The Effects of Urban Neighborhood Environmental Evaluation and Health Service Facilities on Residents' Self-Rated Physical and Mental Health: A Comparative and Empirical Survey.

Abstract

(1) Background: The neighborhood environment has been shown to be an essential factor affecting residents’ quality of life and health, but the relationship between the characteristics of health service facilities and health levels is rarely known. (2) Methods: This study used a representative sample (n = 591, 303 women; 288 men, age 18–85 years, lived in Chengdu for an extensive time) of residents living in Chengdu City, China, and took spatial point data and empirical research data to construct an ordered logistic regression model. We contrastively analyzed the influence of different variables in the neighborhood environment and health service facilities on self-rated physical health (SRPH) and self-rated mental health (SRMH). (3) Results: The frequency of use and accessibility of multiple facilities in the health service facilities were significantly associated with self-rated health (SRH). Significant differences occurred between residents’ perceived accessibility and actual accessibility of facilities in SRH. Comparing the results of SRPH and SRMH revealed that the influencing factors that affect the two vary. The factors that significantly affect SRMH include neighborhood physical environment evaluation; social environmental evaluation; the frequency of use of the parks and squares, and sports zones; and the accessibility of parks and squares, specialized hospitals, community hospitals, and pharmacies. However, the factors that significantly affect SRPH include the frequency of use of sports venues, general hospitals, and pharmacies and the accessibility of general hospitals. The social environment of the neighborhood is also a non-negligible part, and its interaction with the physical environment of the neighborhood affects the outcome of SRH. (4) Conclusions: Neighborhood environmental characteristics and the layout of health service facilities have significant differential effects on people’s physical and psychological health, and this information is of great value in promoting healthy city development and improving the quality of life of urban populations around the world.