A multi-perspective approach for defining neighbourhood units in the context of a study on health inequalities in the Quebec City region

Abstract

Background: Identification of socioeconomic and health inequalities at the local scale is facilitated by using relevant small geographical sectors. Although these places are routinely defined according to administrative boundaries on the basis of statistical criteria, it is important to carefully consider the way they are circumscribed as they can create spatial analysis problems and produce misleading information. This article introduces a new approach to defining neighbourhood units which is based on the integration of elements stemming from the socioeconomic situation of the area, its history, and how it is perceived by local key actors.

A Conceptual Urban Quality Space-Place Framework: Linking Geo-Information and Quality of Life

“…Socially-vibrant neighborhoods are composed of cohesive groups of people that collaborate, communicate, and participate together in solutions of the community's problems. The definition of urban neighborhoods is not limited to administrative units, and neighborhood limits can be socially constructed [35]. Thus, the analysis of livability can utilize groups of individuals as the basic unit of analysis, and the spatial expression of this unit of analysis can be the urban neighborhood.…”

The place where you live and self-rated health in a large urban area

“…A number of studies report an association between self-rated health and the neighborhood's physical and social environment 10,11,12 . Conceptually, the neighborhood should be understood in its physical and social dimensions as a place where people live and interact socially 13,14 . There are different strategies to characterize a neighborhood, such as using administrative units, systematic social observation, or a geographic information system 14,15,16 .…”

“…Conceptually, the neighborhood should be understood in its physical and social dimensions as a place where people live and interact socially 13,14 . There are different strategies to characterize a neighborhood, such as using administrative units, systematic social observation, or a geographic information system 14,15,16 . As used in this study, the individual's perception about the neighborhood is an alternative method that has the advantage of capturing information about particular attributes such as social cohesion, that are impossible to obtain with objective data 16,17 .…”

Disentangling the relative influence of built and socioeconomic environments on walking: The contribution of areas homogenous along exposures of interest

“…Several authors have developed novel alternative approaches for defining small areas, using such methods as automated zone design (Cockings & Martin, 2005;Flowerdew et al, 2008;Haynes et al, 2007;Stafford et al, 2008) and combination of social, statistical, and spatial analysis methods (Browning & Cagney, 2003;Coulton, Korbin, Chan, & Su, 2001;Lebel, Pampalon, & Villeneuve, 2007;Popay, Thomas, Williams, Bennett, Gattrell, & Bostock, 2003). These efforts are far too few in comparison to studies defining areas using standard administrative units such as census tracts, wards, boroughs, or postcode sectors (Pickett & Pearl, 2001;Riva, Gauvin, & Barnett, 2007).…”