TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - The environment a young person grows up in is associated with their mental health: a nationwide geospatial study using the integrated data infrastructure, New Zealand
JO  - Social science and medicine (1982)
A1  - M, Hobbs
A1  - N, Bowden
A1  - L, Marek
A1  - J, Wiki
A1  - J, Kokaua
A1  - R, Theodore
A1  - T, Ruhe
A1  - J, Boden
A1  - H, Thabrew
A1  - S, Hetrick
A1  - B, Milne
SP  - e115893
EP  - e115893
VL  - 326
IS  - 
N2  - BACKGROUND: Mental health conditions often arise during adolescence, are multifaceted in aetiology, and may be related to the type of environment in which young people reside. This study used nationwide population-level data to investigate whether the environment a young person grows up in is associated with their mental health. <br><br>METHOD: Data were extracted from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large nationwide research repository, for 917,211 young people (aged 10-24 years) including sociodemographic and mental health data (i.e. emotional, behavioural, substance problems, and self-harm). Environmental data were sourced from the nationwide area-based Healthy Location Index (HLI), which has comprehensive data on the location of several health-constraining (i.e. fast-food outlets) and health-promoting features (i.e. physical activity facilities). Environments were classified as: i) health-promoting, ii) health-constraining, or iii) neither. Associations between the HLI and mental health were investigated using multi-level mixed effects logistic regression modelling. <br><br>RESULTS: Overall, there was evidence of an association between the environment a young person resided in and their mental health. Young people residing in health-constraining environments had higher odds of any mental health condition (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.020 [1.001, 1.040]) and any emotional condition (AOR = 1.037 [1.012, 1.062]). Young people residing in health-promoting environments had lower odds of substance problems (AOR = 0.950 [0.905, 0.997]). There were no significant effects of the environment on behavioural conditions. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Our study utilises a large national sample of almost one million young people to confirm the importance of environmental determinants for mental health. It is possible that leverage points for improving the mental health of young people, and reducing the burden to the health system of mental health, can be sought in upstream environmental based interventions.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0277-9536
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115893
ID  - ref1
ER  -