Residential Area Characteristics Research Articles

Residential Area Characteristics Are Associated With Asthma Burden in Children.

Wheezing illnesses, especially those triggered by rhinovirus infection, cause a major disease burden, and they often precede asthma. Environmental exposures are known to affect recurrence of wheezing. We investigated the relations of population density, greenness (forested areas), and socioeconomic factors of the living surroundings to the burden of asthma in children with prior bronchiolitis. Three hundred and ninety-four children, aged 0-24 months, with doctor-diagnosed bronchiolitis were enrolled in the MARC-30 Finland study. We assessed the children's early-life exposures to greenness and socioeconomic factors using time-series of Corine Land Cover data and Statistics Finland's grid data. We compared the living surroundings data to the prescription drug purchases and special asthma reimbursement benefits until the age 8 years; asthma data were from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Children living in sparsely populated areas had lighter asthma disease burden than children living in densely populated ones, with burden measured in median bronchodilator (50DDD [defined daily dose] vs. 104DDD, p = 0.02) and inhaled corticosteroid (0DDD vs. 123DDD, p = 0.04) purchases. In the subgroup of children with rhinovirus-induced bronchiolitis, children living in more forested areas developed asthma 10 months later than those with less forested areas (p = 0.04). Neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics were not associated with differences in asthma burden. Sparsely populated areas and forested environments seem to have a beneficial association with children's respiratory health. These findings warrant further studies on the protective health effects of greenness and the type of biodiversity around homes.

Mental health and environmental factors in adults: A population-based network analysis.

Few studies have assessed the multifactorial nature of environmental influences on population mental health. In this large-scale, population-based study of adults, we applied network analysis to study the relationship between environmental factors and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and well-being. We estimated networks with overall mental health nodes and individual symptoms to assess both broad and fine-grained associations between environmental factors and mental health. Finally, we conducted an out-of-sample replication in an independent large-scale sample to assess the robustness of our results. Across 31,000 adults randomly sampled from the Norwegian population, we identified associations between numerous environmental characteristics and mental health. Recent discrimination and unsupportive social environments were strongly associated with lower population well-being and higher levels of mental illness symptoms, respectively. The most strongly connected variables in the networks were environmental factors, including perceived problems with crime, violence, or vandalism in the residential area, worrying about violence or threats when outside, and problems with noise or contamination at home. Substantial variation in population mental health was explained by environmental factors included in the networks. Replicability of the results was excellent and suggestive of strong robustness of the results across samples. Our findings are indicative of the importance of environmental factors, such as the social environment, housing satisfaction, and residential area characteristics, for multiple aspects of population mental health. We identify several environmental factors that represent potentially useful targets for future studies and public health efforts seeking to improve mental health in the general population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effect of E-Warong Accessibility on Household Consumption

BPNT/Sembako is a social assistance program provided by the government to improve the welfare of people experiencing poverty by providing food with balanced nutrition and providing choice and control over food. BPNT/Sembako uses e-wrong as the only distribution. Households must come to e-wrong with a KKS. Because e-wrong is the only place for distribution, e-wrong is very important, including the distance of the e-wrong from the location of the beneficiary. However, e-wrong still has a limited distribution. The purpose of this study is to generally investigate the effectiveness of the e-wrong program and specifically investigate the effect of e-wrong accessibility on household consumption, especially rice consumption, taking into account aspects of price and quality of rice, characteristics of other consumer goods, household characteristics, residential area characteristics, local government assistance, and consumption motivation. This study uses 4-month panel data (November 2019-February 2020) of BPNT/Sembako recipients in the March 2020 Susenas and the random effects (RE) approach. The results of the study show that the accessibility of e-warong has a significant effect on household consumption (rice consumption). The farther the e-warong is, the higher the consumption of rice.

