Dataset Information

Where we used to live: validating retrospective measures of childhood neighborhood context for life course epidemiologic studies.

ABSTRACT: Early life exposures influence numerous social determinants of health, as distal causes or confounders of later health outcomes. Although a growing literature is documenting how early life socioeconomic position affects later life health, few epidemiologic studies have tested measures for operationalizing early life neighborhood context, or examined their effects on later life health. In the Life-course Influences on Fetal Environments (LIFE) Study, a retrospective cohort study among Black women in Southfield, Michigan (71% response rate), we tested the validity and reliability of retrospectively-reported survey-based subjective measures of early life neighborhood context(N=693). We compared 3 subjective childhood neighborhood measures (disorder, informal social control, victimization), with 3 objective childhood neighborhood measures derived from 4 decades of historical census tract data 1970-2000, linked through geocoded residential histories (tract % poverty, tract % black, tract deprivation score derived from principal components analysis), as well as with 2 subjective neighborhood measures in adulthood. Our results documented that internal consistency reliability was high for the subjective childhood neighborhood scales (Cronbach's ? =0.89, 0.93). Comparison of subjective with objective childhood neighborhood measures found moderate associations in hypothesized directions. Associations with objective variables were strongest for neighborhood disorder (rhos=.40), as opposed to with social control or victimization. Associations between subjective neighborhood context in childhood versus adulthood were moderate and stronger for residentially-stable populations. We lastly formally tested for, but found little evidence of, recall bias of the retrospective subjective reports of childhood context. These results provide evidence that retrospective reports of subjective neighborhood context may be a cost-effective, valid, and reliable method to operationalize early life context for health studies.

SUBMITTER: Osypuk TL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4405544 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Where we used to live: validating retrospective measures of childhood neighborhood context for life course epidemiologic studies.

Osypuk Theresa L TL Kehm Rebecca R Misra Dawn P DP

PloS one 20150421 4

Early life exposures influence numerous social determinants of health, as distal causes or confounders of later health outcomes. Although a growing literature is documenting how early life socioeconomic position affects later life health, few epidemiologic studies have tested measures for operationalizing early life neighborhood context, or examined their effects on later life health. In the Life-course Influences on Fetal Environments (LIFE) Study, a retrospective cohort study among Black women ...[more]

PMID: 25898015

Similar Datasets

Project description:Neighborhood context might influence the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a condition that impacts approximately 10% of the United States population and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs. We included a sample of 23,692 individuals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who were seen in a large academic primary care practice between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. We used generalized linear equations to estimate the associations between indicators of neighborhood context (e.g., proximity to healthy foods stores, neighborhood walkability, social capital, crime rate, socioeconomic status) and CKD, adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and insurance coverage. Among those with CKD, secondary outcomes were poor glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c ≥ 6.5%) and uncontrolled blood pressure (systolic ≥ 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic ≥ 90 mm Hg). The cohort represented residents from 97% of Philadelphia census tracts. CKD prevalence was 10%. When all neighborhood context metrics were considered collectively, only lower neighborhood socioeconomic index (a composite assessment of neighborhood income, educational attainment, and occupation) was associated with a higher risk of CKD (lowest tertile vs. highest tertile: adjusted relative risk [aRR] 1.46 [1.25, 1.69]; mid-tertile vs. highest-tertile: aRR 1.35 [1.25, 1.52]). Among those with CKD, compared to residence in the most walkable neighborhoods (i.e., where most essential resources are accessible by foot), residence in neighborhoods with mid-level WalkScore® (i.e., where only some essential neighborhood resources are accessible by foot) was independently associated with poor glycemic control (aRR 1.20, 95% CI 1.01-1.42). These findings suggest a potential role for measures of neighborhood socioeconomic status in identifying communities that would benefit from screening and treatment for CKD. Studies are also needed to determine mechanisms to explain why residence in neighborhoods not easily navigated by foot or car might hinder glycemic control among people with CKD.

