 Research articleRating neighborhoods for older adult health: results from the African American Health studyElena M Andresen1 1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida Health Sciences Center, PO Box 100231 Gainesville, FL 32610, USA 2Department of Neurology & Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1438 South Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA 3Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Highway 6 West, Iowa City, Iowa 52246, USA 4Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, E205 General Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA 5Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Washington University, Campus Box 8504, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA 6Division of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Washington University, Campus Box 8067, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA 7Indiana University Center for Aging Research, School of Medicine, Indiana University, IN, USA 8Regenstrief Institute, Inc., 410 West 10th Street, Suite 2000, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
BMC Public Health 2008, 8:35doi:10.1186/1471-2458-8-35
AbstractBackgroundSocial theories suggest that neighborhood quality affects health. Observer ratings of neighborhoods should be subjected to psychometric tests. MethodsAfrican American Health (AAH) study subjects were selected from two diverse St. Louis metropolitan catchment areas. Interviewers rated streets and block faces for 816 households. Items and a summary scale were compared across catchment areas and to the resident respondents' global neighborhood assessments. ResultsIndividual items and the scale were strongly associated with both the catchment area and respondent assessments. Ratings based on both block faces did not improve those based on a single block face. Substantial interviewer effects were observed despite strong discriminant and concurrent validity. ConclusionObserver ratings show promise in understanding the effect of neighborhood on health outcomes. The AAH Neighborhood Assessment Scale and other rating systems should be tested further in diverse settings. |
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