TABLE 2.
Built Environment Characteristics by Quartile of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status (SES): California Teachers Study, 1995–1996
| SES |
|||
| Characteristic | Low, 1st to 3rd Quartiles (n = 63 235) | High, 4th Quartile (n = 54 591) | Pa |
| Area of residence, no. (%) | < .001 | ||
| Rural | 11 952 (18.9) | 2194 (4.0) | |
| Small Town | 3779 (6.0) | 296 (0.5) | |
| City | 14 086 (22.3) | 7686 (14.1) | |
| Suburban | 25 824 (40.8) | 39 747 (72.8) | |
| Urban | 7594 (12.0) | 4668 (8.6) | |
| Population density quartiles,b no. (%) | < .001 | ||
| 0.00000–0.00086 people/m2 | 16 906 (26.7) | 12 423 (22.8) | |
| 0.00087–0.00191 people/m2 | 12 090 (19.1) | 17 383 (31.8) | |
| 0.00192–0.00298 people/m2 | 15481 (24.5) | 14 034 (25.7) | |
| 0.00299–0.06676 people/m2 | 18 758 (29.7) | 10 751 (19.7) | |
| Housing density,b %, mean ±SD | |||
| Crowding: occupied households with ≥ 1 person/room | 10.3 (10.4) | 3.0 (3.5) | < .001 |
| Nonsingle family housing units | 27.2 (25.6) | 17.3 (23.6) | < .001 |
| Housing structures with ≥ 10 units | 10.9 (16.7) | 8.9 (16.3) | < .001 |
| Street connectivity,c mean (SD) | < .001 | ||
| γ: ratio of streets/possible intersections | 0.44 (0.05) | 0.42 (0.05) | < .001 |
| α: ratio of loops/possible loops | 0.16 (0.07) | 0.13 (0.07) | < .001 |
| Median area of street blocks, sq ft | 577 427 (1 539 695) | 366 702 (667 541) | < .001 |
| Median length of street blocks, ft | 2944.4 (1913.4) | 2720.6 (991.9) | < .001 |
| Commuting characteristics,a %, mean (SD) | < .001 | ||
| Car/motorcycle | 89.6 (8.2) | 88.4 (8.4) | < .001 |
| Public transportation | 3.0 (5.2) | 2.9 (5.0) | .193 |
| Walking or bicycle | 2.9 (4.4) | 2.1 (3.8) | < .001 |
| Other means | 0.7 (1.2) | 0.5 (0.9) | < .001 |
| Working at home | 3.9 (3.4) | 6.0 (4.0) | < .001 |
| < 30 min | 63.9 (14.4) | 61.4 (14.0) | < .001 |
| 30–44 min | 18.6 (8.7) | 20.6 (8.4) | < .001 |
| 45–59 min | 7.6 (5.3) | 8.6 (5.5) | < .001 |
| ≥ 60 min | 9.9 (7.3) | 9.5 (6.3) | < .001 |
| No. of specific neighborhood amenities within 1600 m from address, mean (SD) | |||
| Social capital | 4.8 (8.4) | 5.8 (9.9) | < .001 |
| Beer, wine, and liquor stores | 2.7 (3.5) | 2.2 (3.1) | < .001 |
| Recreation facilities | 3.6 (3.8) | 4.2 (4.3) | < .001 |
| Retail stores | 14.3 (17.6) | 15.2 (18.4) | < .001 |
| Gasoline stations | 2.7 (2.6) | 2.3 (2.4) | < .001 |
| Convenience stores | 1.6 (1.7) | 1.0 (1.3) | < .001 |
| Restaurants and eating places | 33.0 (46.3) | 32.1 (45.5) | < .001 |
| Specialty food stores | 3.7 (6.2) | 3.3 (5.6) | < .001 |
| Bars | 2.1 (5.6) | 1.6 (5.2) | < .001 |
| Parking lots and garages | < 0.1 (0.2) | 0.1 (0.3) | < .001 |
| Supermarkets and other grocery stores | 5.8 (9.3) | 4.0 (7.5) | < .001 |
| Desirable amenitiesd | 8.4 (11.4) | 10.0 (13.0) | < .001 |
| Undesirable amenitiese | 7.1 (6.4) | 5.5 (5.6) | < .001 |
| Total destinations | 74.4 (96.2) | 71.8 (94.2) | < .001 |
Note. SES = socioeconomic status.
T-tests and χ2 statistics were used, where appropriate, to test for differences by SES categories.
Based on 2000 US Census block group data.
Based on 2000 US Census tract data.
Desirable amenities included social capital (museums, historical sites, and similar institutions; theaters; associations; performing arts; spectator sports) and recreation (golf courses and country clubs, skiing facilities, marinas, fitness and recreational sports centers, bowling centers, and other amusement and recreation industries).
Undesirable amenities included beer, wine, and liquor stores; gasoline stations; and convenience stores.