The Built Environment and Depression in Later Life: The Health In Men Study

Neighbourhood characteristics and 10-year risk of depression in Canadian adults with and without a chronic illness

“…This study adds to this body of literature by being the first longitudinal study to examine the presence of local businesses and services, land-use mix and proximity to parks and green spaces in relation to risk of depression. Results generally confirm those from cross-sectional data (Kubzansky et al, 2005;Miles et al, 2012;Saarloos et al, 2011;Stockdale et al, 2007).…”

Health-Promoting Home and Workplace Neighborhoods: Associations With Multiple Facets of Men’s Health

“…The HPNQ aggregates perceptions concerning a wide array of neighborhood characteristics, both physical and social in nature: bicycle and pedestrian paths, sport facilities, availability of fresh fruits/vegetables, presence of green spaces, maintenance/ aesthetics, socialization areas, friendliness of the population, and safety. Findings using this global scale suggest that both physical and social aspects of environment might contribute to men's health, thereby confirming findings from previous studies (Burke et al, 2009;Saarloos et al, 2011). They are contrary to the results of Molinari et al (1998), however, which reported no evidence of the influence of social aspects of neighborhood on men's health.…”

“…Several studies support the conclusion that, in comparison with women, men are more influenced by the physical aspects of neighborhood environment (e.g., quality of outdoor air, solid waste, or trash disposal) and less by social quality (e.g., crime, access to health care, homelessness; Berke, Gottlieb, Moudon, & Larson, 2007;Molinari, Ahern, & Hendryx, 1998;Mullings, McCaw-Binns, Archer, & Wilks, 2013). Other studies highlight the importance of social components of neighborhood even for men (Saarloos, Alfonso, Giles-Corti, Middleton, & Almeida, 2011). In a qualitative study, no overall difference was identified between men and women participants on ratings of the importance of social and physical neighborhood conditions for mental well-being (Burke, O'Campo, Salmon, & Walker, 2009).…”

Neighborhood Social Resources and Depressive Symptoms: Longitudinal Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

“…Crosssectional studies investigating associations of the built environment with depressive symptoms have had mixed results with some reporting that higher walkability index, 28 urban density, and accessibility of public transport 26 are associated with lower depressive symptoms, while others found that land use mix, especially percent devoted to retail, 27 and quality of built environment 29 are associated with higher depressive symptoms. We focused on a measure of the physical environment that may be more directly related to social interactions.…”

“…Qualitative research supports the idea that physical features which promote a more cohesive social environment may provide some protection against depression in adults. 4 Most of the research on the physical environment, however, has focused on physical disorder or decay 18,25,26 or neighborhood characteristics that promote walking such as land use mix, street connectivity, public transportation, and residential density, 6,26,27 summary measures of walkability, 28 or quality of built environment. 29 Physical destinations that promote social engagement (e.g., recreation centers, religious institutions, restaurants and nightclubs) are strong candidates for explaining neighborhood clustering of depressive symptoms because they provide a space for social connections.…”