Background: The goal of this study was to investigate cross-sectional associations between features of neighborhoods and hypertension and to examine the sensitivity of results to various methods of estimating neighborhood conditions. Methods: We used data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis on 2612 individuals 45-85 years of age. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure… Continue reading Neighborhood Characteristics and Hypertension

The measurement of area-level attributes remains a major challenge in studies of neighborhood health effects. Even when neighborhood survey data are collected, they necessarily have incomplete spatial coverage. We investigated whether interpolation of neighborhood survey data was aided by information on spatial dependencies and supplementary data. Neighborhood “availability of healthy foods” was measured in a… Continue reading Filling the Gaps: Spatial Interpolation of Residential Survey Data in the Estimation of Neighborhood Characteristics

Objective: Little is known about the influence of the built environment, and in particular neighborhood resources, on health. We hypothesized that neighborhood resources for physical activity and healthy foods are associated with insulin resistance. Methods: Person-level data (n = 2026) came from 3 sites of The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a study of adults aged… Continue reading Neighborhood Resources for Physical Activity and Healthy Foods and Their Association With Insulin Resistance

Background: The initiation and acceleration of atherosclerosis is hypothesized as a physiologic mechanism underlying associations between air pollution and cardiovascular effects. Despite toxicologic evidence, epidemiologic data are limited. Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis we investigated exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and residential proximity to major roads in relation to abdominal aortic calcification, a sensitive… Continue reading Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution, Proximity to Traffic, and Aortic Atherosclerosis