IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i15p5491-d391766.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relationship between Neighborhood Environment and Child Mental Health in Japanese Elementary School Students

Author

Listed:
  • Rikuya Hosokawa

    (Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan)

  • Toshiki Katsura

    (Faculty of Health Care, Tenri Health Care University, Tenri 632-0018, Japan)

Abstract

Limited research has examined the relationship between neighborhood environment and mental health outcomes in elementary school students (middle childhood). In countries with high relative poverty, little is known about how neighborhood conditions are related to children’s health after controlling for family socioeconomic status; thus, it is necessary to distinguish the particular neighborhood characteristics relevant to behavioral risk in children, independent of socioeconomic position. Using a self-report survey completed by parents, we assessed neighborhood environment characteristics, children’s behavioral outcomes, and family socioeconomic status in fourth grade students from Nagoya, in Aichi prefecture, Japan ( n = 695). A multiple linear regression was conducted to evaluate to what extent neighborhood characteristics predict child behaviors, after adjusting for socioeconomic variables. Greater aesthetic quality, walkability, accessibility of healthy foods, safety, and social cohesion were inversely linked to children’s behavioral problems and positively linked to social competence, suggesting that quality of living environment may affect behavioral outcomes in children, even after controlling for socioeconomic factors. Developing a quality environment that matches these characteristics may minimize the negative impact of a family’s socioeconomic distress and is likely to aid socioeconomically disadvantaged parents and their children. Thus, policies and programs that enhance the neighborhood environment for socioeconomically disadvantaged families should be promoted.

