Association of Long-Term Trajectories of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status With Weight Change in Older Adults

Abstract

Neighborhood environment is a critical factor associated with health outcomes, including obesity.1,2 A 2020 systematic review2 of longitudinal studies found that declines in measures of neighborhood socioeconomic status (neighborhood SES) were associated with higher weight gain and obesity risk. However, several gaps exist in current literature; to our knowledge, most studies used 1-time snapshots of neighborhood SES and failed to capture neighborhood change, and almost all studies focused on obesity or mean weight change while ignoring weight loss, a unique risk factor associated with morbidity and mortality in the older population.3