Research

Neighborhood Effects on Health

We are currently investigating geographic variation in health outcomes and the effect of attributes of place (e.g., local wealth, local infrastructure) on individual health. These investigations encompass studies that examine how attributes of both micro-neighborhoods (e.g., Census block groups) and macro-environments (e.g., counties, or larger 'health service areas') affect outcomes as diverse as cancer treatment, cancer survival, depression, cardiovascular disease outcomes, obesity, and other health-related phenomena. These investigations also involve analyses of how geographic distance between people, and between people and services (e.g., hospitals, fast food restaurants), affect various aspects of health and health care. Click here for a list of publications to date in this area. Future work will investigate the concurrent role of social networks and neighborhoods on individual health outcomes and the effects of specific neighborhood social features on health.

The team of faculty investigators working on this topic include:  James O'Malley, Alan Zaslavksy, Rob Sampson, Elizabeth Lamont, Mary Beth Landrum, VS Subramanian, and Felix Elwert.

© 2008 Nicholas Christakis