Work

Mechanisms Linking Neighborhood Age Composition to Health

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Purpose of the Study: Age integration theory posits that the age composition of spaces affects the social interactions in which people can engage. This study aimed to examine whether social interactions perceived to involve generativity (i.e., commitment to younger generations), daily discrimination, and/or social cohesion mediate associations between neighborhood age composition, self-reported health, and psychological well-being. Design and Methods: We applied multilevel structural equation models to data from 4,017 participants aged 30-84 who participated in the 2004-2006 wave of National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, merged with data on their 3,714 neighborhoods from the 2010U.S. Census. Results: Neighborhoods that represented the age distribution of the United States and neighborhoods that overrepresented older adults were contexts in which residents reported the most generativity and social cohesion. In turn, generativity and social cohesion were associated with better self-reported health and higher psychological well-being. Implications: The nature of social interaction links neighborhood age composition to health and well-being. These results clarify the results of prior studies, advance measurement, suggest elaborations to age integration theory, and point to new directions for aging-in-place initiatives.

Source: The Gerontologist

DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnv687

Authors: Sara M. Moorman, Jeffrey E. Stokes, Jeremiah C. Morelock

Institution: Boston College

Language: English

Topic: Health disparities and outcomes

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute on Aging