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HERO ID
7457913
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Healthy built environment: Spatial patterns and relationships of multiple exposures and deprivation in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver
Author(s)
Doiron, D; Setton, EM; Shairsingh, K; Brauer, M; Hystad, P; Ross, NA; Brook, JR
Year
2020
Is Peer Reviewed?
1
Journal
Environment International
ISSN:
0160-4120
EISSN:
1873-6750
Publisher
Elsevier
Volume
143
Issue
Elsevier
Page Numbers
106003
Language
English
PMID
32763633
DOI
10.1016/j.envint.2020.106003
Web of Science Id
WOS:000612205000019
URL
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020319589
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Abstract
Background Various aspects of the urban environment and neighbourhood socio-economic status interact with each other to affect health. Few studies to date have quantitatively assessed intersections of multiple urban environmental factors and their distribution across levels of deprivation. Objectives To explore the spatial patterns of urban environmental exposures within three large Canadian cities, assess how exposures are distributed across socio-economic deprivation gradients, and identify clusters of favourable or unfavourable environmental characteristics. Methods We indexed nationally standardized estimates of active living friendliness (i.e. “walkability”), NO2 air pollution, and greenness to 6-digit postal codes within the cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. We compared the distribution of within-city exposure tertiles across quintiles of material deprivation. Tertiles of each exposure were then overlaid with each other in order to identify potentially favorable (high walkability, low NO2, high greenness) and unfavorable (low walkability, high NO2, and low greenness) environments. Results In all three cities, high walkability was more common in least deprived areas and less prevalent in highly deprived areas. We also generally saw a greater prevalence of postal codes with high vegetation indices and low NO2 in areas with low deprivation, and a lower greenness prevalence and higher NO2 concentrations in highly deprived areas, suggesting environmental inequity is occurring. Our study showed that relatively few postal codes were simultaneously characterized by desirable or undesirable walkability, NO2 and greenness tertiles. Discussion Spatial analyses of multiple standardized urban environmental factors such as the ones presented in this manuscript can help refine municipal investments and policy priorities. This study illustrates a methodology to prioritize areas for interventions that increase active living and exposure to urban vegetation, as well as lower air pollution. Our results also highlight the importance of considering the intersections between the built environment and socio-economic status in city planning and urban public health decision-making.
Keywords
Walkability; Deprivation; Built environment; Greenness; Urban environmental health; Air quality
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