Figure: Black Adolescents Are More Likely to Flourish in Neighborhoods Featuring Four Key Amenities. Source: Authors’ analysis of 2020-2021 data from the National Survey of Children’s Health
By Mavis Sanders, Jennifer Winston, Shana E. Rochester, Child Trends, February 14, 2023
Our new analysis of 2020-2021 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data shows a statistically significant association between flourishing—a condition of mental well-being associated with positive personal and social functioning—and the availability of neighborhood amenities for Black adolescents (ages 12-17). Based on NSCH parental responses, Black adolescents who live in neighborhoods characterized by the presence of sidewalks/walking paths, recreational centers, parks/playgrounds, and libraries/bookmobiles are more likely to exhibit all three NSCH indicators of flourishing (showing interest and curiosity in learning new things, staying calm and in control when faced with a challenge, and working to finish tasks) than Black adolescents who live in neighborhoods that lack one or more of these amenities (63% and 55%, respectively).
Our results showing the association between neighborhood conditions and Black adolescent flourishing mirror the findings of other researchers who have examined neighborhood conditions and child flourishing while also controlling for economic hardship, race, biological sex, and child global health. These findings suggest that neighborhoods are important contexts for implementing and evaluating interventions to achieve societal goals for adolescent well-being. The findings also add to the growing body of research on factors such as family connections that have been associated with different measures of adolescent flourishing. The emergent research on child flourishing holds promise for identifying and deepening our understanding of malleable conditions that can maximize youth outcomes.
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