Natalie Schwehr
Senior Research Associate

e schwe425@umn.edu

Neighborhood Support Matters for Child Health

Where people live, work, and play has been shown to have important impacts on health. In addition to one’s physical environment (e.g., access to safe schools, parks, and sources of nutritious food), the extent to which people feel connected to a supportive community with a network of resources is an important factor for health. This concept is known as “social capital," and has been linked with a broad range of health outcomes including mortality.

Neighborhood support is a form of social capital that can be measured with available survey data. The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) is nationally representative and includes children (age 0-17) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data from this survey provide information on family perceptions of neighborhood support and a broad range of child sociodemographic and health characteristics. NSCH data also allow researchers to study the association between supportive neighborhoods and key children’s health outcomes. 

Only about half (55%) of children lived in a supportive neighborhood. As shown in the figure below, the likelihood of living in a supportive neighborhood also varied across population subgroups. Perceived neighborhood support was less likely for non-English households, children of color, children with special health care needs (CSHCN), families with less education or income, and children with public health insurance coverage or who were uninsured.

Percent of children living in supportive neighborhoods, by child characteristics

Source: SHADAC analysis of the National Survey of Children’s Health, 2018-2019

We found that neighborhood support matters for a child’s health. Family perceptions of neighborhood support were significantly associated with four of the five outcomes we examined, after adjusting for child characteristics. Children in supportive neighborhoods were less likely to have a past year emergency department visit or unmet care needs and were more likely to have a preventive dental visit and better parent-reported oral health status (Table below).

Our study provides evidence that neighborhood cohesion is correlated with better child health outcomes. Policies that support healthy neighborhoods and build social capital are essential for the wellbeing of children. This includes policies that benefit child development, such as neighborhood schools, playgrounds, and early childhood education. Community-based programs and health care also play a role in fostering neighborhood support by strengthening networks and linking community members to needed care and resources.