Spatial Contexts of Everyday Life and their Health Implications: Early Results from the CHART Study

• In Event: 4213 - Health in Social Context: The Role of Work, School, Family, and Community

Abstract

A large literature points to the role of neighborhood conditions in the production of health disparities, but less is known about the relevance of other spaces of daily life. We draw on new data from the first wave of the Chicago Health and Activity Space in Real Time (CHART) study to describe older adults’ activity spaces, or the locations of routine activities of daily life. In the study, 450 community-residing older adults from ten Chicago neighborhoods carried smartphones for GPS tracking and ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) over seven days. GPS and EMA data reveal how the span and characteristics of activity spaces vary across socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic groups and shape real-time reports of positive and negative affect. We conclude by discussing how activity spaces -- and their potential downstream effects on health -- may be an underexplored source of inequalities in older adults’ health and well-being.

Authors

• Erin York Cornwell, Cornell University

• Kathleen A. Cagney, University of Chicago

• Louise Hawkley, NORC at the University of Chicago