Suggested Citation

  • Rikuya Hosokawa & Toshiki Katsura, 2020. "The Relationship between Neighborhood Environment and Child Mental Health in Japanese Elementary School Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-21, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5491-:d:391766
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5491/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5491/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Johnston & Carol Propper & Stephen Pudney & Michael Shields, 2014. "Child Mental Health And Educational Attainment: Multiple Observers And The Measurement Error Problem," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 880-900, September.
    2. Saelens, B.E. & Sallis, J.F. & Black, J.B. & Chen, D., 2003. "Neighborhood-Based Differences in Physical Activity: An Environment Scale Evaluation," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1552-1558.
    3. Larsen, K. & Gilliland, J. & Hess, P. & Tucker, P. & Irwin, J. & He, M., 2009. "The influence of the physical environment and sociodemographic characteristics on children's mode of travel to and from school," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(3), pages 520-526.
    4. Hill, Terrence D. & Angel, Ronald J., 2005. "Neighborhood disorder, psychological distress, and heavy drinking," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 965-975, September.
    5. Sharon Goldfeld & Geoffrey Woolcock & Ilan Katz & Robert Tanton & Sally Brinkman & Elodie O’Connor & Talya Mathews & Billie Giles-Corti, 2015. "Neighbourhood Effects Influencing Early Childhood Development: Conceptual Model and Trial Measurement Methodologies from the Kids in Communities Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 197-212, January.
    6. David M. Blau, 1999. "The Effect Of Income On Child Development," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 81(2), pages 261-276, May.
    7. Leventhal, T. & Brooks-Gunn, J., 2003. "Moving to Oppurtunity: An Experimental Study of Neighborhood Effects on Mental Health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1576-1582.
    8. M. Sirgy & Terri Cornwell, 2002. "How Neighborhood Features Affect Quality of Life," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 79-114, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Albert Lee & Keiko Nakamura, 2021. "Engaging Diverse Community Groups to Promote Population Health through Healthy City Approach: Analysis of Successful Cases in Western Pacific Region," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-26, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Emilia Del Bono & Marco Francesconi & Yvonne Kelly & Amanda Sacker, 2016. "Early Maternal Time Investment and Early Child Outcomes," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 126(596), pages 96-135, October.
    2. Mouhcine Guettabi & Abdul Munasib, 2014. "Urban Sprawl, Obesogenic Environment, And Child Weight," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 378-401, June.
    3. Won, Jaewoong & Lee, Chanam & Forjuoh, Samuel N. & Ory, Marcia G., 2016. "Neighborhood safety factors associated with older adults' health-related outcomes: A systematic literature review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 177-186.
    4. D'Agostino, Emily M. & Patel, Hersila H. & Ahmed, Zafar & Hansen, Eric & Sunil Mathew, M. & Nardi, Maria I. & Messiah, Sarah E., 2018. "Impact of change in neighborhood racial/ethnic segregation on cardiovascular health in minority youth attending a park-based afterschool program," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 116-129.
    5. Sanne I. De Vries & Marijke Hopman-Rock & Ingrid Bakker & Remy A. Hirasing & Willem Van Mechelen, 2010. "Built Environmental Correlates of Walking and Cycling in Dutch Urban Children: Results from the SPACE Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Meizi He & Patricia Tucker & Jason Gilliland & Jennifer D. Irwin & Kristian Larsen & Paul Hess, 2012. "The Influence of Local Food Environments on Adolescents’ Food Purchasing Behaviors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-14, April.
    7. Zhenduo Liu & Hui Sun & Jian Zhang & Jingfei Yan, 2023. "Status, Hotspots, and Future Trends: Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Impact of the Built Environment on Children and Adolescents’ Physical Activity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.
    8. Nattinee Jitnarin & Katie M. Heinrich & Christopher K. Haddock & Joseph Hughey & LaVerne Berkel & Walker S.C. Poston, 2015. "Neighborhood Environment Perceptions and the Likelihood of Smoking and Alcohol Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, January.
    9. Li Yin & Samina Raja & Xiao Li & Yuan Lai & Leonard Epstein & James Roemmich, 2013. "Neighbourhood for Playing: Using GPS, GIS and Accelerometry to Delineate Areas within which Youth are Physically Active," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(14), pages 2922-2939, November.
    10. Anura Amarasinghe & Gerard D'Souza & Cheryl Brown & Tatiana Borisova, 2006. "A Spatial Analysis of Obesity in West Virginia," Working Papers Working Paper 2006-13, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    11. Alessandro Balestrino & Lisa Grazzini & Annalisa Luporini, 2017. "A normative justification of compulsory education," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(2), pages 537-567, April.
    12. Sékou Samadoulougou & Laurence Letarte & Alexandre Lebel, 2022. "Association between Neighbourhood Deprivation Trajectories and Self-Perceived Health: Analysis of a Linked Survey and Health Administrative Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Zwerts, Enid & Allaert, Georges & Janssens, Davy & Wets, Geert & Witlox, Frank, 2010. "How children view their travel behaviour: a case study from Flanders (Belgium)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 702-710.
    14. Macours, Karen & Vakis, Renos, 2010. "Seasonal Migration and Early Childhood Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 857-869, June.
    15. Jacobson, Jerry Owen & Robinson, Paul & Bluthenthal, Ricky N., 2007. "A multilevel decomposition approach to estimate the role of program location and neighborhood disadvantage in racial disparities in alcohol treatment completion," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 462-476, January.
    16. Jenkins, Stephen P. & Schluter, Christian, 2002. "The Effect of Family Income During Childhood on Later-Life Attainment: Evidence from Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 604, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Kasim Allel & Gerard Abou Jaoude & Stavros Poupakis & Neha Batura & Jolene Skordis & Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli, 2021. "Exploring the Associations between Early Childhood Development Outcomes and Ecological Country-Level Factors across Low- and Middle-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-15, March.
    18. Erik Plug & Wim Vijverberg, 2003. "Schooling, Family Background, and Adoption: Is It Nature or Is It Nurture?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 111(3), pages 611-641, June.
    19. Spielman, Seth E. & Yoo, Eun-hye, 2009. "The spatial dimensions of neighborhood effects," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1098-1105, March.
    20. M. Sirgy & Robin Widgery & Dong-Jin Lee & Grace Yu, 2010. "Developing a Measure of Community Well-Being Based on Perceptions of Impact in Various Life Domains," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 96(2), pages 295-311, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5491-:d:391766. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.