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Safer, walkable neighborhoods may improve mental health among older Latinos

Older Latino adults who believe their neighborhood has a low crime rate are less likely to have elevated symptoms of depression, according to data published in the Journal of Aging and Health.

“Many times we look at individual-level factors or things within the individual's family that contribute to mental health, but here we're seeing it's beyond that – it’s the neighborhood and other macro-systems that can impact psychological well-being,” Rosalba Hernandez, PhD, of the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a press release

Hernandez and colleagues analyzed baseline, 12-month and 24-month data collected from 570 Latinos aged ≥60 years who participated in an exercise intervention at 27 senior centers.

Baseline data based on the Geriatric Depression Scale showed that 27.7% patients were positive for elevated depressive symptoms, according to researchers.

After adjustments, lower perceived crime and greater walkability was associated with a 0.9 times lower likelihood of patients having elevated depressive symptoms (95% CI, 0.82-0.996).

Moreover, a higher total walkability score was associated with lower odds of prevalent depressive symptoms in reduced models (OR=0.87; 95% CI, 0.75-1). Of the 351 patients who demonstrated lower levels of depressive symptoms, 19 (4.6%) presented with onset elevated depressive symptoms at 12 and/or 24 months, according to data.

“Latinos are going to be the largest ethnic minority very soon, and the aging population in the US is growing as well,” Hernandez said. “If we can potentially intervene before all these comorbidities and chronic illnesses converge, we can avert a potential health care crisis.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.