Linking social and built environmental factors to the health of public housing residents

BMC Public Health. 2015 Apr 10;15(1):351.

Linking social and built environmental factors to the health of public housing residents: a focus group study.

Hayward E1, Ibe C2,3, Young JH4,5,6,7, Potti K8, Jones P 3rd9, Pollack CE10,11,12, Gudzune KA13,14,15.

Author information

• 1The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. ehaywar2@jhmi.edu.
• 2Johns Hopkins Health Care, LLC, Baltimore, MD, USA. cibe2@jhu.edu.
• 3Department of Health Policy and Management, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. cibe2@jhu.edu.
• 4The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. jhyoung@jhmi.edu.
• 5Johns Hopkins Health Care, LLC, Baltimore, MD, USA. jhyoung@jhmi.edu.
• 6Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA. jhyoung@jhmi.edu.
• 7Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. jhyoung@jhmi.edu.
• 8University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. karthya.potti@gmail.com.
• 9The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. pauljonesiii@yahoo.com.
• 10The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. cpollac2@jhmi.edu.
• 11Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA. cpollac2@jhmi.edu.
• 12Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. cpollac2@jhmi.edu.
• 13The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. gudzune@jhu.edu.
• 14Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA. gudzune@jhu.edu.
• 15Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 2024 E. Monument St, Room 2-621, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. gudzune@jhu.edu.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Public housing residents have a high risk of chronic disease, which may be related to neighborhood environmental factors. Our objective was to understand how public housing residents perceive that the social and built environments might influence their health and wellbeing.

METHODS:

We conducted focus groups of residents from a low-income public housing community in Baltimore, MD to assess their perceptions of health and neighborhood attributes, resources, and social structure. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two investigators independently coded transcripts for thematic content using editing style analysis technique.

RESULTS:

Twenty-eight residents participated in six focus groups. All were African American and the majority were women. Most had lived in public housing for more than 5 years. We identified four themes: public housing's unhealthy physical environment limits health and wellbeing, the city environment limits opportunities for healthy lifestyle choices, lack of trust in relationships contributes to social isolation, and increased neighborhood social capital could improve wellbeing.

CONCLUSIONS:

Changes in housing and city policies might lead to improved environmental health conditions for public housing residents. Policymakers and researchers may consider promoting community cohesiveness to attempt to empower residents in facilitating neighborhood change.