Is your doctor going to tell you about this risk reduction option(48%) or just regurgitate the standard crap?
I have no idea who my neighbors are, living in an apartment with mainly college students doesn't lead to much interaction.
You youngsters are obviously not important to be included in this study.
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/21688-love-thy-neighbor-it-could-lower-your-risk-of-stroke
Here's some neighborly advice for adults over age 50: Stay friendly with your neighbors.
A new University of Michigan study shows that adults in this age
bracket who live in a good neighborhood with trustworthy people lowered
their risk of stroke up to 48 percent.
Feeling connected with neighbors builds what researchers describe as
"neighborhood social cohesion." The trust and connection with neighbors
was associated with a reduced risk of stroke above and beyond the
effects of negative psychological factors—such as depression and
anxiety, said Eric Kim, a doctoral student in the U-M Department of
Psychology and the study's lead author.
Other studies have focused on how negative neighborhood factors such
as violence, noise, traffic, litter and poor air quality can increase
poor health. The U-M research is among the first studies to examine how
positive neighborhood assets might enhance good health.
"Studies in the past have typically looked at a neighborhood's
physical environment and its association with health, for example the
number of fast food restaurants in an area," Kim said. "We looked at the
social environment."
This study builds upon the growing literature that suggests the
importance of a neighborhood's social climate on health, he said.
Researchers used data from a nationally representative sample of
6,740 adults over the age of 50. Participants, who had never suffered a
stroke, were asked to indicate the degree of trust in their
neighborhood, with higher scores indicating more cohesion with
neighbors. They also disclosed some information on chronic illnesses
(e.g., high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes) and
psychological factors.
Among the sample, 265 respondents had a stroke during the four-year
follow-up (46 fatal, 219 nonfatal). But the research indicated that the
higher perceived neighborhood social cohesion was associated with a
lower risk of stroke.
"If observational studies repeatedly find an association with
neighborhood social cohesion and better health, randomized controlled
trials—which may eventually lead to public-health type interventions—may
be in order," Kim said.
The researchers noted that the study did not assess the risks of
stroke based on ethnicity, nor were respondents asked about their
family's medical history, especially as it relates to cardiovascular
diseases.
The study, which was co-authored by Nansook Park and Christopher
Peterson, appears in the online issue of Social Science & Medicine.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided support for the study.
Interesting. In fact, it was my friends in my neighborhood who offered the most post-stroke support.
ReplyDeleteIt's ironic then that I, the youngest in a very neighborly neighborhood, was the one who had a stroke.
Why didn't they correct for family's medical history?