Women who live in neighborhoods lacking in close ties are more
likely to have coronary artery calcification, a key marker for
underlying heart disease, than those who live in more socially
cohesive neighborhoods, according to a study led by Harvard
School of Public Health (HSPH) researcher Daniel Kim. Women who
lived in the most economically deprived neighborhoods had more
than double the odds of underlying heart disease. The study was
published online last month in the American Journal of
Epidemiology. Men appeared to be less affected by their social
environments, with only those living in the poorest
neighborhoods showing an impact. The study adds to the growing
body of evidence that the physical and social environments in
which people live and work can play a big role in health. The
researchers examined health data from nearly 3,000 women and men
aged 32 to 50 participating in the Coronary Artery Risk
Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study and living in four
United States urban areas: Birmingham, Alaba