Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia
Population ageing and urbanisation are global phenomena that call for an understanding of the impacts of features of the urban environment on older adults’ cognitive function. Because neighbourhood characteristics that can potentially have opposite effects on cognitive function are interdependent, t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Toxics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/1/23 |
| _version_ | 1797490007984832512 |
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| author | Ester Cerin Anthony Barnett Jonathan E. Shaw Erika Martino Luke D. Knibbs Rachel Tham Amanda J. Wheeler Kaarin J. Anstey |
| author_facet | Ester Cerin Anthony Barnett Jonathan E. Shaw Erika Martino Luke D. Knibbs Rachel Tham Amanda J. Wheeler Kaarin J. Anstey |
| author_sort | Ester Cerin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Population ageing and urbanisation are global phenomena that call for an understanding of the impacts of features of the urban environment on older adults’ cognitive function. Because neighbourhood characteristics that can potentially have opposite effects on cognitive function are interdependent, they need to be considered in conjunction. Using data from an Australian national sample of 4141 adult urban dwellers, we examined the extent to which the associations of interrelated built and natural environment features and ambient air pollution with cognitive function are explained by cardiometabolic risk factors relevant to cognitive health. All examined environmental features were directly and/or indirectly related to cognitive function via other environmental features and/or cardiometabolic risk factors. Findings suggest that dense, interconnected urban environments with access to parks, blue spaces and low levels of air pollution may benefit cognitive health through cardiometabolic risk factors and other mechanisms not captured in this study. This study also highlights the need for a particularly fine-grained characterisation of the built environment in research on cognitive function, which would enable the differentiation of the positive effects of destination-rich neighbourhoods on cognition via participation in cognition-enhancing activities from the negative effects of air pollutants typically present in dense, destination-rich urban areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:25:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-81daf6197d304f60a9739917f3d0188f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:25:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj.art-81daf6197d304f60a9739917f3d0188f2023-11-23T15:35:05ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042022-01-011012310.3390/toxics10010023Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in AustraliaEster Cerin0Anthony Barnett1Jonathan E. Shaw2Erika Martino3Luke D. Knibbs4Rachel Tham5Amanda J. Wheeler6Kaarin J. Anstey7Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, AustraliaMary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, AustraliaBaker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, AustraliaSchool of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaSydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, AustraliaMary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, AustraliaMary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, AustraliaSchool of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW 2052, AustraliaPopulation ageing and urbanisation are global phenomena that call for an understanding of the impacts of features of the urban environment on older adults’ cognitive function. Because neighbourhood characteristics that can potentially have opposite effects on cognitive function are interdependent, they need to be considered in conjunction. Using data from an Australian national sample of 4141 adult urban dwellers, we examined the extent to which the associations of interrelated built and natural environment features and ambient air pollution with cognitive function are explained by cardiometabolic risk factors relevant to cognitive health. All examined environmental features were directly and/or indirectly related to cognitive function via other environmental features and/or cardiometabolic risk factors. Findings suggest that dense, interconnected urban environments with access to parks, blue spaces and low levels of air pollution may benefit cognitive health through cardiometabolic risk factors and other mechanisms not captured in this study. This study also highlights the need for a particularly fine-grained characterisation of the built environment in research on cognitive function, which would enable the differentiation of the positive effects of destination-rich neighbourhoods on cognition via participation in cognition-enhancing activities from the negative effects of air pollutants typically present in dense, destination-rich urban areas.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/1/23walkabilitygreenspaceblue spacecardiometabolic healthcognitive function |
| spellingShingle | Ester Cerin Anthony Barnett Jonathan E. Shaw Erika Martino Luke D. Knibbs Rachel Tham Amanda J. Wheeler Kaarin J. Anstey Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia Toxics walkability greenspace blue space cardiometabolic health cognitive function |
| title | Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia |
| title_full | Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia |
| title_fullStr | Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia |
| title_short | Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia |
| title_sort | urban neighbourhood environments cardiometabolic health and cognitive function a national cross sectional study of middle aged and older adults in australia |
| topic | walkability greenspace blue space cardiometabolic health cognitive function |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/1/23 |
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