European Green Deal: Justification of the Relationships between the Functional Indicators of Bioenergy Production Systems Using Organic Residential Waste Based on the Analysis of the State of Theory and Practice

Based on the analysis conducted on the state of theory and practice, the expediency of assessing the relationships between the functional indicators of bioenergy production systems using the organic waste of residential areas is substantiated in the projects of the European Green Deal. It is based on the use of existing results published in scientific works, as well as on the use of methods of system analysis and mathematical modeling. The proposed approach avoids limitations associated with the one-sidedness of sources or subjectivity of data and also ensures complete consideration of various factors affecting the functional indicators of the bioenergy production system from the organic waste of residential areas. Four types of organic waste generated within the territory of residential areas are considered. In our work, we used passive experimental methods to collect data on the functional characteristics of bioenergy production systems, mathematical statistics methods to process and interpret trends in the functional characteristics of bioenergy production systems using municipal organic waste, and mathematical modeling methods to develop mathematical models that reflect the patterns of change in the functional characteristics of bioenergy production systems. The results indicate the presence of dependencies with close correlations. The resulting dependencies can be used to optimize processes and increase the efficiency of bioenergy production. It was found that: (1) yard waste has the highest volume of the total volume of solid organic substances but has a low yield of biogas and low share of methane production; (2) food waste has the highest yield of biogas and, accordingly, the highest share of methane production; (3) mixed organic waste has the lowest volume of the total volume of solid organic substances and the lowest content of volatile organic substances. The amount of electricity and thermal energy production varies by type of organic waste, with mixed organic waste having a higher average amount of electricity production compared to other types of waste. It was established that the production volume of the solid fraction (biofertilizer) is also different for different types of organic waste. Less solid fraction is produced from food waste than from yard waste. The obtained research results are of practical importance for the development of sustainable bioenergy production from organic waste in residential areas during the implementation of the European Green Deal projects. They provide further research on the development of effective models for determining the rational configuration of bioenergy production systems using organic waste for given characteristics of residential areas.

Impact of Residential Area Characteristics and Political Group Participation on Depression Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Results of an 11-Year Longitudinal Study.

The claim that political group attendance is associated with poor mental health among older adults may be conditioned on geographic conditions. This study examined the geographical context in which political group participation may be associated with depression. The 11-year follow-up data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging, covering 5,334 persons aged ≥50 years, were analyzed using random-effects panel logit models. Depression was assessed using 10 items on the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Participants were asked to indicate whether they belonged to different social groups. We modeled depression as a function of political group participation (the independent variable) and geographical region (moderators), adjusting for individual-level characteristics. Respondents in political groups were more likely to report depression than those in nonpolitical groups (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34-2.68). Between urban and rural settlements, there were no statistically significant differences in mental health outcomes among older adults engaged in political groups (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 0.81-3.67). For those who remained politically engaged, living in areas with lower levels of electoral competition was associated with a lower likelihood of depression (AOR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.86-0.98); this conditional effect was not prevalent among those who were solely engaged in nonpolitical groups (AOR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.99-1.03). Political group participation is associated with poor mental health among older adults living in politically competitive regions.

Pneumococcal vaccination coverage and vaccination-related factors among older adults in Japan: LIFE Study

PurposeTo investigate individual and environmental vaccination-related factors among the older adults in Japan, using administrative data. MethodsWe conducted a cohort study and included people who reached the relevant age (≥65 years) for routine pneumococcal vaccination of older adults between April 2015 and March 2020. Monthly data of residents in the two municipalities from April 2014 to March 2020 and vaccination records from April 2015 to March 2020 were used. We defined five cohorts according to the year in which routine vaccinations were available. Each cohort was followed for a total of two years, with the first year being the “baseline period” and second year being the “vaccine follow-up period.” Pneumococcal vaccination data was extracted from vaccination records at “first dose.” Age, sex, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, hospital visit history, hospitalization history, Specific Health Check-ups participation, and information on contracted hospitals for pneumococcal vaccination were used as covariates. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to investigate the relationship between pneumococcal vaccination and vaccination-related factors. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) were calculated. ResultsAnalysis included 17,991 patients. Vaccination coverage was 33.6 % for all subjects. Multivariate analysis found the following as significant vaccination-related factors: female (OR: 1.18, 95 % CI: 1.11–1.26), not low income (1.76, 1.17–2.76), hospital visits: ≥once/month (1.27, 1.19–1.35), and Specific Health Check-ups participation (2.10, 1.95–2.27). No significant results were found for hospitals that contracted pneumococcal vaccination. ConclusionsIndividual factors, such as sex and Specific Health Check-ups participation, were found to be important factors affecting pneumococcal vaccination among older adults in Japan. Environmental factors, such as the characteristics of residential areas, should be evaluated in further investigations.

