Community built environment and the associated ischemic heart disease risk: Evidence from multi-source data in Wuhan, China

Abstract

IntroductionTheories of epidemiological transition remind the emerging challenge of major non-communicable diseases, among which ischemic heart disease (IHD) has been one of the primary global public health issues. However, the influences of built environment (BE) factors on IHD risk have not been fully investigated. Therefore, there is a need to validate the association between community BEs and IHD risk. MethodMulti-source data aggregated in 1025 communities in Wuhan, China, were adopted to explore the related BE-health nexus. A rich variety of BE factors on the community level, including community attributes, urban form and configuration, facilities, landscape, and location, were systematically employed for modeling with the advanced Bayesian conditional autoregressive model. ResultThe influences of a series of community BEs on IHD risk were identified. Among them, proportion of seniors, FAR, and distance to public transportation, presented positive association with IHD risk, whereas communities with open space ratio, greenness, healthy food accessibility, and sport facilities, presented lower IHD risk. ConclusionBy combining advanced methods and multi-source data, this study deepened the understanding of the multiplicity of health-related BEs on IHD risk. Based on the findings, the idea of planning as a tool for proactive health intervention was emphasized along with specific planning strategies for optimizing resource allocation and promoting healthy development. This study contributed to the existing literature by not only validating important factors but also enriching classic theories and global experience.