Dimensions of the Social Environment: Employment

Overview

Employment in residential areas has been among the considered factors in research on context and health. Adverse outcomes have generally been found to be associated with higher community levels of unemployment (Guest and Almgren and Hussey 1998; LeClere and Rogers and Peters 1998), as well as with larger proportions of employed residents working at lower social class occupations (Armstrong et al. 1998; Cubbin and LeClere and Smith 2000). Unemployment rates and occupational status measures are also frequently combined with other indicators of areal deprivation, including median income, car ownership, education level, and overcrowded housing, to form summary measures that are associated with poorer health (e.g., Townsend and Phillimore and Beattie 1988; Carstairs and Morris 1989).

In addition to the usual employment indicators, we include a number of other measures. Looking at characteristics of the workforce, for example, along with the area business capacity and the geography of job growth would facilitate assessment of job access, as well as the degree of spatial “mismatch,” that may adversely affect the employment opportunities of central city residents (Holzer 1991; Mouw 2000). Racial, gender–based, and anti-gay discrimination also limit access to employment and can cause stress–related consequences for health (Williams 1999; Krieger and Sidney 1997; Yen et al. 1999). The occupational safety regulations and policies are in place and enforced is likely to influence the frequency and severity of work–related injuries (McQuiston and Zakocs and Loomis 1998), while aspects of job quality, including wage equity, family–friendly policies, and demand/control characteristics of jobs, can reduce or exacerbate job–related stress and its sequelae (Cheng et al. 2000; de Jonge et al. 2000; A. L. Saltzstein and Ting and G.H. Saltzstein 2001). The presence of labor unions is also associated with more optimal working conditions and employee compensation (Hirsch and Macpherson 2001).

This table describes the components and indicators of the employment dimension.  Seven employment components are identified:

1. Employment/Unemployment Rates
2. Workforce Characteristics
3. Area Business Capacity
4. Job Access
5. Occupational Safety
6. Job Quality
7. Job Characteristics

Within each component, several indicators are identified, and for each indicator at least one data set is listed.

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Date last reviewed: 12/07/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion