Healthier Hearts Found in Tight-Knit Neighborhoods
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — If you’ve lived in a neighborhood for a while, chances are that you take your neighbors for granted. Well, you shouldn’t, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal, because the folks from your community may be helping your heart health.
Researchers surveyed more than 5,000 volunteers in the U.S. who reported no health problems, asking them a variety of questions over four years about their relationships with their neighbors.
During that time period, 148 people reported suffering a heart attack. Using the information collected from the survey, the researchers determined that those participants who reported positive experiences with neighbors were 17 percent less likely to have a heart attack than those who didn’t feel as friendly or trusting of others.
The study seems to dispel other findings that have shown people put their health at risk by living in neighborhoods where there is a preponderance of fast food restaurants, violence, drug use and noise.
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