The proposed project seeks to understand how, and to what extent, an elder's built environment is mediated by the elder's social behaviors and effective support systems to affect behavioral health changes for elderly Hispanic residents in a low-socioeconomic (SES) Urban Neighborhood: East Little Havana, Florida. An elder's built environment is defined by a set of architectural features of the buildings on the elder's residential street. A residential street is defined by two block faces bounded either by two intersections or by one intersection and a street ending. There are 226 such residential streets in East Little Havana. The proposed study will test a model that predicts that the architectural features of an elder's built environment are sequentially mediated by the elder's social behaviors and effective social supports to influence the trajectory of change in their cognitive functioning and their affective symptoms over a 36-month period. The method involves evaluating and coding the buildings on each of East Little Havana's 226 residential streets to describe the residential streets that support social connectedness. A household survey (covering 3,900 properties) will be conducted to locate the elders 70 years or older on each residential street. Then, two or more elders are to be randomly selected from each residential street, recruited, and engaged to participate in the study, and assessed at baseline and again at 12, 24 and 36 months after baseline. Hierarchical Linear Modeling and Multilevel Latent Growth Curve Analysis will be used to examine the effects of the built environment and the mediating effects of individual social behaviors and effective social supports on the trajectory of change in cognitive functioning and change in affective symptoms in elders over a 36-month time period. Findings will be disseminated at three conferences focusing on the project in addition to submitting technical papers to be presented at professional meetings and to refereed journals.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01MH063709-03S2
Application #
6741769
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZES1)
Program Officer
Otey, Emeline M
Project Start
2000-09-30
Project End
2005-08-31
Budget Start
2002-09-01
Budget End
2003-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$11,186
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Miami School of Medicine
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
052780918
City
Miami
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
33146
Perrino, Tatiana; Brown, Scott C; Huang, Shi et al. (2011) Depressive symptoms, social support, and walking among Hispanic older adults. J Aging Health 23:974-93
Brown, Scott C; Huang, Shi; Perrino, Tatiana et al. (2011) The relationship of perceived neighborhood social climate to walking in Hispanic older adults: a longitudinal, cross-lagged panel analysis. J Aging Health 23:1325-51
Perrino, Tatiana; Mason, Craig A; Brown, Scott C et al. (2010) The relationship between depressive symptoms and walking among Hispanic older adults: a longitudinal, cross-lagged panel analysis. Aging Ment Health 14:211-9
Brown, Scott C; Mason, Craig A; Lombard, Joanna L et al. (2009) The relationship of built environment to perceived social support and psychological distress in Hispanic elders: the role of ""eyes on the street"". J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 64:234-46
Brown, Scott C; Mason, Craig A; Perrino, Tatiana et al. (2009) LONGITUDINAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NEIGHBORING BEHAVIOR AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN HISPANIC OLDER ADULTS IN MIAMI, FLORIDA. J Community Psychol 37:618-634
Brown, Scott C; Mason, Craig A; Spokane, Arnold R et al. (2009) The relationship of neighborhood climate to perceived social support and mental health in older Hispanic immigrants in Miami, Florida. J Aging Health 21:431-59
Perrino, Tatiana; Brown, Scott C; Mason, Craig A et al. (2009) Depressive Symptoms Among Urban Hispanic Older Adults in Miami: Prevalence and Sociodemographic Correlates. Clin Gerontol 32:26-43
Perrino, Tatiana; Mason, Craig A; Brown, Scott C et al. (2008) Longitudinal relationships between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms among Hispanic older adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 63:P309-17
Brown, Scott C; Mason, Craig A; Perrino, Tatiana et al. (2008) Built environment and physical functioning in Hispanic elders: the role of ""eyes on the street"". Environ Health Perspect 116:1300-7