Abstract
Many studies worldwide have demonstrated the negative impact of an unhealthy built environment on citizens. In the case of diabetes, studies have concentrated on the environmental impact and accessibility issues of a place i.e. the home and neighborhood, whereas few studies have addressed the comfort of the type and spatial arrangement of a household and linked it with the prevalence of diabetes. Also, little research has tackled the place’s impact on diabetic patients and their views concerning their environments. This paper demonstrates the outcomes of survey that was carried out on diabetic individuals who usually visit the King Fahd teaching hospital of the University of Dammam, Al-Khober, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The patients were surveyed and physically examined. The present researchers found significant links between patients’ diabetes symptoms such as reported paresthesia and blurred vision, and medical investigations results such as lipid profile, blood glucose and blood pressure with the environmental conditions of their homes and neighborhoods. The paper shows that the prevalence of the disease is not only caused by an unhealthy lifestyle but also by an unhealthy built environment. Moreover, it illustrates that unhealthy built environment promotes unhealthy life styles. It makes recommendations on how to improve the built environment in the KSA to be healthier for all citizens including the diabetic patients.
Highlights
The provision of a healthy built environment became increasingly under focus nowadays as profound links are found between a healthy built environment and healthy lifestyles
This paper demonstrates the outcomes of survey that was carried out on diabetic individuals who usually visit the King Fahd teaching hospital of the University of Dammam, Al-Khober, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
Respondents who live in villas watch TV more frequently than those who live in flats duplexes or other types of dwellings
Summary
The provision of a healthy built environment became increasingly under focus nowadays as profound links are found between a healthy built environment and healthy lifestyles. Barton and Grant (2011) suggested that, nowhere is the critical nature of the relationship between the built environment design, healthy citizens, and lifestyles better illustrated than when considering chronic diseases such as diabetes. In the case of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), certain cultural, environmental, and urban constraints would affect health. The consideration of such factors, would tackle the tragic spread of “unhealthy lifestyles”, and enable the built environment to contribute to the healthy lifestyles of diabetic patients in the KSA and sustain the healthy urban development of towns and cities in the KSA. This research investigates the possible indirect built environment and spatial arrangement impacts on the health of diabetic individuals in the KSA. The field study's results are discussed and linked with previous research studies
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