Does sleep quality mediate the association between neighborhood disorder and self-rated physical health?

We examine the association between perceived neighborhood disorder and self-rated physical health. Building on previous research, we test whether this association is mediated by sleep quality.

We use data from the 2004 Survey of Texas Adults (n=1323) to estimate a series of ordinary least squares regression models. We formally assess mediation by testing for significant changes in the effect of neighborhood disorder before and after adjusting for sleep quality.

We find that residence in a neighborhood that is perceived as noisy, unclean, and crime-ridden is associated with poorer self-rated physical health, even with controls for irregular exercise, poor diet quality, smoking, binge drinking, obesity and a host of relevant sociodemographic factors. Our results also indicate that the relationship between neighborhood disorder and self-rated physical health is partially mediated by lower sleep quality.

Targeted interventions designed to promote sleep quality in disadvantaged neighborhoods may help to improve the physical health of residents in the short-term. Policies aimed at solving the problem of neighborhood disorder are needed to support sleep quality and physical health in the long-term.