Johanna Baar1,2, Matthias Romppel3, Ulrike Igel1,2, Elmar Brähler1,4, Gesine Grande3. 1. a Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology , University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany. 2. b Faculty of Applied Social Sciences , Leipzig University of Applied Sciences , Leipzig , Germany. 3. c Department 2: Prevention and Health Promotion , Institute for Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen , Bremen , Germany. 4. d Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy , University Medical Center Mainz , Mainz , Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A growing body of research has identified an association between health and physical residential environmental characteristics. However, the direction of effects remains unclear, and further research is needed to determine whether the residential environment influences health. OBJECTIVES: To specify the direction of the association between environmental disadvantage and self-reported health. METHODS: Longitudinal data were obtained from the German Socioeconomic Panel and were examined at two points in time. Participants were grouped by relocation status assessed across a five-year period. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the effect of baseline environmental disadvantage on baseline health and on health five years later. RESULTS: In both groups, environmental disadvantage was cross-sectionally correlated with poor health. Only among people who did not relocate was baseline environmental disadvantage significantly related to health five years later in bivariate analyses. Results from the structural equation model found that environmental disadvantage was no longer significantly related to poor health five years later within the group of non-movers (β = -.02, p = .052). In addition, there was no effect in this direction within the group of movers (β = .02, p = .277). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the existence of a weak contextual effect as group differences in longitudinal associations indicated the direction of ecological effects.
BACKGROUND: A growing body of research has identified an association between health and physical residential environmental characteristics. However, the direction of effects remains unclear, and further research is needed to determine whether the residential environment influences health. OBJECTIVES: To specify the direction of the association between environmental disadvantage and self-reported health. METHODS: Longitudinal data were obtained from the German Socioeconomic Panel and were examined at two points in time. Participants were grouped by relocation status assessed across a five-year period. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the effect of baseline environmental disadvantage on baseline health and on health five years later. RESULTS: In both groups, environmental disadvantage was cross-sectionally correlated with poor health. Only among people who did not relocate was baseline environmental disadvantage significantly related to health five years later in bivariate analyses. Results from the structural equation model found that environmental disadvantage was no longer significantly related to poor health five years later within the group of non-movers (β = -.02, p = .052). In addition, there was no effect in this direction within the group of movers (β = .02, p = .277). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the existence of a weak contextual effect as group differences in longitudinal associations indicated the direction of ecological effects.
Entities:
Keywords:
Environmental disadvantage; Longitudinal study; Perceived neighborhood; Relocation; Self-rated health
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