Rethinking Urban Living Environments: Investigating the Influence of Built Environment Features on Physical Activity Levels – Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study in Ankara, Türkiye

Abstract

Built environment (BE) epidemiologists aim to elucidate the pathways through which BE characteristics are linked to the prevalence of chronic diseases. Our study identifies the direct and indirect effects of urban living environments on overall perceptions of physical health. Our cross-sectional geospatial study involved 4015 residents of Ankara. We fitted multinomial logit models to assess relationships between residents’ locations, demographic and socioeconomic statuses (SES), obesity prevalence, PA levels, life satisfaction, and evaluations of urban living environments and overall health perception. We found significant relationships between BE characteristics and health perception, particularly with SES, age groups, green space availability, environmental perception, PA levels, and obesity prevalence. Our findings provide evidence of the relationship between public health policy and urban design and planning.