Presenting Author: Brent A. Langellier, PhD, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health

ABSTRACT

Background: Philadelphia has a 311 hotline for residents to request city services. Similar data have been used to assess neighborhood physical disorder. 311 data have high potential for characterizing dimensions of neighborhoods that influence health (e.g., disorder, neighborhood social capital).

Objectives: To use Philadelphia’s 311 database to develop a measure of neighborhood disorder and calibrate against an objective measure of neighborhood disorder assessed via Google Maps Street View. To assess whether the disorder measure derived from 311 data is associated with health outcomes of Philadelphia residents.

Methods: 311 data records since December 2014 are available via the Philadelphia’s open data portal. Street View disorder has been assessed by researchers from Columbia University’s CANVAS-Street View project. Neighborhood social capital and health of Philadelphia residents are measured via the 2015 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey. We will conduct an exploratory factor analysis to identify categories of 311 calls (e.g., graffiti removal) that can be used to develop a tract-level indicator of disorder. We will calibrate the indicator against the Street View disorder data and develop an “adjustment factor” that represents the difference between the 311-based disorder measure and the Street View measure. We will assess associations between the disorder measures, the adjustment factor, neighborhood social capital, and health outcomes of Philadelphia residents.

Results: All data have been collected and analyses should be completed in the first half of the summer.

Implications: 311 data are continuously updated and easily accessible, and can be used to inform geographically-targeted health interventions.

Author: Brent A. Langellier, PhD