Pleasant neighborhood lowers heart attack risk

The neighborhood relationships have a significant impact on the risk of heart attack

08/19/2014

In a good neighborhood, the risk of heart attack decreases, according to a recent study by scientists at the University of Michigan. Up to 22 percent lower is the likelihood of heart attack in a pleasant neighborhood, the researchers report in the journal „British Medical Journal“ (BMJ). Apparently, the positive influence of the neighbors on the health behavior of respondents plays an important role here.

One of the key strategies for alleviating heart disease is encouraging positive lifestyle changes, write the US researchers Eric Kim, Armani Hawes and Jacqui Smith of the University of Michigan. Previous studies, however, have mostly focused on the behavior of the individual and have excluded the role of the neighborhood, which also has a strong influence on people's behavior. Although several studies have been published in recent years, „highlighting strong associations between neighborhood relationships and cardiovascular health, but the focus was usually on the negative characteristics of the neighborhood“, The researchers continue to report. The current study has therefore explicitly the „health effects of positive neighborhood characteristics such as perceived social cohesion.“

More than 5,000 subjects interviewed about their neighborhood relationships
In order to determine possible connections between the risk of myocardial infarction and the neighborhood relationships, the US scientists used the „prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study - a national representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50 years.“ 5,276 participants without cardiovascular disease were followed for four years, taking into account all „relevant socio-demographic, behavioral and psychosocial factors.“ Among other things, respondents should state whether they feel part of their neighborhood, whether they trust their neighbors, or feel that neighbors are ready to help in case of trouble. Based on the answers, the researchers created a satisfaction satisfaction scale.

Cohesion in the neighborhood protects against heart attacks
The researchers then examined whether higher perceived social cohesion in the neighborhood was associated with a lower incidence of heart attacks. In total, 148 participants suffered a heart attack during the study period, with a clear correlation with the data on satisfaction in the neighborhood was clear, the US scientists report. Each more on the satisfaction scale was associated with a 22 percent lower risk of myocardial infarction, report Eric Kim and colleagues. This relationship has also been confirmed taking into account known risk factors such as age, marital status, gender or social status. The association between the risk of heart attack and the positive neighborhood was clearly recognizable, even taking into account the biological and psychosocial factors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption or diabetes or hypertension, write the US researchers. They conclude that greater social cohesion clearly has a protective effect against heart attacks. (Fp)