Emily Saito
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Research Mentor(s): Natalie Colabianchi, Associate Professor
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Applied Exercise Science, School of Kinesiology
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 3 (1pm-1:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 9
Presenter: 4
Abstract
Relevance: Research suggests that the built environment (e.g. buildings, streets, parks) of one’s neighborhood may affect one’s behavior and health. Since stroke is one of the leading causes of death, this study focused on identifying specific factors in the built environment that may influence blood pressure (BP) which can then affect stroke risk. Methods: Participants were drawn from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Through the use of aerial and street view on Google Earth, we assessed both the presence and quality of the different types of neighborhood built environments for a sample of the study participants. Measures of the built environment including street characteristics, disorder, and presence of bike lanes were investigated for an association with systolic and diastolic BP in regression models. Results: Systolic BP averaged 130.6 (SD 17.5) and diastolic BP averaged 77.1 (SD 9.8) in the sample of 1196 adults included in the analysis. Two-way streets in the participant’s neighborhood, as compared to one-way streets, were associated with higher diastolic BP (coef. 3.4, p=0.42). None of the other associations between the built environment (street characteristics, disorder, and presence of bike lanes) and BP were significant. Conclusion: This study highlights how built environment features can influence one’s health and therefore can show where resources need to be directed to improve the health of individuals and communities. More specifically, average diastolic BP was lower for participants living on one-way streets compared to two-way streets, suggesting street volume may influence blood pressure.
Authors: Emily Saito, Ian Lang, Cathy Antonakos, Natalie Colabianchi
Research Method: Data Collection and Analysis
