Depending on where we live, our health may be adversely affected by neighborhood characteristics such as
poor air and water quality, proximity to hazardous substances, substandard housing, and lack of access to nutritious foods and safe places to exercise or play
.
Which factors influence the health of neighborhoods?
Factors such as
educational attainment, income, access to healthy food, and the safety of a neighborhood
tend to correlate with individual health outcomes in that neighborhood … these factors are linked to economic health as well as physical health.”
How the neighborhood we live in and the conditions of that neighborhood impact our ability to make healthy choices?
Social and economic conditions in neighborhoods can also influence health by
affecting access to employment opportunities and public resources including efficient transportation, an effective police force, and good schools
. Strong ties and trust among people within neighborhoods have been associated with better health.
Healthy People 2020 organizes the social determinants of health around five key domains: (1) Economic Stability, (2) Education, (3) Health and Health Care, (4)
Neighborhood and Built Environment
, and (5) Social and Community Context.
How can buildings affect health?
Health risks associated with indoor environments includes
asthma, cancer, and reproductive and developmental effects
. However, significant gaps still exist in the current state of knowledge about indoor environmental risks and exposures.
How does construction affect human health?
Physical spaces can expose people to toxins or pollutants and influence lifestyles that contribute to diabetes, coronary vascular disease, and asthma
.
How does neighborhood affect healthy food options?
A summary of recent research on this issue indicated that “
in neighborhoods without supermarkets, residents likely face higher prices for many healthy foods
, because small stores typically charge more for items such as fresh produce.”
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Research also shows that price reductions of healthier food choices can contribute …
How does neighborhood disadvantage affect health?
We find that residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods have
worse health (worse self-reported health and physical functioning and more chronic conditions) than residents of more advantaged neighborhoods
. The association is mediated entirely by perceived neighborhood disorder and the resulting fear.
Why is it important to live in a good neighborhood?
Stable, affordable housing is a key determinant of health
. The house and neighborhood where one grows up impacts the health and longevity of one's life. Having a safe, decent, stable, affordable home also impacts a child's success in school. However, many Americans live outside of safe, stable neighborhoods.
What condition in the neighborhood that are detrimental to the child?
And they include hazards associated with older and deteriorating housing, such as
mold, pest infestations, peeling lead paint, and lead pipes
. All of these environmental hazards pose a serious risk to children's development and well-being.
What are the characteristics of neighborhood?
Social neighborhood characteristics include “
the degree and nature of social connections between neighbors, the presence of social norms, levels of safety and violence, and various features of the social organization of places
” [3].
Which factors negatively affect neighborhoods and built environments?
Many people in the United States live in neighborhoods with
high rates of violence, unsafe air or water, and other health and safety risks
. Racial/ethnic minorities and people with low incomes are more likely to live in places with these risks.
Healthcare providers can address social determinants of health through five approaches—
awareness, adjustment, assistance, alignment, and advocacy
, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
What are the challenges involved in trying to improve neighborhood conditions?
Participants described five key challenges in their communities:
Pollution, abandoned buildings with associated crime, low food access and health concerns, trash and illegal dumping, and lack of trees
.
How are buildings harmful to the environment?
Buildings affect the climate
Buildings account for nearly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)
, according to Architecture 2030. Add in other infrastructure and activities, such as transportation, that are associated with buildings, and that number jumps.
Why are buildings healthy?
The science of healthy buildings
Through the COGfx Study, research has shown that
healthy buildings can significantly improve cognitive function
. In addition, healthy buildings can impact the bottom line for a business – from reducing energy waste and the related costs to improving worker productivity.
How does buildings affect the environment?
Poorly designed and constructed buildings use more energy, increasing the demand on energy production and contributing to global warming
. Reducing energy use in buildings is one of the most important ways to reduce humans' overall environmental impact.
How does construction affect the community?
The construction industry
provides jobs, wages, and keeps the income in the community
. This, in turn, will improve the local economy, as the workers employed in the project will have wages to pass along to other local businesses. The construction industry doesn't stop giving after the project has been completed.
What are the effects of construction?
The environmental impact of construction contributes to
global warming
. Construction projects emit large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane. Infrastructure developments cause pollution and produce waste. As the output of the construction industry multiplies, so can its damaging effects.
How does access to healthy food affect health?
Eating a healthy diet is difficult without access to nutritious food
. Each year, chronic diseases account for 70% of all deaths in the United States. Poor diets lead to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Do marginalized communities lack proper nutrition?
Their research found that mixed-race or white high-poverty communities and all-black communities regardless of poverty are less likely to have access to healthy foods compared to their predominantly white high-income counterparts.
How does income affect access to healthy food?
Low-income households tend to eat less nutritious diets than other households
. On average, they do not meet Federal recommendations for consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products, and they consume fewer servings of these nutritious foods than other households.
What is a disadvantaged neighborhood?
If the percentage of households that are below the poverty-line is greater than a critical prevalence within a neighborhood or community
, this neighborhood or community is usually defined as a disadvantaged one.
Social determinants of health are
the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age
. They include factors like socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood and physical environment, employment, and social support networks, as well as access to health care (Figure 1).
What is the area deprivation index?
An area deprivation index (ADI) is
a multidimensional evaluation of a region's socioeconomic conditions, which have been linked to health outcomes
(1–6). We have refined the ADI, testing its association with health outcomes at various geographic levels.
