Proximity to high streets, social isolation and social support in British adolescents: A longitudinal analysis of sociospatial influences on social connectedness using geospatial data

Charlotte Constable Fernandez; Jane Maddock; Praveetha Patalay; Anne-Kathrin Fett; Alexandra Pitman; Laura Vaughan; Kimon Krenz

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103260

Proximity to high streets, social isolation and social support in British adolescents: A longitudinal analysis of sociospatial influences on social connectedness using geospatial data

Health Place. 2024 May 11:88:103260. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103260. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Charlotte Constable Fernandez¹, Jane Maddock², Praveetha Patalay³, Anne-Kathrin Fett⁴, Alexandra Pitman⁵, Laura Vaughan⁶, Kimon Krenz⁶

Affiliations

¹ MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, UCL, London, UK. Electronic address: charlotte.fernandez@ucl.ac.uk.
² MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, UCL, London, UK.
³ MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, UCL, London, UK; Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, UCL, London, UK.
⁴ Department of Psychology, City, University of London, London, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, UK.
⁵ Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK; Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁶ The Space Syntax Lab, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London, UK.

PMID: 38735152
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103260

Abstract

High streets have been shown to be central to socio-economic activity, given their diverse residential, leisure, and commercial activities. This study explores the link between adolescent social isolation and proximity to, and land use mix in, high streets. Hypothesising that greater distance from high streets might increase social isolation, measured via social activities, friend contact frequency, and social support, we used multilevel modelling with data from the Millennium Cohort Study. We did not observe a relationship between proximity to high streets and these social isolation indicators, suggesting that high streets may either not significantly influence adolescent social engagement or that young people are willing to travel greater distances.

Keywords: Adolescents; Built environment; Great britain; High streets; Social isolation; Social support.