IN-PERSON London. Section B

Abstract

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Background: Social isolation is highly prevalent in adolescence and is associated with negative health outcomes, including mental health. There is currently a gap in the evidence around how social isolation and social support during adolescence interact with place-based factors and the wider built environment. High streets, traditionally the heart of urban communities, offer unique settings for social engagement and community integration. This study aims to gain mechanistic insights into the relevance of proximity and diversity of high street land uses to adolescent social isolation and social support. Methods: We analysed data on participants in the Millennium Cohort Study; a nationally representative UK longitudinal birth cohort (n=5,582). Using participants’ postcode centroid at age 14 to estimate their residential location, we measured proximity to high streets by calculating the shortest path from residential location through the street network to the nearest high street. High street diversity was measured with land use mix. Our main outcome was social isolation, captured at age 17, measured using i) frequency of various social activities and ii) contact with friends. We also captured perceived social support. We used a multilevel regression framework to account for neighbourhood clustering. Results: Our study revealed no significant associations between proximity to high streets or diversity of closest high streets with the frequency of various social activities, contact with friends or perceived social support among adolescents. Conclusion: Our findings may indicate that proximity to and land use diversity of high streets are not critical for participation in social activities, social contact and perceived support in this age group in Britain. Further research to elucidate which places are important for socialising in young people and how high street areas are accessed by young people is warranted.