Epigenetic aging has emerged as a significant biological pathway that connects neighborhood environments to health outcomes. Despite its importance, there has been limited research investigating how neighborhood resources affect epigenetic aging. This study aims to address this gap by examining the effects of neighborhood amenities, health services, and built infrastructure on epigenetic aging.
Methods
The research utilized data from 3,786 participants in the Health and Retirement Study 2016 Venus Blood Study. To assess epigenetic aging, various epigenetic clocks were employed, including Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, GrimAge2, and DunedinPACE. These measures were correlated with 13 Census-tract indicators that reflect the availability of local amenities, health services, and built infrastructure, sourced from the National Neighborhood Data Archive.
Results
The findings revealed that a greater availability of neighborhood amenities, health services, and built infrastructure was associated with slower epigenetic age acceleration. Notably, these significant relationships were primarily observed with the Horvath and Hannum clocks. The study also indicated that these associations were largely consistent across different demographic groups, including sex, race, and ethnicity.
Moreover, built infrastructure was found to have an indirect association with slower epigenetic age acceleration, as measured by PhenoAge, GrimAge2, and DunedinPACE, through its influence on increased physical activity among residents.
Conclusion
The study concludes that enhancing the availability of local resources may contribute to slowing down epigenetic aging. Given the implications of decelerated biological aging on reducing morbidity and mortality risks, the findings suggest that place-based interventions aimed at improving local amenities, health services, and built infrastructure could be an effective strategy for promoting healthy aging.
What this study does not show
This study does not establish a direct causal relationship between neighborhood resources and epigenetic aging, nor does it measure health outcomes resulting from changes in neighborhood resources.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: established
- Clinical validity: not established
- Clinical utility: not established