Associations between a Subjective Living Environment and Quality of Life among People with Arterial Hypertension—Results from the Hamburg City Health Study

Jobst Augustin (), Ramona Bei der Kellen, Christian-Alexander Behrendt, Christina Magnussen, Claudia Terschüren, Leonie Ascone, Simone Kühn, Sandra Wolf, Matthias Augustin and Valerie Andrees
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Jobst Augustin: Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Ramona Bei der Kellen: Epidemiological Study Center, Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Christian-Alexander Behrendt: Department of Cardiology, University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Christina Magnussen: Department of Cardiology, University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Claudia Terschüren: Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Leonie Ascone: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Simone Kühn: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Sandra Wolf: Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Matthias Augustin: Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Valerie Andrees: Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Hypertension is a global public health concern and an important contributor to cardiovascular disease. It remains disputed how important life circumstances are for the etiology of hypertension. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the spatial variation of hypertension within an urban population and to investigate the association with the quality of life of city dwellers and their subjective evaluation of their residential district, as well as their home environment, using the example of Hamburg, Germany. In this cross-sectional study, the first 10,000 participants from the Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS) were analysed. Only participants who had resided at the current address for a minimum of five years were considered. In the descriptive analysis, participants with and without arterial hypertension were compared considering various parameters. The subjective quality of the living environment was obtained using an appropriate subjective living environment index. Quality of life was mapped using the EuroQol Group quality of life questionnaire (EQ-5D) score and the two (mental and physical health) scores of the Short Form Health Questionnaire SF-8. The Gini-coefficient was used to quantify the regional economic variation within Hamburg. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. Regional levels were 68 city district clusters in Hamburg. The analysis included n = 8192 participants living at least five years in Hamburg at the time of participation in the HCHS. There was a spatial variation in the prevalence of arterial hypertension within Hamburg. Prevalence rates between city district clusters ranged from 50.0% to 88.5%. The results showed that city district clusters with a worse subjective perception of the living environment were partly associated with an increased prevalence of arterial hypertension. Furthermore, a negative association was observed between arterial hypertension prevalence and the sociodemographic status of participants in the city district clusters. Thus, participants with a high level of education suffered less frequently from arterial hypertension than participants with a rather low level of education. The subjective living environment index and quality of life were significantly related to the occurrence of arterial hypertension; however, more extensive and detailed studies are necessary to derive possible clinical implications.

Keywords: Hamburg City Health Study; arterial hypertension; subjective living environment; quality of life; city (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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