Model System:

SCI

Reference Type:

Journal

Accession No.:

J72392

Journal:


Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

, 96, 9, 1583-1590

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Study assessed the association between characteristics of the built environment and differences in perceived health among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). A secondary analysis was conducted of data collected from 503 people with chronic SCI enrolled in the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems database. All cases were residents of New Jersey, completed an interview during the years 2000 through 2012, had a complete residential address, and were community living at the time of follow-up. Bivariate tests indicated that persons with SCI residing in communities with more (vs less) mixed land use and small (vs large) amounts of open space were more likely to report poor perceived health. No associations were found between perceived health and differences in the residential or destination density of the community. Adjusting for variation in demographic, impairment, quality of life, and community socioeconomic characteristics accounted for the gap in the odds of reporting poor health between persons living in areas with large versus small amounts of open space. However, even after accounting for individual background differences, persons living in communities characterized by more heterogeneous land use were twice as likely to report poor health compared with persons living in less mixed areas. The results suggest living in a community with more heterogeneous land use was not beneficial to the perceived health of persons with chronic SCI living in New Jersey.

Author(s):