Neighborhood 'Disamenities': local barriers and cognitive function among Black and white aging adults

Wenshan Yu; Michael Esposito; Mao Li; Philippa Clarke; Suzanne Judd; Jessica Finlay

doi:10.1186/s12889-023-15026-x

Neighborhood 'Disamenities': local barriers and cognitive function among Black and white aging adults

BMC Public Health. 2023 Jan 30;23(1):197. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15026-x.

Authors

Wenshan Yu^{1

2}, Michael Esposito^{3

4}, Mao Li^{5

3}, Philippa Clarke^{3

6}, Suzanne Judd⁷, Jessica Finlay^{3

6}

Affiliations

¹ Program in Survey and Data Science, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA. yuwens@umich.edu.
² Social Environment and Health, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, 48104. yuwens@umich.edu.
³ Social Environment and Health, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, 48104.
⁴ Department of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
⁵ Program in Survey and Data Science, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA.
⁶ Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
⁷ School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.

Abstract

Background: This study examined the association between cognitive function and three neighborhood 'disamenities' that may pose local barriers to utilizing community resources and increase risk for cognitive decline.

Method: Using national data from 21,165 urban- and suburban-dwelling Black and white adults (mean age: 67 years) in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study, we assessed global cognitive function through a factor score of five cognitive screening tests. General Additive Mixed Models (GAMM) tested whether residing in areas with more polluting sites, highways, and limited walkability was associated with worse cognitive function.

Results: Limited walkability and the presence of polluting sites had a significant negative association with cognitive function after controlling for individual and neighborhood factors.

Conclusion: Neighborhood disamenities may be linked to cognitive function among aging residents. Identifying neighborhood factors that pose barriers to accessing community resources may inform upstream policy applications to reduce risk for cognitive decline.

Keywords: Aging; Cognitive function; Neighborhood; Urban health.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Aging
Cognition
Cognitive Dysfunction* / epidemiology
Humans
Residence Characteristics
White*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding