Exploring the Relationship Between Neighborhood-Built Environment and Elderly Health: A Research Based on Heterogeneity of Age and Gender Groups in Beijing

Gender differences in the subjective wellbeing of the older adults and the determinant factors: a case study of Nanjing

Objective

This paper aims to examine the gendered differences in the subjective wellbeing of older adults and underlying determinant factors which contribute to these differences in China where the unique social and cultural systems, the consequent concept of filial piety and the perceptions towards different living arrangements in later life provide an excellent laboratory for studying the topic.

Methods

Hierarchical linear models are employed to analyze the impacts of household structure and built environment on the subjective wellbeing of older adults based on a survey conducted in Nanjing in 2021.

Results

There are significant gender differences in the subjective wellbeing of older adults, with older women reporting higher levels of subjective wellbeing (4.95 vs.4.69). Gender differences also exist in how the built environment affects the subjective wellbeing of older adults, with a greater impact on older adult women (33.68% vs. 28.50%). Household structure impacts the subjective wellbeing of older adults through the division of housework and the company of family members.

Conclusion

There are three major mechanisms through which gender affects the subjective wellbeing of older adults, including structural mechanisms, socio-cultural mechanisms, and physiological mechanisms. Targeted environmental interventions and urban planning policies are recommended to promote the subjective wellbeing of older adults.

Neighborhood Built Environments and Health in Later Life: A Literature Review

Objectives: This literature review aims to assess the current state of the field linking neighborhood environments to later-life health and wellbeing. Methods: We used electronic databases (e.g., PubMed, Google Scholar, and ProQuest) to search for studies published between 2010 and 2022 examining associations between neighborhood built environmental variables and later-life physical, cognitive, mental, and social health outcomes. Results: Among 168 studies reviewed, the majority were quantitative (n = 144) and cross-sectional (n = 122). Neighborhood environmental variables significantly associated with later-life health outcomes included population density/rurality, walkability/street connectivity, access to services and amenities, neighborhood quality and disorder, and parks/green/blue/open space. Neighborhoods operated through behavioral and biological pathways including hazardous exposures, affective states (e.g., stress and restoration), and lifestyle (e.g., exercise, socialization, and diet). Discussion: Neighborhoods and healthy aging research is a burgeoning interdisciplinary and international area of scholarship. Findings can inform upstream community interventions and strengthen clinical care.

Classification of Regional Healthy Environment and Public Health in China

Environmental pollution has become a hot topic of concern for the government, academia and the public. The evaluation of environmental health should not only relate to environmental quality and exposure channels but also the level of economic development, social environmental protection responsibility and public awareness. We put forward the concept of the "healthy environment" and introduced 27 environmental indicators to evaluate and classify the healthy environment of 31 provinces and cities in China. Seven common factors were extracted and divided into economic, medical, ecological and humanistic environment factors. Based on the four environmental factors, we classify the healthy environment into five categories-economic leading healthy environment, robust healthy environment, developmental healthy environment, economic and medical disadvantageous healthy environment and completely disadvantageous healthy environment. The population health differences among the five healthy environment categories show that economic environment plays a major role in population health. Public health in regions with sound economic environment is significantly better than that in other areas. Our classification result of healthy environment can provide scientific support for optimizing environmental countermeasures and realizing environmental protection.

Nonlinear Effects of the Neighborhood Environments on Residents' Mental Health

In the context of rapid urbanization and the "Healthy China" strategy, neighborhood environments play an important role in improving mental health among urban residents. While an increasing number of studies have explored the linear relationships between neighborhood environments and mental health, much remains to be revealed about the nonlinear health effects of neighborhood environments, the thresholds of various environmental factors, and the optimal environmental exposure levels for residents. To fill these gaps, this paper collected survey data from 1003 adult residents in Guangzhou, China, and measured the built and social environments within the neighborhoods. The random forest model was then employed to examine the nonlinear effects of neighborhood environments on mental health, evaluate the importance of each environmental variable, as well as identify the thresholds and optimal levels of various environmental factors. The results indicated that there are differences in the importance of diverse neighborhood environmental factors affecting mental health, and the more critical environmental factors included greenness, neighborhood communication, and fitness facility density. The nonlinear effects were shown to be universal and varied among neighborhood environmental factors, which could be classified into two categories: (i) higher exposure levels of some environmental factors (e.g., greenness, neighborhood communication, and neighborhood safety) were associated with better mental health; (ii) appropriate exposure levels of some environmental factors (e.g., medical, fitness, and entertainment facilities, and public transport stations) had positive effects on mental health, whereas a much higher or lower exposure level exerted a negative impact. Additionally, this study identified the exact thresholds and optimal exposure levels of neighborhood environmental factors, such as the threshold (22.00%) and optimal exposure level (>22.00%) of greenness and the threshold (3.80 number/km²) and optimal exposure level (3.80 number/km²) of fitness facility density.

