Where you live matters: examining associations between neighborhood perceptions and allostatic load in an aging population

Neighborhood perceptions of various conditions may impact health, including allostatic load. Research around the impacts of neighborhood perceptions on allostatic load over time among aging populations remains understudied.

We conducted linear regressions to examine the association between neighborhood perceptions of social cohesion and physical disorder on allostatic load four years later using the Health and Retirement Survey.

We examined a significant relationship between perceived neighborhood physical disorder and allostatic load (B = 0.05; p < 0.05), but not for perceived neighborhood social cohesion (B = -0.03; p = 0.17).

These findings suggest that adults aged 50 and older who age in place and who report higher levels of perceived neighborhood disorder may experience heightened allostatic load, compared with those who report lower levels of perceived neighborhood disorder. Self-reported neighborhood social cohesion was not significantly associated with allostatic load and, therefore, may not protect against the adverse health impact of perceived neighborhood disorder.