Epigenetic aging is increasingly recognized as a crucial biological pathway that connects neighborhood environments to health outcomes. Despite this recognition, there has been limited research examining how neighborhood resources impact epigenetic aging. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the effects of neighborhood amenities, health services, and built infrastructure on epigenetic aging.
The research utilized data from 3,786 participants in the Health and Retirement Study, specifically the 2016 Venus Blood Study. To assess epigenetic aging, the study employed several epigenetic clocks: Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, GrimAge2, and DunedinPACE. These clocks were 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 revealed 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 epigenetic clocks. The study also found that these associations were consistent across different demographic groups, including sex, race, and ethnicity.
Moreover, the study indicated that built infrastructure had 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 results suggest that enhancing the availability of local resources, such as amenities and health services, may contribute to slowing down epigenetic aging. Given the implications of decelerated biological aging on reducing morbidity and mortality risk, the authors propose that place-based interventions aimed at improving local amenities, health services, and infrastructure could be an effective strategy for promoting healthy aging.
What this study does not show
This study does not establish causation between neighborhood resources and epigenetic aging, nor does it address the long-term health outcomes resulting from improved neighborhood conditions.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: established
- Clinical validity: not established
- Clinical utility: not established
The evidence class is primary_research with human status unclassified.