청년 1인가구와 노인 1인가구의 주거입지 특성 비교 연구

청년 1인가구와 노인 1인가구의 주거입지 특성 비교 연구

Living Space: The Contemporary Housing Environment as a Place for the Family

This paper discusses housing areas from the perspective of meeting the livingneeds of families. In recent decades, significant changes have been observedin Poland both in terms of the formation of new housing complexes and insocial expectations regarding living conditions. The new housing complexesdiffer significantly from the traditional, typical ones with distinctive architectureand low-standard common spaces, commonly referred to as panel blockhousing estates. Previous research on housing environment quality generallypoints to the need to create developments that provide the highest possiblequality of life. These studies focused on the problems of one particular groupof residents, such as children, seniors or people with disabilities. However,families, which make up a significant portion of the population and are importantusers, have not been adequately addressed in urban planning studies to date.Therefore, this problem merits investigation and existing research methods orurban development concepts that can be used to evaluate residential areasshould be identified as should factors and spatio-functional characteristics ofresidential areas that can influence the creation of high-quality space for families.This study, based on a literature review, evaluated two selected developmentmodels in terms of providing optimal living conditions for families. It was foundthat current proposals may be useful in determining features of family-dedicatedspace, yet they display a range of deficiencies that should be addressed.The study’s conclusions can be used as a basis for further investigation and asrecommendations in the context of planning and urban policymaking

Residential history and changes in perceived health-The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study.

Neighbourhood socioeconomic status and physical access to amenities and greenness are factors that have been associated with mental, physical and perceived health. However, associations between long-time exposure to these circumstances and changes in perceived health in the middle-age population have remained a relatively underexamined area. This study aimed to examine the association between residential environmental history and changes in perceived health in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (N=5973) population encompassing the two latest data collections at 31 and 46 years of age. Longitudinal time-varying geographical data on the residential environment's economic dependency ratio, population density, distance to local services and presence of green areas were derived from various spatial registers and linked to cohort members' exact residential history. According to a multivariable logistic regression analysis, having a residential history in municipalities with higher-than-average (poor) economic dependency ratios was associated with higher odds of poor perceived health changing to good. Among men, living farther than 2km away from local services was associated with a higher risk of change from good perceived health to poor, and living farther than 300m away from green areas was associated with a lower risk of change from good perceived health to poor. The residential environments's urban/rural context may be one factor contributing to the findings. The results point to the importance of considering local residential area characteristics and residence duration in certain areas as potential determinants of health. Finally, having long-term residential history in areas with poor access to services and amenities has the potential to undermine health during one's lifetime.

Disparities In Diabetes-Related Lower Extremity Amputations In The United States: A Systematic Review.

Disparities in rates of peripheral diabetic neuropathy and lower extremity amputation exist in the United States. To investigate the factors linked to this disparity, we performed a systematic review of the literature on the subject published during the period 2000-20. Nineteen observational studies were included. Disparities in rates of lower extremity amputation were reported according to patient race, ethnicity, sex, and age; across hospital referral regions, residential area characteristics, and income estimates; and on the basis of payer type and hospital characteristics. Several of these factors were interrelated. There was a reduction in major lower extremity amputation rates among Black, Hispanic, and White patients with diabetes over time, suggesting narrowing disparities in the odds of this procedure among Black and White patients. There is a need for a national strategy that integrates public awareness, screening, early initiated multidisciplinary care, and quality measures for peripheral artery disease management, as well as neighborhood-level public health interventions, to reduce the disproportionate burden of lower extremity amputation in underserved communities.

Residential Characteristics as Factors Related to Healthy Behavior Practices-Decision Tree Model Analysis Using a Community Health Survey from Korea.

