Health-related quality of life and perceptions of neighborhood physical and social environment in Tehran, Iran

Abstract

ABSTRACT In light of rapid global urbanization and development, planners have become more concerned with the quality of life in cities. However, the perceptual connections between the built environment and resident well-being deserve more systematic attention. This study investigates the relationship between the perceived physical and social features of the neighborhood environment and the health-related quality of life for 393 adult residents in Tehran, Iran. A questionnaire was developed to examine participants’ perceptions of neighborhood social and physical factors, along with the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life – Brief Form (WHOQOL – BREF) to measure their health-related quality of life. Using factor analysis, correlations, and multiple linear regressions, the findings suggest that all subcomponents of the physical environment (accessibility, amenity, and legibility) and social environment (participation, sense of community, and satisfaction) impact psychological, social relationships, and environmental health, but that amenities were most powerfully predictive of all three types of socio-environmental health.