Adriana LOUREIRO, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, University Coimbra (CEGOT-UC), Portugal
Ângela FREITAS, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, University Coimbra (CEGOT-UC), Portugal
Cláudia COSTA, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, University Coimbra (CEGOT-UC), Portugal
Miguel PADEIRO, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT-UC) and Department of Geography and Tourism, University Coimbra, Portugal
Ricardo ALMENDRA, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT-UC) and Department of Geography and Tourism, University Coimbra, Portugal
Paula SANTANA, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT-UC) and Department of Geography and Tourism, University Coimbra, Portugal
The mental health status of the individuals can be influenced by the environmental characteristics of their place of residence and will take on significant relevance during crisis moments. The aim of the study is to identify which neighbourhood environmental conditions are associated with poor self-assessed mental health characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in Portugal, with a special focus on urban-rural place differences.
A survey was applied to the population of the 62 Portuguese Healthy Cities Network municipalities (a simple random sample of 10,786 residents). The neighbourhood environmental conditions and mental health status were measured through indexes that
synthesize the individual’s self-assessment. Binomial Logistic Regression Models were applied to identify the neighbourhood environment risk factors of poor mental health.
Preliminary results show a higher risk of poor self-assessed mental health associated with residences that had poor self-assessed conditions of traffic and parking (OR=1.18, p<0.01), access to public transport (OR=1.18, p<0.001), green spaces (OR=1.19, p<0.001), walkability (OR=1.20, p<0,001), public spaces (OR= 1.21, p<0.001), proximity to food stores (OR=1.32, p<0.001), access to services and facilities (OR=1.32, p<0.001), air pollution and noise (OR=1.36, p<0.001) and safety (OR=1.97, p<0.001). Thus, individuals who negatively assess the characteristics of their neighbourhood environment have a higher risk of poorly assessing their own mental health status.
The findings suggest that neighbourhood environment conditions have influence on self-assessed mental health. This evidence can help municipality decision-makers to identify strategic options towards the creation and reconversion of more mental-health-friendly neighbourhood environments, thereby improving the place’s resilience to tackle crisis moments like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mots clés : Neighbourhood environment|Mental Health|health crisis|COVID-19|Portugal
A104694AL