Neighborhood stressors and cardiovascular health: Crime and C-reactive protein in Dallas, USA

We apply neighborhood-based theories of social organization and environmental stress to examine variation in a key indicator of inflammation-related cardiovascular risk—C-reactive protein (CRP). Specifically, we emphasize the potentially health-compromising role of rapid increases in the crime rate or “crime spikes” (focusing on a particularly fear-inducing crime – burglary). We also consider the extent to which the magnitude and significance of the association between burglary rate change and inflammatory processes varies by gender. Data on CRP, neighborhood of residence, and individual-level characteristics for adult women and men ages 30–65 are drawn from the 2000–2002 Dallas Heart Study. Results from neighborhood fixed effects models using piecewise linear splines to estimate short-term burglary rate change effects offer support for the hypothesis that crime spikes are associated with CRP. Specifically, we find that short-term burglary rate change is independently associated with CRP for men. Short-term burglary rate change was not associated with CRP for women. These findings shed light on the contextual processes that influence cardiovascular health and point to the potentially important role of short-term changes in environmental stressors in shaping health outcomes.

► We examine the link between crime spikes (short-term changes) and C-reactive protein (CRP).
► Crime spikes in local residential areas are hypothesized to influence health-related stress.
► Crime spikes (over two six month intervals) are associated with CRP for men, but not women.
►  Longer-term changes in the prior-year burglary rate are associated with CRP for women, but not men.