Changing Neighborhoods and Residents’ Health Perceptions: The Heart Healthy Hoods Qualitative Study

Abstract

Cities, and therefore neighborhoods, are under constant change. Neighborhood changes may affect residents’ health in multiple ways. The Heart Healthy Hoods (HHH) project studies the association between neighborhood and residents’ health. Focusing on a middle–low-socioeconomic neighborhood in Madrid (Spain), our aim was to describe qualitatively its residents’ perceptions on the urban changes and their impacts on health. We designed a qualitative study using 16 semi-structured interviews including adult residents and professionals living or working in the area. Firstly, we described the perceived main social and neighborhood changes. Secondly, we studied how these neighborhood changes connected to residents’ health perceptions. Perceived major social changes were new demographic composition, new socio–cultural values and economic changes. Residents’ negative health perceptions were the reduction of social relationships, increase of stress and labor precariousness. Positive health perceptions were the creation of supportive links, assimilation of self-care activities and the change in traditional roles. Neighborhood changes yielded both negative and positive effects on residents’ health. These effects would be the result of the interrelation of different elements such as the existence or absence of social ties, family responsibilities, time availability, economic resources and access and awareness to health-promoting programs. These qualitative research results provide important insight into crafting urban health policies that may ultimately improve health outcomes in communities undergoing change.

Social support, social context and nonadherence to treatment in young senior patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy followed-up in primary care. MULTIPAP Study

“…In the present study, indicators of subjective urban vulnerability were related to nonadherence. Two recent qualitative studies concluded that neighborhoods affect the health of residents by creating a social context that directly influences their beliefs and behaviors, such as adherence to prescribed treatment [39,40]. The fact that in our study nonadherence was associated with urban vulnerability and not with social class or income level could be because people in this age range have more homogenous salaries coming from their pensions despite living in communities with varying social statuses.…”

Understanding self‐construction of health among the slum dwellers of India: a culture‐centred approach

“…As a coping mechanism to the new form of social desirability, the slum migrants accept the social structure (rules and resources) encircling them, while constantly modifying some of this urban context with their practices (Giddens ). Hence, the co‐existence of traditional collectivism with emerging individualism in the same neighbourhood (Pedersen and Rytter ) with different health effects (Conde et al …”

Neighborhood Influence: A Qualitative Study in Cáceres, an Aspiring Age-Friendly City

“…This differential gap has not been the direct outcome of an age difference, but is due to an idea of stability and continuity of relationships between elders. As a result, building trusting relationships with the younger residents is unlikely, especially compared to relationships with "lifelong neighbors" (Conde et al 2018).…”

“…Moderate exercise is essential for successful aging (Lee et al 2012). However, the amount and diversity of physical activities can be limited by available infrastructure in the neighborhood (Bauman et al 2012;Conde et al 2018). In this regard, almost all residents of Neighborhood B walk through the neighborhood or its surroundings.…”

“…There are a limited number of research studies (Conde et al 2018;Howell 1983;Ronzi et al 2016) that analyze neighborhoods from the subjective point of view of residents. I believe that the amount of businesses and services in itself could be insufficient to meet the needs of elderly residents, requiring an analysis of the perception of the use of existing infrastructure in the neighborhood.…”