Neighborhood Built Environments and Health in Later Life: A Literature Review.

This literature review aims to assess the current state of the field linking neighborhood environments to later-life health and wellbeing. We used electronic databases (e.g., PubMed, Google Scholar, and ProQuest) to search for studies published between 2010 and 2022 examining associations between neighborhood built environmental variables and later-life physical, cognitive, mental, and social health outcomes. Among 168 studies reviewed, the majority were quantitative ( = 144) and cross-sectional ( = 122). Neighborhood environmental variables significantly associated with later-life health outcomes included population density/rurality, walkability/street connectivity, access to services and amenities, neighborhood quality and disorder, and parks/green/blue/open space. Neighborhoods operated through behavioral and biological pathways including hazardous exposures, affective states (e.g., stress and restoration), and lifestyle (e.g., exercise, socialization, and diet). Neighborhoods and healthy aging research is a burgeoning interdisciplinary and international area of scholarship. Findings can inform upstream community interventions and strengthen clinical care.