In this study, we sought to identify relevant factors in healthy behavior practices, including not only individual-level variables but also regional and physical environments. Data from the Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS) of Gyeongsangnam-do in 2018 were used, with data from 16,519 of the 17,947 individuals (excluding 1428 individuals who had missing values) who participated in the survey. Healthy behavior practices were defined as meeting the criteria for all three modifiable healthy behaviors (non-smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, regular walking). A decision tree analysis was performed. In men, healthy behavior practices were lower in the unemployed population, in those aged 40–50 years, living in rural residential areas, and with stress. For women who lived in areas with small populations (<100,000 population), healthy behavior practices were below-average. Men and women who had below-average healthy behavior practices reported poor access to places for exercise and fair or poor self-rated health statuses. It is necessary to implement a health behavior practice intervention that considers not only individual characteristics but also access to local exercise facilities and residential area characteristics (urban, rural). Since age is an important variable in healthy behaviors for both men and women, customized programs that consider age should be provided.

Impact of Different Morphological Characteristics of Residential Areas on Wind Movement: Case Study of Karşıyaka (Izmir)

Cities are warmer than their surrounding rural areas due to the urban heat island effect. The heat island effect occurs in urbanized areas in which structures such as buildings and roads are highly concentrated and green cover is limited. Extreme heat waves resulting from climate change also cause temperature increases in the urban environment. In addition, the urban heat island effect negatively affects the comfort of individuals living in cities and increases the amount of energy required for cooling, especially in warm climate regions. To reduce both the urban heat island effect and the need for cooling, it is necessary to consider wind movement during the urban planning process. Within this context, it is vital that spatial development decisions allow planned building groups to benefit from natural ventilation opportunities. The morphological features of buildings directly affect the available opportunities to use wind energy for passive cooling in urban areas. Therefore, it is necessary to determine which morphological parameters affect the building-wind relationship. This study presents an analysis of wind simulations made by modeling selected examples of actual residential areas to determine the effects of different morphological features on wind movement. Twelve residential areas located in the Karşıyaka District of İzmir Province were determined for analysis due to their distinct morphological characteristics. The results of the study revealed that the parameters that affect wind movement in urban areas are the array of the buildings, their density, the distances between them, their floor area ratio, and their height. With regard to the provision of wind movement, it was found that the detached housing type is the most advantageous for hot climate zones. In addition, increasing the distances between structures was found to have a positive effect on natural ventilation. However, when viewed at the scale of residential areas, building heights on wind movements in the residential areas depends on the other two parameters. The simulations created for this study show that all morphological features of the building group under analysis affect wind movement, both separately and in combination.

A Multi-Scale Residential Areas Matching Method Considering Spatial Neighborhood Features

Residential areas is one of the basic geographical elements on the map and an important content of the map representation. Multi-scale residential areas matching refers to the process of identifying and associating entities with the same name in different data sources, which can be widely used in map compilation, data fusion, change detection and update. A matching method considering spatial neighborhood features is proposed to solve the complex matching problem of multi-scale residential areas. The method uses Delaunay triangulation to divide complex matching entities in different scales into closed domains through spatial neighborhood clusters, which can obtain many-to-many matching candidate feature sets. At the same time, the geometric features and topological features of the residential areas are fully considered, and the Relief-F algorithm is used to determine the weight values of different similarity features. Then the similarity and spatial neighborhood similarity of the polygon residential areas are calculated, after which the final matching results are obtained. The experimental results show that the accuracy rate, recall rate and F value of the matching method are all above 90%, which has a high matching accuracy. It can identify a variety of matching relationships and overcome the influence of certain positional deviations on matching results. The proposed method can not only take account of the spatial neighborhood characteristics of residential areas, but also identify complex matching relationships in multi-scale residential areas accurately with a good matching effect.

