The Impacts of Housing Characteristics and Built-Environment Features on Mental Health

Zihan Kan, Mei-Po Kwan, Mee Kam Ng and Hendrik Tieben
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Zihan Kan: Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Mei-Po Kwan: Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Mee Kam Ng: Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Hendrik Tieben: School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: In this study, we examined the relationships between housing characteristics, neighborhood built-environment features, and people’s mental health in Hong Kong, an Asian city well known for its high-density and high-rise housing. The potential mediating effects of people’s perceived living environment were also considered in the analysis. We collected data from 221 participants from two communities in Hong Kong, i.e., Sham Shui Po (SSP) and Tin Shui Wai (TSW), using a stratified random sampling approach. Big datasets were also used to derive relevant built-environment features at the street block level. We used structural equation modeling to explore the complex relationships among housing characteristics, built-environment features, and mental health. The results indicate that the associations between built-environment quality and people’s mental health are weak. For communities with relatively poor housing conditions (i.e., SSP in this study), the impact of housing characteristics on mental health may be more direct; for communities with relatively good housing conditions (i.e., TSW in this study), the effect of housing characteristics on mental health may be indirect. Our findings shed light on the importance of considering different contexts in developing policies related to housing and built environment and mental health.

Keywords: housing characteristics; built environment; mental health; structural equation modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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