Childhood Neighborhood Disadvantage and Age at Death: A Multilevel Analysis
Date
2021
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CHILDHOOD NEIGHBORHOODS & AGE AT DEATH
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Tri-College users only
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Abstract
Research has consistently supported the importance of built and socioeconomic environments to individuals' health outcomes. This current study aimed to examine whether these environments have long-term associations with mortality. Using the inner-city cohort from the Harvard Adult Development study, an 83-year old longitudinal research project following two cohorts of distinct socioeconomic circumstances from childhood to the end of their lives, I tested whether indicators of neighborhood disadvantage predicted participants' age at death. The indicators included the neighborhood population density, percent foreign born population, median rent, percent welfare reception, and unemployment rate of participants' birth addresses. I hypothesized that participants who grew up in more disadvantaged neighborhoods would die younger. I also hypothesized that the relationship between childhood neighborhood disadvantage and age at death would be mediated by both childhood health and adulthood SES. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between childhood neighborhood disadvantage and age at death. More research needs to be done with larger sample sizes of neighborhoods and participants to better determine if neighborhoods can have longitudinal influences.