Yale study: diversity important to health

It’s common knowledge that where people live affects their health.

The idea that economic status, education level and access to health care all factor into people’s wellbeing is now accepted as more or less fact by most.

But a new study led by researchers from Yale University shows that other aspects of where people live could have a bearing on their health — things that might not have been previously associated with wellness, such as racial diversity.

“It seems that where you live matters,” said Dr. Brita Roy, Yale School of Medicine assistant professor of medicine and director of population health. “The goal of this study is determining what matters about where you live.”

Roy is also lead author of the study, which analyzed data from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, a comprehensive, multi-dimesional well-being assessment of more than 350,000 Americans.

After looking at the data, the researchers identified 12 attributes that were strongly associated with well-being.

Some weren’t surprising. For instance, communities with a lower percentage of residents without a high school diploma and a higher percentage with a bachelor’s degree were both associated with a higher well-being.

Also, areas with better access to preventive health services, such as mammograms, had higher levels of well-being.

But some findings surprised researchers, such as the revelation that living in a community with a higher percentage of black residents was associated with greater well-being for all residents.

“That was one of those things where, while I didn’t expect to see it, I was happy to see it,” Roy said.

Other factors associated with better health included a higher percentage of residents commuting by bicycle, using public transportation or working from home.

Roy said the report’s findings are “very relatable” to Connecticut, as “you have areas of higher and lower well-being across the state.”

She pointed to the nonprofit organization Data Haven, which collects and publishes vital statistics on health, wellness and demographic information about Connecticut and its communities.