Ana V Diez Roux
Biographic Data
| ID | 80127 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ana V Diez Roux |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ana V Diez |
| FAMILY NAME | Roux |
| SIGNATURE | ROUX A V D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Drexel University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9658-7050 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 138 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1268 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 138 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 16 |
Censoring Population Health Science: Death by a Thousand Cuts
Spatial inequalities in urban infrastructure for physical activity in Greater Santiago, Chile: Analysis by municipality and neighborhood
This study characterized urban infrastructure (UI) supporting physical activity (PA) in Greater Santiago (GS), Chile, and examined its spatial distribution. A conceptual model comprising four key dimensions — active transport, green areas, public transport, and safety — was used to guide selection of relevant indicators (23 total). Statistical and spatial analyses were conducted across 34 municipalities and 1623 neighborhoods using a summary inde…
Trends in adults body mass index related to changes in socioeconomic status of 201 large Latin American cities
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide. The association between socioeconomic urban development in the nutritional status of the population in large cities from low and middle-income countries is unclear. AIM: Analyze how time trends in adult BMI vary across large cities and examine whether city socioeconomic status (SES) is related to adult BMI trends and whether individual level SES modifies this relationship. METHODS: We…
Urban and socioeconomic disparities in PM 2.5 exposure across 340 Latin American cities
Background. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a leading global health risk. Latin American cities exhibit some of the world's highest urban PM 2.5 levels, yet studies of neighborhood-level PM 2.5 exposure and associated disparities in the region are limited. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional ecological analysis of 53 041 neighborhoods across 340 cities in eight Latin American countries, leveraging the Salud Urbana en America Latina study…
A New Phase for the Journal of Urban Health: Building on the Journal’s History to Improve Urban Health, Equity, and Environmental Sustainability Worldwide
Are extensions in paid parental leave associated with lower infant and neonatal mortality in Latin American cities? Evidence from 148 cities in Chile, Mexico, and Colombia (2000-2015)
We examined changes in infant and neonatal mortality that occurred after extension in the minimum number of days of paid maternity leave and after the implementation of paid paternity leave in 148 cities using longitudinal city-level data (2000-2015) from Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, compiled and harmonized by the Salud Urbana en America Latina (SALURBAL) study. For Chile we also explored variations in these associations according to the mother's…
Urban Environments, Health, and Environmental Sustainability: Findings From the Salurbal Study
Despite the relevance of cities and city policies for health, there has been limited examination of large numbers of cities aimed at characterizing urban health determinants and identifying effective policies. The relatively few comparative studies that exist include few cities in lower and middle income countries. The Salud Urbana en America Latina study (SALURBAL) was launched in 2017 to address this gap. The study has four aims: (1) to investi…
Research Translation to Promote Urban Health in Latin America: The Salurbal Experience
In highly urbanized and unequal Latin America, urban health and health equity research are essential to effective policymaking. To ensure the application of relevant and context-specific evidence to efforts to reduce urban health inequities, urban health research in Latin America must incorporate strategic research translation efforts. Beginning in 2017, the Urban Health in Latin America (SALURBAL) project implemented policy-relevant research and…
Commentary: A road map for future data-driven urban planning and environmental health research
Recent advances in data science and urban environmental health research utilise large-scale databases (100s-1000s of cities) to explore the complex interplay of urban characteristics such as city form and size, climate, mobility, exposure, and environmental health impacts. Cities are still hotspots of air pollution and noise, suffer urban heat island effects and lack of green space, which leads to disease and mortality burdens preventable with be…
Social inequalities and Covid-19 mortality between neighborhoods of Bariloche city, Argentina
We found spatial heterogeneity and intraurban variability in age-adjusted COVID-19 death rates, with a clear social gradient, and a higher burden in already deprived areas. This highlights the importance of studying inequalities in health outcomes across small areas to inform placed-based interventions
Association of service facilities and amenities with adolescent birth rates in Mexican cities
Our findings highlight the importance of economic drivers and the need to invest in infrastructure, such as pharmacies, medical facilities, schools, and recreation areas and limit the availability of alcohol outlets to increase the impact of current adolescent pregnancy prevention programs
