Neighbourhood deprivation effects on body-mass index across the life course: structural equation modelling of data from two prospective British longitudinal birth cohorts

BackgroundLiving in a more deprived area is associated with worse health, at any stage of life. We aimed to improve understanding of how our health is related to our neighbourhood by using structural equation modelling to evaluate two conceptual frameworks: (1) the neighbourhood effect, in which area deprivation directly affects individuals’ health; and (2) health selection, in which people sort themselves into neighbourhoods over time by...