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Exploring the Role of the Built and Social Neighborhood Environment in Moderating Stress and Health

  • Original Article
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Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Health researchers have explored how different aspects of neighborhood characteristics contribute to health and well-being, but current understanding of built environment factors is limited.

Purpose

This study explores whether the association between stress and health varies by residential neighborhood, and if yes, whether built and social neighborhood environment characteristics act as moderators.

Methods

This study uses multilevel modeling and variables derived from geospatial data to explore the role of neighborhood environment in moderating the association of stress with health. Individual-level data (N = 4,093) were drawn from residents of 45 neighborhoods within Philadelphia County, PA, collected as part of the 2006 Philadelphia Health Management Corporation's Household Health Survey.

Results

We find that the negative influence of high stress varied by neighborhood, that residential stability and affluence (social characteristics) attenuated the association of high stress with health, and that the presence of hazardous waste facilities (built environment characteristics) moderated health by enhancing the association with stress.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that neighborhood environment has both direct and moderating associations with health, after adjusting for individual characteristics. The use of geospatial data could broaden the scope of stress–health research and advance knowledge by untangling the intertwined relationship between built and social environments, stress, and health. In particular, future studies should integrate built environment characteristics in health-related research; these characteristics are modifiable and can facilitate health promotion policies.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by internal funds from the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State. Additional support has been provided by the Geographic Information Analysis Core at Penn State's Population Research Institute, which receives core funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (R24-HD41025). We thank Laura Cousino Klein, Keith Aronson, Francine Axler, and Brian McManus for their comments and suggestions regarding our manuscript. All errors remain our own.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802-6211, USA

    Stephen A. Matthews B.Sc., Ph.D.

  2. Social Science Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, 803 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA, 16802-6211, USA

    Tse-Chuan Yang Ph.D.

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  1. Stephen A. Matthews B.Sc., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Stephen A. Matthews B.Sc., Ph.D..

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Matthews, S.A., Yang, TC. Exploring the Role of the Built and Social Neighborhood Environment in Moderating Stress and Health. ann. behav. med. 39, 170–183 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9175-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9175-7

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