Cross-sectional associations of neighborhood social and environmental contextual factors with telomere length in male and female health professionals.

Background: Telomere length attrition has been proposed as a mediator through which adverse neighborhood social and environmental context affects cancer risk through stress-related pathways, but associations have been inconsistent. We examined associations between neighborhood social and environmental factors in a population with extensive capture of behavioral factors and comorbidities.

Methods: Data were pooled from nested case-control studies using blood samples collected in two large prospective US-based cohorts of male (n=3065) and female (n=9993) health professionals. Relative leukocyte telomere length (rLTL) was assayed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and geospatial measures of socioeconomic status, air pollution, green space, and temperature were linked to participants' address at blood draw.

Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle covariates, no statistically significant associations of rLTL with any of the address-level neighborhood socioeconomic or environmental factors were observed.

Conclusions: In this large nation-wide cross-sectional study of male and female health professionals in the US, neighborhood social and environmental contextual factors were not associated with telomere length.

Impact: Further cross-sectional studies of associations between neighborhood social and environmental factors and telomere length are unlikely to improve understanding of this potential mediating mechanism. Studies with repeated measures may be required.