Area deprivation index effects on longitudinal reports of physical health among older black adults

Abstract Despite the association of neighborhood quality with poorer adult health, limited research has explored the association between neighborhood disadvantage, e.g., Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and older Black adults’ health, prospectively. The Baltimore Study of Black Aging (n = 424) was utilized to examine the association between ADI and prospective physical health. Multiple regression analyses, covarying for age, sex, education, and income, showed that living in a neighborhood with greater disadvantage was significantly associated with decreasing average heart rate from wave 1 to wave 2 (approximately 33 months apart) (p < .05). This result was specifically significant for women living in neighborhoods with greater disadvantage. Additionally, findings indicated that living in a neighborhood with greater disadvantage was significantly associated with increased difficulty with activities of daily living (p < .01). More research is needed to examine the implications of neighborhood context on older Black adults’ health prospectively.