Social determinants of health: the role of neighbourhoods, psychological factors and health behaviours in predicting health outcomes for the urban poor in India.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of neighbourhoods, psychological characteristics and health behaviours on actual health outcomes and perceived health for a lower income urban Indian sample. A cross-sectional design was used with a community sample of 491 adults in two neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood and perceived stress played a role in predicitng risk of chronic conditions as well as perceived health. Positive emotional style was associated with decreased perception of poor health. Results support the importance of combining contextual as well as individual level characteristics in understanding health outcomes.