Can the socioeconomic status of a neighborhood influence the cognitive health of its residents?

Scene of lower socioeconomic neighborhood in France

A study published by researchers affiliated with the French Constances cohort (a nationally representative sample of 200,000 adults aged between 18 and 69) reveals that neighborhoods suffering from socioeconomic deprivation were linked to cognitive impairment. Harvard Pop Center Director Lisa Berkman, PhD, is co-PI on the project and one of the study authors.

Study of Hurricane Katrina survivors offers unique insights into impact of neighborhood gentrification on health

Urban housing in a neighborhood that has been gentrified

Researchers affiliated with the Resilience in Survivors of Hurricane Katrina (RISK) project have published a paper that takes a look at the health impacts of being displaced into a gentrified neighborhood. The researchers did not find evidence of significant effects on BMI, self-rated health, or psychological distress. Photo: Ted Eytan on Flickr

Looking beyond poverty: impact of “toxic” neighborhood environments on social mobility

Yellow tape that reads "Crime scene do not cross"

Harvard Pop Center faculty member Robert J. Sampson is co-author of a paper published in PNAS that has found that a harsh neighborhood environment—high in violence, incarceration and lead levels—is linked with lowered social mobility later in life, after accounting for concentrated poverty and racial composition. Robert Manduca is also a co-author on the paper. Photo by Kat Wilcox from Pexels

Geotagged tweets used to better assess urban mobility, neighborhood isolation in 50 U.S. cities

Findings of a research study show that even though residents of black and Hispanic neighborhoods traveled outside of their home neighborhoods, they were far less exposed to nonpoor or white middle-class neighborhoods than residents of primarily white neighborhoods, suggesting that segregation persists in some of the country’s largest cities. Two authors of the study—Mario L. Small, PhD, and Robert J. Sampson, PhD—are affiliated with the Harvard Pop Center.  

How does living among more peers as an older adult impact cognitive function?

Esther Friedman, PhD, a former Harvard RWJF Health & Society Scholar, is lead author on a study in which she and her colleagues explore the impact of living in a neighborhood with a higher percentage of older adults on cognitive function. The researchers found that those who live with a higher percentage of older adults had better cognitive function, although the neighborhood age structure did not seem to impact cognitive decline.…

Why is Flint community particularly vulnerable to lead pipe water contamination?

Harvard RWJF Health & Society Scholar alum Kristi Pullen, PhD, comments on why the Flint community is particularly vulnerable to the water contamination issue in this news piece on gizmodo.com.

Can strong community ties compensate for a lack of more personal relationships as far as your health goes?

Harvard Pop Center-affiliated faculty member SV Subramanian, PhD, is an author on a study “The Influence of Social Capital on Individual Health: Is it the Neighbourhood or the Network?” published in Social Indicators Research.