Work

The Cardiovascular Health of Young Adults: Disparities along the Urban-Rural Continuum

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Century are the first cohort to grow up during the obesity epidemic; justifiably, there is much concern about their cardiovascular health. To date, however, no research has examined the extent to which there are disparities in young adult cardiovascular health across the urban-rural continuum. We examine this topic using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We find that young adults who live in metropolitan core areas exhibit more favorable cardiovascular health than individuals who live in smaller types of communities, and that population density largely accounts for this association. Further, individuals living in more densely populated areas in young adulthood relative to adolescence have better cardiovascular health than those who live in areas similar or less dense than their adolescent residence. Our results strongly suggest that the physical and social features of communities represent important contexts for young adult cardiovascular health.

Source: The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

DOI: 10.1177/0002716217711426

Authors: Elizabeth Lawrence, Robert A. Hummer, Kathleen Mullan Harris

Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Language: English

Topic: Health disparities and outcomes

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development