How Do Different Urban Footpath Environments Affect the Jogging Preferences of Residents of Different Genders? Empirical Research Based on Trajectory Data

In recent years, the impact of the urban environment on residents' physical activity (PA) has received extensive attention, but whether this impact has differences in the jogging preferences of residents in different footpath environments and different genders requires further research. Therefore, based on jogging trajectory data, this paper uses the grouping multiple linear regression model to study the different influencing factors of different footpath environments on the jogging of residents of different genders. The results show that (1) jogging activities (JA) were mainly concentrated in the community footpath environment, and its peak was reached at night; (2) the rise and fall of elements in built environments, social environments, and natural environments significantly affected the relative jogging distance of residents; (3) Residential land density (RLD) has a positive impact on the JA of community and green land footpaths and has a negative impact on the JA of urban footpaths. However, arterial road density (ARD) and bus distance density (BDD) have opposite significant effects on the JA of communities and green land footpaths; (4) ARD has the significant opposite effect on the JA for residents of different genders on urban footpaths and community footpaths. Facilities diversity (FD), population density (PD), and bus stop density (BSD) also had significant opposite effects on the JA of residents of different genders on green land footpaths. In general, we put forward a method theory to identify the footpath environment and provide references for improving the layout and construction of different gender residents for different footpath environment elements.

Intergenerational differences in the urban vibrancy of TOD: Impacts of the built environment on the activities of different age groups

Transit-oriented development (TOD) has been regarded as an effective way to improve urban vibrancy and facilitate affordable, equitable, and livable communities in metro station areas (MSAs). Previous studies placed great attention on the interplay between the MSA-level built environment and overall human activities while neglecting the heterogeneity among different age groups. To address this gap, we leverage the mobile phone signaling data to quantify the spatio-temporal distribution of the MSA-level human activities among different age groups as measured by the vibrancy index (VI). Furthermore, we investigate the impact of the MSA-level built environment on the VI and its intergenerational differences by employing multiple linear regressions based on multi-sourced data. To this end, Chengdu-a TOD-thriving megacity in China-is chosen as a case study. The results indicate that: (1) Residential and bus stop density are positively associated with the VI. And the magnitudes of the correlation coefficients are similar among different age groups. (2) Distance to CBD is negatively associated with the VI of teenagers (12-18 years), middle-aged adults (40-59 years), and older adults (above 60 years) but unrelated to the VI of young adults (19-39 years). (3) Employment density is positively associated with the VI of young and middle-aged adults but insignificantly associated with the VI of teenagers and older adults. (4) The correlations between the floor area ratio and the VI are positive for all age groups. As age increases, the significance of such correlations becomes more pronounced. (5) Streetscape greenery shows a more significant positive correlation with the VI of teenagers and older adults as compared to those of young and middle-aged adults. (6) Significant negative correlations exist between housing price and the VI of different age groups. The findings can inform the development and design of vibrant TOD communities.

Spatially varying associations between the built environment and older adults' propensity to walk

Population aging has become a severe issue facing most nations and areas worldwide-with Hong Kong being no exception. For older adults, walking is among the most well-liked travel modes, boosting their overall health and wellbeing. Some studies have confirmed that the built environment has a significant (spatially fixed) influence on older adults' walking behavior. However, little consideration has been given to the potential spatial heterogeneity in such influences. Hence, this study extracted data on older adults' (outdoor) walking behavior from the 2011 Hong Kong Travel Characteristics Survey and measured a series of built environment attributes based on geo-data (e.g., Google Street View imagery). Logistic regression and geographically weighted logistic regression models were developed to unveil the complicated (including spatially fixed and heterogeneous) association between the built environment and older adults' propensity to walk. We show that population density, land-use mix, street greenery, and access to bus stops are positively connected with the propensity to walk of older adults. Intersection density seems to impact walking propensity insignificantly. All built environment attributes have spatially heterogeneous effects on older adults' walking behavior. The percentage of deviance explained is heterogeneously distributed across space.