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Neighborhoods

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How Does Neighborhood Investment Affect Residents' Health and Well-Being?

Jun 8, 2021

RAND's PHRESH project has been studying how investments in two Pittsburgh neighborhoods affect diet, sleep, health, and well-being. We've learned that when residents are involved in decisions, communities can become healthier and happier.
Essay

Stress Accumulates in Marginalized Communities, Generation After Generation

Jul 8, 2020

Psychologists and biologists have known for years that prolonged stress is toxic to the human body. A better understanding of how stress builds in communities—and the burden it puts on them—can lead to more effective policies to address it.

Explore Neighborhoods

Journal Article

Parks and Physical Activity: Why Are Some Parks Used More Than Others?

Assesses how park characteristics and demographic factors are associated with park use.

Jan 1, 2010
Journal Article

A Life-Course Approach to the Study of Neighborhoods and Health

The authors present a new way to think sociologically about neighborhoods and place effects.

Jan 1, 2010
Journal Article

Perceptions About Availability and Adequacy of Drinking Water in a Large California School District

This study of perceptions of drinking water in a California school district found that school staff and public health officials have a range of concerns about water quality and availability; as some schools move to replace sugary drinks in schools and develop policies to promote water consumption, they should explore ways of addressing these concerns.

Jan 1, 2010
Journal Article

Neighborhood Characteristics Favorable to Outdoor Physical Activity: Disparities by Socioeconomic and Racial/Ethnic Composition

Poor and non-white neighborhoods have easier access for outdoor activities but parents think the neighborhoods are not safe for their children to play in.

Jan 1, 2010
Research Brief

South Los Angeles Ban on Fast-Food Chains Misses the Mark

Summarizes the evidence for the ban on new fast-food chain restaurants in South Los Angeles (LA), including the density of such restaurants in the area and the eating habits of South LA residents, and concludes that the data do not support the ban.

Nov 2, 2009
Journal Article

Neighborhood Food Environments and Body Mass Index: The Importance of In-Store Contents

The availability of energy-dense snack foods in grocery stores plays a role in the weight status of neighborhood residents.

Sep 1, 2009
Report

Neighborhood Effects on Crime and Youth Violence: The Role of Business Improvement Districts in Los Angeles

Business improvement districts (BIDs) collect assessments and invest in such activities as place promotion, street cleaning, and public safety. This report examines BID activities and their impact on crime and youth violence in Los Angeles.

Jan 27, 2009
Journal Article

Social Capital and the Neighborhood Alcohol Environment

The authors examine whether neighborhood alcohol outlet density is associated with reduced social capital and whether this relationship is mediated by perceived neighborhood safety.

Jan 1, 2009
Journal Article

Neighborhoods and Cumulative Biological Risk Profiles by Race/Ethnicity in a National Sample of U.S. Adults: NHANES III

Examines race/ethnic-specific patterns of association between neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) and a cumulative biological risk index in a nationally representative population.

Jan 1, 2009
Journal Article

Influences of Physical and Social Neighborhood Environments on Children's Physical Activity and Obesity

The authors investigated the association between physical and social neighborhood environments and fifth-grade students' physical activity and obesity.

Jan 1, 2009
Research Brief

Do Neighborhood Economic Conditions Influence the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables?

This fact sheet summarizes a study examining the variation of the intake of fruits and vegetables for blacks, whites, and Mexican Americans, in addition to the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic status and this intake.

Aug 11, 2008
Research Brief

Constrained Choice: Why Are Some Women and Men Able To Create and Maintain Healthy Lifestyles, While Others Are Not?

This fact sheet describes a model of constrained choice that explains how policy decisions at the family, work, community, and government levels can have unintended consequences that ultimately produce differences in men's and women's health.

Apr 10, 2008
Journal Article

The Built Environment and Collective Efficacy

Certain environmental features may set the stage for neighborhood social interactions, serving as a foundation for underlying health and well-being.

Jan 1, 2008
Journal Article

Multilevel Spatio-Temporal Dual Changepoint Models for Relating Alcohol Outlet Destruction and Changes in Neighbourhood Rates of Assaultive Violence

This paper evaluates the impact of the 1992 Civil Unrest in Los Angeles (which followed the Rodney King incident), in which many alcohol outlets were damaged leading to a decrease in alcohol outlet density, on crime.

Jan 1, 2008
Journal Article

Vehicle-type Choice and Neighbourhood Characteristics: An Empirical Study of Hamilton, Canada

The popularity of light-duty trucks has increased with important implications for air quality, traffic accidents and gasoline demand.

Jan 1, 2008
Journal Article

Subjective and Objective Neighborhood Characteristics and Adult Health

Demonstrates the independent associations between both objective and perceived neighborhood quality and adult self-rated health. Associations between perceived neighborhood quality and health are particularly strong.

Jan 1, 2008
Journal Article

Neighborhood Context and Ethnicity Differences in Body Mass Index: A Multilevel Analysis Using the NHANES III Survey (1988-1994)

The authors provide both a theoretical and empirical analysis of the relation between administrative and survey data.

Jul 1, 2007
Research Brief

How Neighborhoods Can Reduce the Risk of Obesity

As the obesity epidemic worsens, researchers are zeroing in on environmental factors that may contribute to the problem or, conversely, help to prevent it. It is increasingly clear that neighborhoods play an important role in stimulating exercise and reducing the risk of obesity.

Jun 12, 2007
Research Brief

Implementing Youth Prevention Programs in Communities

Underage drinking is a significant problem in the United States. To address this problem, RAND researchers developed guides to provide key accountability questions, worksheets, tools, and examples to help communities plan, implement, and evaluate their efforts to reduce and prevent underage drinking.

May 20, 2007
News Release

School Playgrounds and Athletic Facilities Are an Untapped Resource in Fight Against Childhood Obesity

April 19, 2007 news release: RAND Study Finds School Playgrounds and Athletic Facilities Are an Untapped Resource in Fight Against Childhood Obesity.

Apr 19, 2007

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RAND Topic:
Neighborhoods

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