Unknown

Dataset Information

0

Neighborhood Self-Selection: The Role of Pre-Move Health Factors on the Built and Socioeconomic Environment.


ABSTRACT: Residential self-selection bias is a concern in studies of neighborhoods and health. This bias results from health behaviors predicting neighborhood choice. To quantify this bias, we examined associations between pre-move health factors (body mass index, walking, and total physical activity) and post-move neighborhood factors (County Sprawl Index, Census tract socioeconomic status (SES)) in the Nurses' Health Study (n = 14,159 moves from 1986-2008). Individuals in the highest quartile of pre-move BMI (BMI > 28.4) compared to the lowest quartile (BMI < 22.5) moved to counties that averaged 2.57 points lower on the sprawl index (95% confidence interval -3.55, -1.59) indicating that individuals moved to less dense counties; however, no associations were observed for pre-move walking nor total physical activity. Individuals with higher pre-move BMI tended to move to Census tracts with lower median income and home values and higher levels of poverty. Analyses examining the change in neighborhood environments after a move demonstrated that healthy pre-move behaviors were associated with moves to worse socioeconomic environments. This type of self-selection would bias results downward, underestimating the true relationship between SES and physical activity. Generally, the magnitudes of associations between pre-move health factors and neighborhood measures were small and indicated that residential self-selection was not a major source of bias in analyses in this population.

SUBMITTER: James P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4626981 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

altmetric image

Publications

Neighborhood Self-Selection: The Role of Pre-Move Health Factors on the Built and Socioeconomic Environment.

James Peter P   Hart Jaime E JE   Arcaya Mariana C MC   Feskanich Diane D   Laden Francine F   Subramanian S V SV  

International journal of environmental research and public health 20151008 10


Residential self-selection bias is a concern in studies of neighborhoods and health. This bias results from health behaviors predicting neighborhood choice. To quantify this bias, we examined associations between pre-move health factors (body mass index, walking, and total physical activity) and post-move neighborhood factors (County Sprawl Index, Census tract socioeconomic status (SES)) in the Nurses' Health Study (n = 14,159 moves from 1986-2008). Individuals in the highest quartile of pre-mov  ...[more]

Similar Datasets

| S-EPMC9037627 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC10529799 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC10266617 | biostudies-literature
| PRJNA732392 | ENA
| S-EPMC8653571 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC3359102 | biostudies-other
| S-EPMC9759554 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC10108038 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC3318915 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC10155174 | biostudies-literature