HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Good Neighbors Good for Your Heart

There's no place like home, it would seem, with regard to cardiovascular health. New research suggests that living in an inclusive neighborhood with helpful and friendly neighbors could reduce the risk of heart attack. A study conducted by a team from the University of Michigan has been published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, examining the potential health-enhancing effects that the positive characteristics of local neighborhoods could have on the people living there. The authors say there has been a growing body of research finding that positive neighborhood characteristics, such as perceived social cohesion, are associated with positive health outcomes: better health behaviors, mental health and physical health.