Physical Disorders and Poor Self-Rated Health in Adults Living in Four Latin American Cities: A Multilevel Approach

Camila Vaz, Amanda Cristina Andrade, Uriel Silva, Daniel Rodríguez, Xize Wang, Kari Moore, Amélia Augusta Friche, Ana Victoria Diez-Roux and Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa
Additional contact information
Camila Vaz: Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Rua São Paulo 745, Governador Valadares 35010-180, Brazil
Amanda Cristina Andrade: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health, Avenida Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil
Uriel Silva: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health, Avenida Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil
Daniel Rodríguez: Department of City and Regional Planning and Institute for Transportation Studies, University of California, 228 Wurster Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Xize Wang: Department of Real State, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Kari Moore: Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Amélia Augusta Friche: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health, Avenida Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil
Ana Victoria Diez-Roux: Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health, Avenida Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-12

Abstract: Considering that urban environments may affect self-rated health through behavioral and psychosocial mechanisms, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between self-rated health and perceived urban environment characteristics among adults living in four Latin American cities. Data is from a population-based survey by Development Bank of Latin America, encompassing adults between 20 and 60 years old in Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, and Panama City. Self-rated health was measured using a single question and the response options were categorized as poor and good. The explanatory variables were empirical Bayes estimates of self-reported area physical disorder, social disorder, access to services, and access to leisure spaces derived from the survey. The covariates were: individual age, sex, education, wealth index, and length of residency in the neighborhood; and an area social environment index. Multilevel logistic regressions with two levels (individual and sub-city areas) were fitted. Poor self-rated health was reported by 34.73% (95% CI: 33.17 to 36.29) of the participants and was associated with physical disorder (OR = 1.16 per SD; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.32). Our findings suggest that public policies to promote population health should consider area urban environment factors, especially those associated with disorder.

Keywords: self-rated health; physical disorder; environment; health status; Latin America; urban health; multilevel analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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