Gender inequality, women's empowerment, and adolescent birth rates in 363 Latin American cities
Adolescent birth rates and the urban social environment in 363 Latin American cities
INTRODUCTION: Latin America has the second-highest adolescent birth rate (ABR) worldwide. Variation between urban and rural areas and evidence linking country development to ABR points towards upstream factors in the causal pathway. We investigated variation in ABR within and between cities, and whether different features of urban social environments are associated with ABR. METHODS: We included 363 cities in 9 Latin American countries. We collec…
Cesarean sections and social inequalities in 305 cities of Latin America
We found large variability in CSR across cities highlighting the potential role of local policies on CSR levels. Variability was associated in part with maternal and area education and GDP. Further research is needed to understand the reasons for this pattern and any policy implications it may have
Aging and self-reported health in 114 Latin American cities: Gender and socio-economic inequalities
Across cities in Latin America, aging impact on health is significant among middle-aged adults, and among men. In both genders, cities with lower SEI or lower GDP per-capita were associated with poor SRH. More research is needed to better understand gender inequalities and how city socioeconomic environments, represented by different indicators, modify exposures and vulnerabilities associated with aging
Potential impacts of policies to reduce purchasing of ultra-processed foods in Mexico at different stages of the social transition: An agent-based modelling approach
Objectives: To develop a simulation framework for assessing how combinations of taxes, nutrition warning labels and advertising levels could affect purchasing of ultra-processed foods (UPF) in Latin American countries and to understand whether policies reinforce or reduce pre-existing social disparities in UPF consumption. Design: We developed an agent-based simulation model using international evidence regarding the effect of price, nutrition wa…
Urban Scaling of Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review
Urban scaling is a framework that describes how city-level characteristics scale with variations in city size. This scoping review mapped the existing evidence on the urban scaling of health outcomes to identify gaps and inform future research. Using a structured search strategy, we identified and reviewed a total of 102 studies, a majority set in high-income countries using diverse city definitions. We found several historical studies that exami…
Does Living near Trees and Other Vegetation Affect the Contemporaneous Odds of Asthma Exacerbation among Pediatric Asthma Patients
Tracking Covid-19 Inequities Across Jurisdictions Represented in the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC): The Covid-19 Health Inequities in BCHC Cities Dashboard
Objectives. To describe the creation of an interactive dashboard to advance the understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic from an equity and urban health perspective across 30 large US cities that are members of the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC). Methods. We leveraged the Drexel‒BCHC partnership to define the objectives and audience for the dashboard and developed an equity framework to conceptualize COVID-19 inequities across social groups, ne…
Covid-19 Outcomes Among the Hispanic Population of 27 Large US Cities, 2020–2021
Objectives. To examine racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 outcomes between Hispanics and Whites across 27 US jurisdictions whose health departments are members of the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC). Methods. Using surveillance data from the BCHC COVID-19 dashboard as of mid-June 2021, we computed crude incidence, age-adjusted hospitalization and mortality, and full vaccination coverage rates for Hispanics and Whites by city. We estimated r…
Inequities in spatial accessibility to Covid-19 testing in 30 large US cities
Testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection has been a key strategy to mitigate and control the COVID-19 pandemic. Wide spatial and racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 outcomes have emerged in US cities. Previous research has highlighted the role of unequal access to testing as a potential driver of these disparities. We described inequities in spatial accessibility to COVID-19 testing locations in 30 large US cities. We used location data from Castlight …
The Regeneración Urbana, Calidad de Vida y Salud - Rucas project: A Chilean multi-methods study to evaluate the impact of urban regeneration on resident health and wellbeing
RUCAS' design allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the effects that the intervention could have on various dimensions of health and health determinants. RUCAS will face some challenges, like changes in the intervention process due to adjustments of the master plan, exogenous factors -including COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns- and lost to follow-up. Given the stepped wedge design, that the study capitalizes on within household chang…
Covid-19, Ambient Air Pollution, and Environmental Health Inequities in Latin American Cities
Longitudinal associations of neighborhood environment features with pediatric body mass index
Urban social determinants of non-communicable diseases risk factors in Argentina
We examined associations of individual-, neighborhood- and city-level education -as proxies of SES at different levels-, with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking and binge drinking (non-communicable disease risk factors -NCD/RF) among Argentinian adults. We estimated mixed models based on 21,415 individuals from the 2013 National Survey of Risk Factors, living in 2,698 neighborhoods and 33 cities. Gradients by individual-level education diff…
Investigating Neighborhood and Area Effects on Health
The past few years have witnessed an explosion of interest in neighborhood or area effects on health. Several types of empiric studies have been used to examine possible area or neighborhood effects, including ecologic studies relating area characteristics to morbidity and mortality rates, contextual and multilevel analyses relating area socioeconomic context to health outcomes, and studies comparing small numbers of well-defined neighborhoods. S…
Are immigrant enclaves healthy places to live? The Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Associations of Neighborhood Characteristics With the Location and Type of Food Stores
Objectives. We investigated associations between local food environment and neighborhood racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Methods. Poisson regression was used to examine the association of food stores and liquor stores with racial/ethnic composition and income in selected census tracts in North Carolina, Maryland, and New York. Results. Predominantly minority and racially mixed neighborhoods had more than twice as many grocery stores …
A glossary for multilevel analysis
Multilevel analysis has recently emerged as a useful analytical technique in several fields, including public health and epidemiology. This glossary defines key concepts and terms used in multilevel analysis
Estimating neighborhood health effects: The Challenges of Causal Inference in a Complex World
Is neighborhood racial/ethnic composition associated with depressive symptoms? The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis
Neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and differences in the availability of healthy food stores and restaurants in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Complex Systems Thinking and Current Impasses in Health Disparities Research
Complex systems approaches have received increasing attention in public health because reductionist approaches yield limited insights in the context of dynamic systems. Most discussions have been highly abstract. There is a need to consider the application of complex systems approaches to specific research questions. I review the features of population health problems for which complex systems approaches are most likely to yield new insights, and…
Neighborhood stressors and social support as predictors of depressive symptoms in the Chicago Community Adult Health Study
Availability of Recreational Resources and Physical Activity in Adults
Objectives. Using data from a large cohort of adults aged 45 to 84 years-old, we investigated whether availability of recreational resources is related to physical activity levels. Methods. Data from a multiethnic sample of 2723 adult residents of New York City, NY; Baltimore, Md; and Forsyth County, NC, were linked to data on locations of recreational resources. We measured the availability (density) of resources within 0.5 (0.8 km), 1, 2, and 5…
At the intersection of place, race, and health in Brazil: Residential segregation and cardio-metabolic risk factors in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Elsa-Brasil)
The association of personal and neighborhood socioeconomic indicators with subclinical cardiovascular disease in an elderly cohort. The cardiovascular health study
Self-reported experiences of discrimination and inflammation among men and women: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis
The association between discrimination and inflammation varied by gender and marker of inflammation. These findings highlight the complex relationship between discrimination and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and point to areas in need of further research. (PsycINFO Database Record
Neighborhood socioeconomic status predictors of physical activity through young to middle adulthood: The Cardia study
Building a Data Platform for Cross-Country Urban Health Studies: The Salurbal Study
Studies examining urban health and the environment must ensure comparability of measures across cities and countries. We describe a data platform and process that integrates health outcomes together with physical and social environment data to examine multilevel aspects of health across cities in 11 Latin American countries. We used two complementary sources to identify cities with ≥ 100,000 inhabitants as of 2010 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Col…
The effects of US state income inequality and alcohol policies on symptoms of depression and alcohol dependence
Neighborhoods and Health: What Do We Know? What Should We Do
Neighborhoods and Health: What Do We Know? What Should We Do? Affiliation Ana V. Diez Roux MD, PhD, MPHAna V. Diez Roux is with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.CopyRightCorrespondence should be sent to Ana V. Diez Roux Md PhD, Dean, Dornsife School of Public Health, 3215 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 10146 (e-mail: [email protected]edu). Reprints can be ordered…
Change in neighborhood environments and depressive symptoms in New York City: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Neighbourhood characteristics, individual level socioeconomic factors, and depressive symptoms in young adults: The Cardia study
Study objective: To investigate the relation between neighbourhood socioeconomic and ethnic characteristics with depressive symptoms in a population based sample. Design: Cross sectional data from the CARDIA study, including the Center for Epidemiological Studies depression scale score (CES-D). Neighbourhoods were 1990 US census blocks of 1000 people; six census variables reflecting wealth/income, education, and occupation investigated separately…
Moving to opportunity and mental health: Exploring the spatial context of neighborhood effects
A spatial analysis of health-related resources in three diverse metropolitan areas
Life-course socioeconomic positions and subclinical atherosclerosis in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis
Circadian rhythm of cortisol and neighborhood characteristics in a population-based sample: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Comparing Perception-Based and Geographic Information System (GIS)-Based Characterizations of the Local Food Environment
Associations of Acculturation and Socioeconomic Status With Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Objectives. We assessed whether markers of acculturation (birthplace and number of US generations) and socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease—carotid artery plaque, internal carotid intima-media thickness, and albuminuria—in 4 racial/ethnic groups. Methods. With data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (n = 6716 participants aged 45–84 years) and race-specific binomial regression mo…
Neighborhood of Residence and Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease
BACKGROUND: Where a person lives is not usually thought of as an independent predictor of his or her health, although physical and social features of places of residence may affect health and health-related behavior. METHODS: Using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, we examined the relation between characteristics of neighborhoods and the incidence of coronary heart disease. Participants were 45 to 64 years of age at base li…
Area Characteristics and Individual-Level Socioeconomic Position Indicators in Three Population-Based Epidemiologic Studies
Investigating Neighborhood and Area Effects on Health
The past few years have witnessed an explosion of interest in neighborhood or area effects on health. Several types of empiric studies have been used to examine possible area or neighborhood effects, including ecologic studies relating area characteristics to morbidity and mortality rates, contextual and multilevel analyses relating area socioeconomic context to health outcomes, and studies comparing small numbers of well-defined neighborhoods. S…
A glossary for multilevel analysis
Multilevel analysis has recently emerged as a useful analytical technique in several fields, including public health and epidemiology. This glossary defines key concepts and terms used in multilevel analysis
Area Characteristics, Individual-Level Socioeconomic Indicators, and Smoking in Young Adults: The Coronary Artery Disease Risk Development in Young Adults Study
The 10-year follow-up examination in 1995-1996 to the population-based Coronary Artery Disease Risk Development in Young Adults Study was used to compare the strength with which socioeconomic indicators at the individual and area levels are related to smoking prevalence and to investigate contextual effects of area characteristics. When categories based on similar percentile cutoffs were compared, differences across area categories in the odds of…
Residential Environments and Cardiovascular Risk
Morland Et Al. Respond
We are encouraged that other researchers have been investigating the health impacts associated with the availability of food stores. It is unfortunate, although not surprising, that the absence of commercial food institutions in low-income, minority neighborhoods is an international concern. Documenting the structural effects of racial segregation on the well-being of residents is paramount in determining the extent to which racial isolation of B…
The Study of Group-Level Factors in Epidemiology: Rethinking Variables, Study Designs, and Analytical Approaches
A key notion that has received much attention in epidemiology over the past few years has been that not all disease determinants can be conceptualized as individual-level attributes, hence the need to consider features of the groups to which individuals belong when studying the causes of ill health. This has led epidemiologists and public health researchers to rethink the ideas on ecologic studies and ecologic variables traditionally espoused in …
Neighbourhood environments and mortality in an elderly cohort: Results from the cardiovascular health study
Background: It has been postulated that neighbourhood conditions are related to the health of the elderly population but longitudinal studies are rare and confounding by individual level variables remains a possibility. Methods: Data were obtained from the cardiovascular health study, a population based study of adults aged 65 years and older. Census block groups were used as proxies for neighbourhoods. A summary score was used to characterise th…
