Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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Social participation (SP) is known to have a favorable impact on an individual's health. This study examined whether residing in a neighborhood with a high SP level would be predictive of delayed deterioration in health outcomes, even after controlling for individual SP. With the 14-wave longitudinal data of 32,388 individuals (15,749 men and 16,639 women) aged 50-59 years residing in 2,477 neighborhoods in 2005, we used multilevel Cox proportional hazards models to examine the impact of neighborhood SP on the onset of problems in activities of daily living (ADL), poor self-rated health, and psychological distress. ⋯ The results for other health outcomes showed a similar pattern. These findings suggest that high neighborhood SP has a favorable impact on health among middle-aged adults, independent of individual SP. Policy measures to enhance and promote neighborhood SP are thus needed in terms of public health.
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While the adverse effects of housing insecurity on mental health are known, much less is known about the modifiers underlying these effects. The aim of this study was to analyze the mental health of people with housing insecurity by housing tenure and considering the coexistence of other life insecurities (energy poverty and food insecurity). We conducted a cross-sectional study through a survey performed in all people attending the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages or the Alliance against Energy Poverty of Barcelona for the first time between June 2017 and December 2019 and who reported housing insecurity. ⋯ Among men, the results showed no clear pattern. Poor mental health was highly prevalent in people with housing insecurity and was exacerbated by the coexistence of life insecurities. Public policymakers should consider the complexity of persons with housing insecurity.
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The effects of the opioid crisis have varied across diverse and socioeconomically defined urban communities, due in part to widening health disparities. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has coincided with a spike in drug overdose deaths in the USA. However, the extent to which the impact of the pandemic on overdose deaths has varied across different demographics in urban neighborhoods is unclear. ⋯ The worst effects were seen in the poor, urban neighborhoods, affecting Black and Hispanic communities. However, more affluent, suburban White communities also experienced a rise in overdose deaths. A better understanding of contributing factors is needed to guide interventions at the local, regional, and national scales.