196 - Neighborhood Physical Disorder as A Risk Factor for Early Elementary Academic Achievement: An Innovative Pilot Study Using the NIfETy Instrument

Publication Number: 1185.196

Juliana Gutierrez, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Sunnyside, NY, United States; Yu Chen, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Caitlin F. Canfield, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Nitiksh Paul, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Alyssa Milton, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Alpharetta, GA, United States; Elizabeth B.. Miller, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New Rochelle, NY, United States; Bonnie Kerker, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Carol Duh-Leong, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, New York, NY, United States

Background: While research has explored how children's home environment shapes early development, the influence of the surrounding built environment such as their neighborhood is less understood. Prior studies indicate that neighborhood disadvantage negatively affects academic achievement by undermining educational opportunities and parental efforts, however many rely on broad measures at the census tract level (e.g., crime rates, land vacancy), limiting the nuance of neighborhood conditions that may be relevant for child development.

Objective: Using an innovative, observational measure at the block level, this study examines the relation of neighborhood physical disorder to early elementary school attendance and academic achievement.

Design/Methods: The Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy) is a validated instrument that utilizes comprehensive field observations to capture block-level neighborhood conditions. Using NIfETy, two raters assessed 100 randomly selected blocks in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where ~50% of residents are foreign-born, ~60% speak Spanish or Chinese, and over 20% of minors live below poverty. Preliminary exploratory factor analysis identified 6 items representing physical disorder (Table 1) and a weighted (item score*factor weighting) physical disorder sum score was calculated for each block. Primary predictor: neighborhood physical disorder for 16 schools in Sunset Park, calculated by averaging block scores within a 15-minute walk from the school. Outcome: school-level attendance and percent of students scoring below NY state standards in English/Language Arts (ELA) and Math at 3rd grade, from public data. Covariates: percent English language learners (ELLs) and students eligible for free/reduced price lunch.

Results: Overall, attendance was high (M=92.48%). On average, 10% of the third-graders were not proficient in Math, nearly 25% were not proficient in ELA. Controlling for school-level poverty (M=85%) and percent ELLs (M=38%), multiple regression showed that each unit increase in neighborhood physical disorder was associated with a 6% decrease in attendance (𝛽=-.74, p<.01), and with a 23% and 18% increase in the proportion of third-graders scoring below standard in ELA (𝛽=.51, p<.05) and Math (𝛽=.60, p<.05), respectively (Figure 1).

Conclusion(s): These findings suggest that children living in neighborhoods with more physical disorder may be at a higher risk for missing school and underperforming academically, thereby highlighting the importance of considering neighborhood context in anticipatory guidance and programs in pediatric primary care.

Table 1
Descriptive Statistics, Inter-Rater Agreement, and Factor Loadings for Physical Disorder Indicators

Figure 1
Relations between Neighborhood Physical Disorder and Percent Nonproficiency in ELA and Math at Third Grade (n = 16 schools)