The effects of US state income inequality and alcohol policies on symptoms of depression and alcohol dependence
Estimating neighborhood health effects: The Challenges of Causal Inference in a Complex World
The association of personal and neighborhood socioeconomic indicators with subclinical cardiovascular disease in an elderly cohort. The cardiovascular health study
Neighbourhood characteristics, individual level socioeconomic factors, and depressive symptoms in young adults: The Cardia study
Study objective: To investigate the relation between neighbourhood socioeconomic and ethnic characteristics with depressive symptoms in a population based sample. Design: Cross sectional data from the CARDIA study, including the Center for Epidemiological Studies depression scale score (CES-D). Neighbourhoods were 1990 US census blocks of 1000 people; six census variables reflecting wealth/income, education, and occupation investigated separately…
Supermarkets, Other Food Stores, and Obesity
Associations of Neighborhood Characteristics With the Location and Type of Food Stores
Objectives. We investigated associations between local food environment and neighborhood racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Methods. Poisson regression was used to examine the association of food stores and liquor stores with racial/ethnic composition and income in selected census tracts in North Carolina, Maryland, and New York. Results. Predominantly minority and racially mixed neighborhoods had more than twice as many grocery stores …
Assessing the Measurement Properties of Neighborhood Scales: From Psychometrics to Ecometrics
Most studies examining the relation between residential environment and health have used census-derived measures of neighborhood socioeconomic position (SEP). There is a need to identify specific features of neighborhoods relevant to disease risk, but few measures of these features exist, and their measurement properties are understudied. In this paper, the authors 1) develop measures (scales) of neighborhood environment that are important in car…
The Urban Built Environment and Obesity in New York City: A Multilevel Analysis
PURPOSE: To examine whether urban form is associated with body size within a densely-settled city. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using multilevel modeling to relate body mass index (BMI) to built environment resources. SETTING: Census tracts (n = 1989) within the five boroughs of New York City. SUBJECTS: Adult volunteers (n = 13,102) from the five boroughs of New York City recruited between January 2000 and December 2002. MEASURES: The depende…
Intraurban Variations in Adult Mortality in a Large Latin American City
Availability of Recreational Resources and Physical Activity in Adults
Objectives. Using data from a large cohort of adults aged 45 to 84 years-old, we investigated whether availability of recreational resources is related to physical activity levels. Methods. Data from a multiethnic sample of 2723 adult residents of New York City, NY; Baltimore, Md; and Forsyth County, NC, were linked to data on locations of recreational resources. We measured the availability (density) of resources within 0.5 (0.8 km), 1, 2, and 5…
Individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status and progressive chronic kidney disease in an elderly population: The Cardiovascular Health Study
Associations of the Local Food Environment with Diet Quality--A Comparison of Assessments based on Surveys and Geographic Information Systems: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
There is growing interest in understanding how food environments affect diet, but characterizing the food environment is challenging. The authors investigated the relation between global diet measures (an empirically derived "fats and processed meats" (FPM) dietary pattern and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)) and three complementary measures of the local food environment: 1) supermarket density, 2) participant-reported assessments, and …
Availability of Recreational Resources in Minority and Low Socioeconomic Status Areas
Neighborhood Characteristics and Hypertension
BACKGROUND: : The goal of this study was to investigate cross-sectional associations between features of neighborhoods and hypertension and to examine the sensitivity of results to various methods of estimating neighborhood conditions. METHODS: : We used data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis on 2612 individuals 45-85 years of age. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure above 140 mm Hg, diastolic pressure above 90 mm Hg,…
Relation between Neighborhood Environments and Obesity in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
This study investigated associations between neighborhood physical and social environments and body mass index in 2,865 participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) aged 45-84 years and residing in Maryland, New York, and North Carolina. Neighborhood (census tract) environments were measured in non-MESA participants residing in MESA neighborhoods (2000-2002). The neighborhood physical environment score combined measures of a b…
Neighborhood Characteristics and Availability of Healthy Foods in Baltimore
Medicine (114 works) · Demography (85 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (78 works) · Environmental health (69 works) · Sociology (64 works) · Population (63 works) · Geography (56 works) · Gerontology (53 works) · Urban Transport and Accessibility (48 works) · Socioeconomic status (43 works)