Project description:Overcrowding has been regarded as indicating material deprivation and treated as a proxy measure for individual socioeconomic status. Conventionally, 'persons per room' (PPR) has been employed to identify overcrowded households in UK survey data, though the 'bedroom standard' (BS) approach or the 'modified bedroom standard' (MBS) approach has been thought to capture overcrowded households better. Little is known about which overcrowding measure will perform well in regard to construct and face validity. In this work, associations between three overcrowding measures and socioeconomic (income and household tenure status) and health (satisfied with health and GHQ12) indicators were assessed, using the UK Household Longitudinal Study Wave 6 data. PPR, BS and MBS were derived using relevant housing grid information and housing information from the dataset, which were aggregated at a household level (N?=?18,848). Raw scores were categorised into 'under occupied (rooms?<?people)', 'balanced (rooms?=?people)', 'overcrowded (rooms?<?people)' according to an established cut-off point for each overcrowding measure. Kappa coefficient was used to assess the level of agreement between overcrowding measures. Construct validity of the measures were tested against log-transformed household equivalised income and housing tenure status as well as with each component of overcrowding measures. Using individual data (N?=?38,455), face validity of the overcrowding measures was tested against satisfaction with health and mental health indicated by GHQ12. Each overcrowding measure has a fair agreement with the others (kappa?=?0.44, p<0.001). All overcrowding measures were significantly correlated with income and household tenure in a similar manner. However, components of overcrowding measures were associated differently to these socioeconomic indicators, while they were better correlated with satisfaction with health compared to GHQ12, showing a complex aspect of overcrowding measures. In sum, use of PPR as a socioeconomic indicator is reasonable. However, given the complexity of the mechanism of health inequalities, the relevant household information is required to understand the link.

Project description:ImportanceChildhood maltreatment is associated with mental illness. Researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals use prospective or retrospective measures interchangeably to assess childhood maltreatment, assuming that the 2 measures identify the same individuals. However, this assumption has not been comprehensively tested.ObjectiveTo meta-analyze the agreement between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment.Data sourcesMEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Sociological Abstracts were searched for peer-reviewed, English-language articles from inception through January 1, 2018. Search terms included child* maltreatment, child* abuse, child* neglect, child bull*, child* trauma, child* advers*, and early life stress combined with prospective* and cohort.Study selectionStudies with prospective measures of childhood maltreatment were first selected. Among the selected studies, those with corresponding retrospective measures of maltreatment were identified. Of 450 studies with prospective measures of childhood maltreatment, 16 had paired retrospective data to compute the Cohen κ coefficient.Data extraction and synthesisMultiple investigators independently extracted data according to PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to pool the results and test predictors of heterogeneity.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was the agreement between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment, expressed as a κ coefficient. Moderators of agreement were selected a priori and included the measure used for prospective or retrospective assessment of childhood maltreatment, age at retrospective report, sample size, sex distribution, and study quality.ResultsSixteen unique studies including 25 471 unique participants (52.4% female [SD, 10.6%]; mean [SD] age, 30.6 [11.6] years) contained data on the agreement between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment. The agreement between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment was poor, with κ = 0.19 (95% CI, 0.14-0.24; P < .001). Agreement was higher when retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment were based on interviews rather than questionnaires (Q = 4.1521; df = 1; P = .04) and in studies with smaller samples (Q = 4.2251; df = 1; P = .04). Agreement was not affected by the type of prospective measure used, age at retrospective report, sex distribution of the sample, or study quality.Conclusions and relevanceProspective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment identify different groups of individuals. Therefore, children identified prospectively as having experienced maltreatment may have different risk pathways to mental illness than adults retrospectively reporting childhood maltreatment. Researchers, clinicians, and public health care professionals should recognize these critical measurement differences when conducting research into childhood maltreatment and developing interventions.

Dataset Information

Where we used to live: validating retrospective measures of childhood neighborhood context for life course epidemiologic studies.

Publications

Where we used to live: validating retrospective measures of childhood neighborhood context for life course epidemiologic studies.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets