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. 2022 Jan 26;19(3):1392.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031392.

Spatial Differences in the Effect of Communities' Built Environment on Residents' Health: A Case Study in Wuhan, China

Man Yuan  1 , Haolan Pan  1 , Zhuoran Shan  1 , Da Feng  2
Affiliations

Spatial Differences in the Effect of Communities' Built Environment on Residents' Health: A Case Study in Wuhan, China

Man Yuan et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

After 40 years of reform and opening-up policies, urbanization in China has significantly improved residents' living standards; however, simultaneously, it has caused a series of health problems among Chinese citizens. Communities' built environment is closely related to their residents' health. However, few studies have examined the spatial differences in the health effects of community-built environments. Based on a 2013 health survey of residents in 20 communities in Wuhan, this study uses multilevel linear models to explore the effects of the built environment on residents' health, analyzing the differences in its health-effect within different types of communities. The results showed that there were significant differences in the self-rated health status of residents in different communities, with those in high-end communities reporting a higher self-rated health status. The effect of the built environment on the health of residents in different communities was found to be inconsistent. For instance, the effect of the built environment on low-end community residents was very significant, but it was not obvious for residents in high-end communities. There are significant community-specific differences in the health- effect of the built environment: in high-end communities, residents' health status was mainly restricted by travel accessibility, while in low-end communities, residents' health status was mainly restricted by the accessibility of health facilities. Therefore, this paper proposes a built-environment optimization strategy for different types of communities to provide valuable insights for healthy community planning from a policy perspective.

Keywords: built environment; community; healthy city; spatial differences.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of case communities.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Research framework of the influence of personal attributes and community environment on residents’ self-rated health status.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Community differences in the impact of a community-built environment on health status.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Complete residential community and 15-min living circle (Based on the Complete Residential Community Guide).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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