term prospective studies of neighborhood walkability and risk for obesity-related cancer are scarce.

Objectives

We evaluated the association between long-term average neighborhood walkability and obesity-related cancer risk in women.

Methods

The New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS) is a prospective cohort with 14,274 women recruited between 1985 and 1991 in New York City and followed over nearly three decades. We geocoded residential addresses for each participant throughout follow-up and calculated an average annual measure of neighborhood walkability across years of follow-up using data on population density and accessibility to destinations associated with geocoded residential addresses. We used ICD-9 codes to characterize first primary obesity-related cancers and employed Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association between average neighborhood walkability and risk of overall and site-specific obesity-related cancers.

Results

Residing in neighborhoods with a higher walkability level was associated with a reduced risk of overall and site-specific obesity-related cancers. The hazards ratios associated with a 1-standard deviation increase in average annual neighborhood walkability were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85, 0.93) for overall obesity-related cancer, 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.95) for postmenopausal breast cancer, 0.82 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.99) for ovarian cancer, 0.87 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.99) for endometrial cancer, and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.94) for multiple myeloma, adjusting for potential confounders at both the individual and neighborhood level. The association between neighborhood walkability and risk of overall obesity-related cancer was stronger among women living in neighborhoods with higher levels of poverty compared with women living in areas with lower poverty levels (pInteraction=0.006).

Discussion

Our study highlights a potential protective role of neighborhood walkability in preventing obesity-related cancers in women. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11538.

SUBMITTER: India-Aldana S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10548871 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Long-Term Exposure to Walkable Residential Neighborhoods and Risk of Obesity-Related Cancer in the New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS).

India-Aldana Sandra S Rundle Andrew G AG Quinn James W JW Clendenen Tess V TV Afanasyeva Yelena Y Koenig Karen L KL Liu Mengling M Neckerman Kathryn M KM Thorpe Lorna E LE Zeleniuch-Jacquotte Anne A Chen Yu Y

Environmental health perspectives 20231004 10

<h4>Background</h4>Living in neighborhoods with higher levels of walkability has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity and higher levels of physical activity. Obesity has been linked to increased risk of 13 cancers in women. However, long-term prospective studies of neighborhood walkability and risk for obesity-related cancer are scarce.<h4>Objectives</h4>We evaluated the association between long-term average neighborhood walkability and obesity-related cancer risk in women.<h4>Methods< ...[more]

PMID: 37791759

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Project description:While sunlight may influence cognitive function through several pathways, associations of residential sunlight exposure with cognitive function are not well known. We evaluated associations of long-term residential sunlight exposure with cognitive function among a representative cohort of 1838 Finnish adults residing in Finland who underwent comprehensive cognitive assessment in midlife. We linked daily recordings of global solar radiation to study participants using residential information and calculated the average daily residential exposure to sunlight for four exposure time intervals: 2 months, 1 year, 2 years and 5 years prior to the date of the cognition assessment. Associations of the residential sunlight exposure with cognitive function were assessed using linear regression analyses adjusting for season, sex, age, and individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic characteristics. Greater average residential sunlight exposure over 2 and 5 years prior to the cognitive function assessment was associated with better global cognitive function (b = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.25; b = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.29, per 1 MJ/m2 difference in sunlight exposure), while no associations with global cognitive function were observed at shorter exposure time intervals. In domain-specific analyses, greater residential exposure to sunlight over 1, 2 and 5 years prior to the cognitive function assessment was associated with better performance on new learning and visual memory (b = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.20; b = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.04, 0.28; b = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.08, 0.31) and sustained attention (b = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.25; b = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.06, 0.30; b = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.29), but worse performance on reaction time (b = - 0.12, 95% CI = - 0.22, - 0.02; b = -0.15, 95% CI = - 0.28, - 0.02; b = - 0.18, 95% CI = - 0.30, - 0.05). Residential sunlight exposure was not associated with executive function. These findings suggest long-term residential sunlight exposure may be an environmental factor influencing cognitive function among a cognitively healthy cohort residing in Northern Europe. Further studies in populations residing in different geographical locations are needed.

Dataset Information

Long-Term Exposure to Walkable Residential Neighborhoods and Risk of Obesity-Related Cancer in the New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS).

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Publications

Long-Term Exposure to Walkable Residential Neighborhoods and Risk of Obesity-Related Cancer in the New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS).

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