1. The Association Between Apartment Layout and Depressive Symptomology among Hispanic/Latino Residents in Low-Income Housing: the AHOME Study
- Author
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Earle C. Chambers, Herminia Machry, and Sonit Bafna
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health (social science) ,Adolescent ,New York ,Health informatics ,Article ,Odds ,03 medical and health sciences ,Young Adult ,0302 clinical medicine ,Residence Characteristics ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Association (psychology) ,Poverty ,Built environment ,Depression (differential diagnoses) ,Aged ,Aged, 80 and over ,030505 public health ,Apartment ,business.industry ,Depression ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Hispanic or Latino ,Middle Aged ,Urban Studies ,Housing ,Environment Design ,Female ,0305 other medical science ,Psychology ,business ,Demography - Abstract
In this study of low-income Hispanic/Latino adults living in 291 individual apartments in the Bronx, New York, the apartment layout was significantly associated with the odds of depressive symptomology. Women living in apartments in which the most central rooms were the living, dining, or kitchen (i.e., rooms commonly used for communal activities) were less likely to have depressive symptomology (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.22–0.86) than women in apartments where the central rooms were lobbies or corridors, adjusting for demographics, health conditions, and housing and neighborhood characteristics. No statistically significant association was observed in men. We present the logic underlying the use of layout variables in this study and discuss the implications it may have for understanding the role of the home environment on psychological distress among inhabitants. The results of this study show how space syntax analysis can be used to better understanding disparities in the risk of depression and offer an additional opportunity for public health stakeholders to identify those most at risk for depression.
- Published
- 2017