Research Findings: Where people live: Perceptions of neighbourhood and health Summary papers
Perceptions of where you live and health
Although in the UK there has been a long tradition of research investigating associations between area of residence and health, few studies have examined the socio-environmental or cultural features of areas that might influence health.
One study, which used data collected from respondents aged between 40 and 60 years in the 2nd wave of the Twenty-07 Study in 1992, explored people’s perceptions of the local environment in which they live and compared four socially contrasting neighbourhoods in the Glasgow (West End, Garscadden, Mosspark and Pollock). Six aspects of these areas (facilities and services, local problems, fear of crime, neighbourliness, area reputation and satisfaction with area) differed significantly between neighbourhoods as did four aspects of health (anxiety, depression, and self-assessed health for age and in the last year).
In general, the respondents in the most socially advantaged neighbourhoods had the most positive perceptions of where they lived and reported better health than those in the least disadvantaged areas. The findings suggest that social class and perceptions of the area contributed independently to the health differences between neighbourhoods.
A second study investigated whether these observed differences in health between areas are due to the characteristics of the people who live there or some aspect of the social and physical environment of that area that might affect their health. Again, respondents from the four socially contrasting neighbourhoods in Glasgow were compared and their perceptions about the neighbourhood where they live were collected. Questions were asked about ‘anti-social’ problems (vandalism, litter, assaults, and disturbance from youths, traffic, and nuisance from dogs), ‘environmental’ problems (pollution, burglaries, discarded needles and syringes, etc), and perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion (includes sense of belonging to a community and social interaction).
Focusing first on the neighbourhood and how it is perceived, in general the type of neighbourhood was found to be related to social and ‘environmental’ problems and some aspects of social cohesion. Although the most affluent areas had the lowest perceived problems and the least affluent area the most perceived problems the relationship was not linear across the areas in between, suggesting a more complex explanation between area and outcomes. For example, those in social housing reported more problems irrespective of location. In addition, those in employment reported both lower neighbourhood problems and lower neighbourhood cohesion. Interesting relationships were found that will have an impact on policy, for example, a sense of neighbouring was only weakly associated with incidence of neighbourhood problems, and perceived neighbourhood cohesion was highest among those who viewed their standard of living as ‘about the same’ as others in the area.
Reported neighbourhood problems and cohesion was associated with self-reported health outcomes, after accounting for socio-demographic variables, although this may not be causal. The perceived sense of neighbouring was strongly associated with general health (GHQ score).
These findings have implications for improving deprived areas as a route to reducing health disparities.
Sooman, A. and S. Macintyre (1995). "Health and perceptions of the local environment in socially contrasting neighbourhoods in Glasgow." Health and Place 1(1): 15-26.
Ellaway, A., S. Macintyre, et al. (2001). "Perceptions of place and health in socially contrasting neighbourhoods." Urban Studies 38(12): 2299-2316.
Gender perceptions of neighbourhoods and health
We examined gender differences in people’s perceptions of their neighbourhood and in the links between these perceptions and health, using 1997 Localities sample data from the Twenty-07 Study. Depending on the particular domain of perception used, gender differences in perceptions of area may go undetected; for example, we found that there were no gender differences in perceived neighbourhood cohesion, but women had significantly more negative assessments than men of problems in the local area. Gender differences seem to be related to domestic circumstances, the most negative perceptions being in women with children who were not employed outside the home. This lends some support to the idea that women at home with children may be more exposed, or more sensitive, to features of their local neighbourhood than men or women in employment. Poor opinions of the neighbourhood were more strongly associated with mental health among men, and more strongly associated with physical symptoms among women.
Ellaway, A. and S. Macintyre (2001). Women in their place. Gender perceptions of neighbourhoods and health in the West of Scotland. Geographies of Women's Health. I. Dyck, N. Davis Lewis and S. McLafferty. London, Routledge: 265-281