Characteristics of Residential Areas in Krakow Functional Urban Area

Urban sprawl is an unfavourable phenomenon not only in economic terms, but also due to the social and spatial effects. The failure to implement a coherent spatial policy in suburban areas may result in a chaotic distribution of residential buildings and cause spatial disorder. The main aim of this study is to present the classification of residential housing in the Krakow Functional Urban Area (FUA). Another objective of the study is to analyse the distribution of residential buildings in selected area. Moreover, it has been hypothesized that the chaotic suburbanization causes an uneven distribution of residential buildings in Krakow FUA. The urban transect method was selected to illustrate the spatial distribution of residential buildings in this area. Additionally, GIS analyses were performed based on official spatial data describing the location and type of residential buildings. Thanks to the combination of both methods, a classification of residential housing and its spatial distribution in Krakow FUA were presented. The analysis of the results obtained leads to the conclusion that the suburbanization process in Krakow FUA is characterized by a significant dominance of single-family housing. The result of chaotic suburbanization is also visible in the lack of developed general urban areas.

The effects of environmental factors on the social interaction of children in need of protection in outdoor living spaces

PurposeSocial interaction has a vital role in the healthy development of children. Growing up without a family for children – who are called “children in need of protection” (CNP) in this study – can cause developmental disorders. Social interaction with their peers and with society is important for their well-being, as well as for the whole society. So, for the good of both, more appropriate and supportive living environments should be produced. In this study, the authors will try to answer the question: How do environmental factors affect the social interaction of CNP in outdoor spaces within a village-type settlement?Design/methodology/approachA children's village is chosen as the case area since the children's village typology provides a strong relation between indoor and outdoor spaces. Data are gathered through the review of visual and written materials and systematic observation in order to analyze the issue in a natural setting.FindingsThe output of this study underlays the effects of location, layout and characteristics of residential areas at the neighborhood scale, as well as the spatial, physical and functional factors at the singular-space scale. The intentional social function of the space was found to be the strongest factor in enhancing social interaction.Originality/valueThere are no adequate studies focusing holistically on environmental factors in outdoor living spaces, including spatial, physical and functional dimensions, that affect the social interaction of children in need of protection.

Climate crisis and its impact on human health

The climate crisis and its consequences represent the greatest challenge facing human health and health care system in the 21st century. It threatens to undermine the last decades of health gains. Rising temperatures, fires, floods and droughts can directly and indirectly cause human pathologies, that are physical and mental. Extreme weather events lead to loss of life, basic life resources and cause severe mental burden. More intense and frequent heat waves due to global warming impact human health and increase mortality, especially for those most vulnerable. The heat-related health risk depends on individual state of health as well as environmental and socioeconomic characteristics of residential areas. Increasing exposure to air pollutants, due to wildfires and anthropogenic emissions, raises respiratory and cardiovascular mortality. Climate warming changes ecosystems and enhances biological invasions that can better adapt to warm environments. Pathogen profiles are changing, transmission and spread of vector-borne diseases as Malaria or Dengue are increasing. Further, rising temperatures and air pollution increase the production and allergenicity of pollen, associated with higher prevalence of allergic diseases. Protective environmental factors, as biodiversity or diverse microbiome, should be given greater consideration in future research.Health sector has the central responsibility as the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter to transform in a climate-neutral and sustainable way, e. g. by efficient use of resources. Further education and training in this area should be intensified and included in curricula for medical staff. Furthermore, medical professionals must educate patients about the burden of climate change, climate resilience, and the benefits of CO2 reduction - for human but also for planetary health.

Tree abundance, diversity and their driving and indicative factors in Beijing’s residential areas

Urban trees provide a range of ecological services for urban dwellers. This is particularly true in residential areas where these services are known and valued. The abundance and diversity of trees determine and indicate the provision of ecological services by trees, while various characteristics of residential areas determine and indicate the abundance and diversity of trees within those areas. Exploring the abundance and diversity of trees in residential areas and their major driving and indicative factors is important for evaluating, predicting, and thus improving the ecological services provided by trees. Here, we selected 87 residential areas in Beijing through spatially stratified random sampling. Unlike the quadrat survey that is usually used, we conducted a detailed investigation of the abundance and diversity of trees in residential areas through a tree-by-tree survey and explored the major driving and indicative factors of the abundance and diversity of the trees. In the 87 sampled residential areas, 69 tree taxa belonging to 34 families were identified, and we found that the 10 most common species accounted for 55.9% of all trees. Trees in the residential areas had both high allergenic risk and high ornamental value. In newly built residential areas, the allergenic risk decreased but the ornamental value remained high. Average building height and distance to the city center were the two major driving and indicative factors of residential tree abundance, both of which were positive indicators, and the former played a larger role than that of the latter. In this study, distance to the city center was the only predicator of tree species diversity, and was also a positive indicator. The size of residential area did not show any relationship with tree abundance or diversity. Even though housing age and housing price were not included in the forecasting model, both showed a negative correlation with tree abundance, i.e., an opposite legacy effect and luxury effect. The results of this study can help in understanding tree abundance and diversity and their driving and indicative factors in residential areas in highly urbanized cities and can provide potential guidance for future residential tree planning and management.

