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Neighborhood environments influence emotion and physiological reactivity.

ABSTRACT: Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with worse health and early mortality. Although many mechanisms may partially account for this effect, disadvantaged neighborhood environments are hypothesized to elicit stress and emotional responses that accumulate over time and influence physical and mental health. However, evidence for neighborhood effects on stress and emotion is limited due to methodological challenges. In order to address this question, we developed a virtual reality experimental model of neighborhood disadvantage and affluence and examined the effects of simulated neighborhoods on immediate stress and emotion. Exposure to neighborhood disadvantage resulted in greater negative emotion, less positive emotion, and more compassion, compared to exposure to affluence. However, the effect of virtual neighborhood environments on blood pressure and electrodermal reactivity depended on parental education. Participants from families with lower education exhibited greater reactivity to the disadvantaged neighborhood, while those from families with higher education exhibited greater reactivity to the affluent neighborhood. These results demonstrate that simulated neighborhood environments can elicit immediate stress reactivity and emotion, but the nature of physiological effects depends on sensitization to prior experience.

SUBMITTER: Hackman DA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6602955 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Neighborhood environments influence emotion and physiological reactivity.

Hackman Daniel A DA Robert Stephanie A SA Grübel Jascha J Weibel Raphael P RP Anagnostou Eirini E Hölscher Christoph C Schinazi Victor R VR

Scientific reports 20190701 1

Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with worse health and early mortality. Although many mechanisms may partially account for this effect, disadvantaged neighborhood environments are hypothesized to elicit stress and emotional responses that accumulate over time and influence physical and mental health. However, evidence for neighborhood effects on stress and emotion is limited due to methodological challenges. In order to address this question, we developed a virtual reality ex ...[more]

PMID: 31263211

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Project description:Few studies assess built environment correlates of active commuting in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), but the different context could yield distinct findings. Policies and investments to promote active commuting remain under-developed in LMICs like India, which grapples with traffic congestion, lack of activity-supportive infrastructure, poor enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, air pollution, and overcrowding. This cross-sectional study investigated associations between home neighborhood environment characteristics and active commuting in Chennai, India. Adults (N = 370, 47.2% female, mean age =37.9 years) were recruited from 155 wards in the metropolitan area of Chennai in southern India between January and June 2015. Participants self-reported their usual mode of commute to work, with responses recoded into three categories: (1) multi-modal or active commuting (walking and bicycling; n = 56); (2) public transit (n = 52); and (3) private transport (n = 111). Environmental attributes around participants' homes were assessed using the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for India (NEWS-India). Associations between environmental characteristics and likelihood of active commuting and public transit use were modeled using logistic regression with private transport (driving alone or carpool) as the reference category, adjusting for age, gender, and household car ownership. Consistent with other international studies, participants living in neighborhoods with a mix of land uses and a transit stop within a 10-minute walk from home were more likely to use active commuting (both p < 0.01). Land-use mix was significantly associated with the use of public transit compared to private transport (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) =5.2, p = 0.002). Contrary to findings in high-income countries, the odds of active commuting were reduced with improved safety from crime (aOR =0.2, p = 0.003), aesthetics (aOR =0.2, p = 0.05), and street connectivity (aOR =0.2, p = 0.003). Different environmental attributes were associated with active commuting, suggesting that these relationships are complex and may distinctly differ from those in high-income countries. Unexpected inverse associations of perceived safety from crime and aesthetics with active commuting emphasize the need for high-quality epidemiologic studies with greater context specificity in the study of physical activity in LMICs. Findings have public health implications for India and suggest that caution should be taken when translating evidence across countries.

Dataset Information

Neighborhood environments influence emotion and physiological reactivity.

Publications

Neighborhood environments influence emotion and physiological reactivity.

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