Stroke survivors in neighborhoods with the highest density of civic and social organizations were 11% more likely to have 3-5 social network alters compared to those in the lowest density areas.
Does greater census tract density of civic and social organizations improve the size of social networks in stroke survivors?
Greater neighborhood density of civic and social organizations is associated with larger social networks among stroke survivors, highlighting a potential environmental target for improving social support.
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Introduction: The environment in which we live shapes our relationships and our health. The presence of community resources can foster peer support and recovery. We sought to evaluate whether the number of civic and social organizations was associated with the size of stroke survivors’ social networks. Methods: The Discharge Educational Strategies for Reduction of Vascular Events (DESERVE) intervention randomized stroke survivors in New York City to skills-based intervention or usual care to improve post-stroke blood pressure. At baseline, participants were asked to identify their social networks (up to five persons or alters) with whom they discuss important matters. We quantified the total number of alters, the number who they talk with at least several times a week, the number of close alters, and the number of alters who they talk with about health matters. Density of civic and social organizations within a participant's census tract (at baseline) was linked from the National Neighborhood Data Archive. The association between deciles of civic and social organizations and the number of alters was modeled using multinomial logistic regression, first unadjusted and then sequentially adjusted for years in the community, age, gender, and race-ethnicity. Categories of the number of alters were often pooled due to small cell sizes and/or consistent associations. Results: Of 546 respondents with geocoded addresses, 33% identified that they had 3-5 alters. Those residing in census tracts in the highest decile of civic and social organizations had higher odds of having more alters with whom they could discuss important matters compared to those in the lowest decile (1-2 alters OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.94-1.11; 3-5 alters OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.02-1.23). This association was slightly attenuated after adjustment (Table). The results were consistent for health matter alters even after adjustment (4-5 alters OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.00-1.23). Conclusion: Greater census tract density of civic and social organizations was associated with having larger social networks among stroke survivors. Providing stroke survivors who live in neighborhoods without many civic/social organizations with additional resources on social support and engagement may be a potential area for intervention.
Wing et al. (Thu,) reported a other. Stroke survivors in neighborhoods with the highest density of civic and social organizations were 11% more likely to have 3-5 social network alters compared to those in the lowest density areas.