City for All Ages: Elderly Residents’ Perceptions of Walkability Attributes in Residential Areas

Residential area is the main area for the elderly to carry out daily activities. The walkability of residential areas directly affects the quality of life of the elderly residents. It is also a symbol of the degree of walkability and the pace of green city construction. To test the influence of urban built environment on walkability in residential areas, this study developed a questionnaire to perceive the elderly residents’ perception of walkability around their neighbourhood, which was based on the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale-Mainland China (NEWS-MC), and modified to reflect the characteristics of residential areas built environment and elderly residents’ behaviour mode. To perceive the final version of Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale for elderly residents’ (NEWS-E), We made a pilot study that include 50 samples, and then interview 300 elderly residents from 6 selected residential districts in Harbin, which were different in walkability attributes and economic status. The final version of the NEWS-E included 8 subscales and 4 single items (86 items in total). Test-retest reliability showed moderate to high in total, the NEWS-E could illustrate elderly residents’ perceptions of walkability attributes in residential areas and could be use in other Chinese urban attributes studies related to walking.

The Role of Neighborhood Experiences in Psychological Distress among African American and White Smokers.

Residential area characteristics and discrimination have been associated with psychological distress. Differences in these relationships across racial groups are not well understood. We examined the relative role of perceived discrimination, neighborhood problems and neighborhood cohesion/trust in explaining differences in psychological distress (indicated by anxiety and depressive symptoms) between 224 African American and 225 White smokers (income ≤ 400% federal poverty level) in a smoking cessation intervention study. Surveys were linked to US census-tract data. We conducted random intercept Poisson multi-level regression models and examined interactions between race and neighborhood experiences. African Americans had greater risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms and greater individual and neighborhood disadvantage than Whites. Controlling for objective neighborhood characteristics, when perceived discrimination and perceived neighborhood characteristics were added to the regression models the association between anxiety symptoms and race were no longer statistically significant; the association between depressive symptoms and race decreased but remained statistically significant. Lower neighborhood social cohesion/trust and greater neighborhood problems increased depressive symptoms for African Americans, but not for Whites. Perceived discrimination and neighborhood social cohesion/trust outweighed the importance of race in explaining anxiety symptoms. These findings underscore the need for multi-level interventions addressing social and environmental contexts.

Dynamic Electricity Price Guidance Analysis of Urban Electric Vehicle Based on Actual Data Drive

Establishing a dynamic electricity price to guide the charging behavior of car owners can better help electric vehicles (EV) to participate in peak shaving and valley filling of the grid. On the basis of this, a dynamic electricity price mechanism for electric vehicle charging stations in city was proposed in this paper.It was aimed at the distribution network where residential areas are located and mean to improve the ability of EV to cut peaks and fill valleys. Firstly, the load characteristics of residential areas were analyzed, in addition, the load status of the distribution network in the area before and after the EV charging station connected in were compared. Secondly, according to the proposed dynamic electricity price calculation process and related function based on the TOU (time-of-use) electricity price for electric vehicle charging station, the dynamic price of the day was established, then in order to predict the power load after the dynamic electricity price is implemented, the corresponding model based on the residential load elastic demand matrix was established. Finally, taking the actual data of a certain district near residential area in Anhui province and an electric vehicle charging station as an example, formulated the targeted dynamic electricity price and further verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the study.