Perceived Neighborhood Environment Impacts on Health Behavior, Multi-Dimensional Health, and Life Satisfaction

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Jixiang Liu¹  Linchuan Yang³  Longzhu Xiao¹  Zhuolin Tao⁵ 

[1] Department of Urban Planning, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Xiamen University;Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong;Department of Urban and Rural Planning, School of Architecture, Southwest Jiaotong University;Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong;Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University

关键词: perceived neighborhood environment;    health outcome;    life satisfaction;    health behavior;    China;    structural equation modeling;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2022.850923

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The impacts of perceived neighborhood environment on adults' health and life satisfaction have drawn increasing academic attention. However, previous studies usually examine multi-dimensional (physical, mental, and perceived) health and life satisfaction separately, and few studies dealt with them simultaneously. Moreover, limited research revealed the mechanisms behind the effects of perceived neighborhood environment on health and life satisfaction, as well as how such effects are moderated by socio-demographics. Therefore, employing the 2016 China Family Panel Study Dataset and using structural equation modeling, this study delves into the complicated relationships among perceived neighborhood environment, health behavior, health outcomes (i.e., body mass index, self-rated health status, and depression), and life satisfaction. Notably, it considers mediation and moderation simultaneously. It finds: (1) Better perceived neighborhood environment significantly promotes physical activity and reduces sedentary behavior, smoking, and drinking; (2) Health behavior fully mediates the effects of perceived neighborhood environment on health; (3) Perceived neighborhood environment significantly affects life satisfaction both directly and indirectly (through health behavior and health outcomes); (4) Socio-demographics moderate the above relationships. This study disentangles the complicated impacts of perceived neighborhood environment on adults' multi-dimensional health and life satisfaction, thus providing policy makers and practitioners with nuanced knowledge for intervention.

【 授权许可】

CC BY