Stepping towards causation in studies of neighborhood and environmental effects: How twin research can overcome problems of selection and reverse causation

Glen E Duncan; Brianna Mills; Eric Strachan; Philip Hurvitz; Ruizhu Huang; Anne Vernez Moudon; Eric Turkheimer

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.02.008

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Stepping towards causation in studies of neighborhood and environmental effects: How twin research can overcome problems of selection and reverse causation

Journal article

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Stepping towards causation in studies of neighborhood and environmental effects: How twin research can overcome problems of selection and reverse causation

Glen E Duncan, Brianna Mills, Eric Strachan, Philip Hurvitz, Ruizhu Huang, Anne Vernez Moudon and Eric Turkheimer

Health & place, Vol.27, pp.106-111

05/2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.02.008

Handle:

https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100526

PMCID: PMC4004691

PMID: 24594837

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.02.008View

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Abstract

Social and built environments

Twin studies

Causality

Lifestyle risk reduction

Environment design

No causal evidence is available to translate associations between neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes into beneficial changes to built environments. Observed associations may be causal or result from uncontrolled confounds related to family upbringing. Twin designs can help neighborhood effects studies overcome selection and reverse causation problems in specifying causal mechanisms. Beyond quantifying genetic effects (i.e., heritability coefficients), we provide examples of innovative measures and analytic methods that use twins as quasi-experimental controls for confounding by environmental effects. We conclude that collaboration among investigators from multiple fields can move the field forward by designing studies that step toward causation.

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Title: Stepping towards causation in studies of neighborhood and environmental effects: How twin research can overcome problems of selection and reverse causation
Creators: Glen E Duncan - Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Brianna Mills - Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Eric Strachan - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Philip Hurvitz - Department of Urban Design and Planning, Urban Form Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Ruizhu Huang - Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Urban Design and Planning, Urban Form Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Anne Vernez Moudon - Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Eric Turkheimer - Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
Publication Details: Health & place, Vol.27, pp.106-111
Academic Unit: Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Department of
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Identifiers: 99900546792501842
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article