Examining the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between diurnal cortisol and neighborhood characteristics: Evidence from the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. (July 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hajat, Anjum; Moore, Kari; Do, D. Phuong; Stein Merkin, Sharon; Punjabi, Naresh M.; Sáñchez, Brisa Ney; Seeman, Teresa; Diez-Roux, Ana V.
• Is Part Of: Health & place. Volume 34(2015:Jul.)
• Page Start: 199
• Page End: 206
• Publication Date: 2015-07
• Subjects: Neighborhood poverty -- Social cohesion -- Safety -- Cortisol -- Stress -- Hypothalmic–pituitary–adrenal axis; Health -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Health services accessibility -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Political planning -- Periodicals; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; Health Policy -- Periodicals; Health Services Accessibility -- Periodicals; Public Health -- Periodicals; Public Policy -- Periodicals; Sociology, Medical -- Periodicals; Épidémiologie -- Périodiques; Politique sanitaire -- Périodiques; Santé, Services de -- Accessibilité -- Périodiques; Health services accessibility; Health -- Social aspects; Political planning; Public health; Social medicine; Periodicals; 613
• DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2015.05.017
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1353-8292

Abstract

Abstract: We examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between neighborhood socioeconomic status, social cohesion and safety and features of the diurnal cortisol curve including: area under the curve (AUC), wake-to-bed slope, wake-up, cortisol awakening response (CAR, wake-up to 30 min post-awakening), early decline (30 min to 2 h post-awakening) and late decline (2 h post-awakening to bed time). In cross-sectional analyses, higher neighborhood poverty was associated with a flatter early decline and a flatter wake-to-bed slope. Higher social cohesion and safety were associated with higher wake-up cortisol, steeper early decline and steeper wake-to-bed slope. Over 5 years, wake-up cortisol increased, CAR, early decline, late decline and wake-to-bed slope became flatter and AUC became larger. Higher poverty was associated with less pronounced increases in wake-up and AUC, while higher social cohesion was associated with greater increases in wake-up and AUC. Adverse neighborhood environments were cross-sectionally associated with flatter cortisol profiles, but associations with changes in cortisol were weak and not in the expected direction.