Epigenetic aging has emerged as a significant biological pathway that may connect neighborhood environments to health outcomes. In recent years, the relationship between neighborhood resources and epigenetic aging has garnered attention, yet few studies have thoroughly investigated this link. The current study aims to address this gap by examining the effects of neighborhood amenities, health services, and built infrastructure on epigenetic aging.
Methods
The study utilized data from 3,786 participants in the Health and Retirement Study, specifically the 2016 Venus Blood Study. Epigenetic aging was assessed using various biological clocks, including Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, GrimAge2, and DunedinPACE. These measures were then linked to 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 indicated that a greater availability of neighborhood amenities, health services, and built infrastructure was associated with slower epigenetic age acceleration. Notably, these relationships were statistically significant for the Horvath and Hannum clocks. Furthermore, the associations appeared consistent across different demographic groups, including sex, race, and ethnicity.
Additionally, built infrastructure was found to have an indirect association with slower epigenetic age acceleration, as measured by PhenoAge, GrimAge2, and DunedinPACE. This indirect effect was attributed to increased physical activity facilitated by better infrastructure.
Conclusion
The study concludes that enhancing the availability of local resources may contribute to slowing epigenetic aging. Given the potential benefits of decelerated biological aging on reducing morbidity and mortality risks, the authors suggest that place-based interventions aimed at improving local amenities, health services, and infrastructure could serve as a promising 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 provide evidence on the long-term effects of such interventions on health outcomes.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: Established
- Clinical validity: Not established
- Clinical utility: Not established