The Influence Of Neighbourhood Spatial Configuration On Residents’ Physical Activity And Health Based On The Cpted Approach: A Case Study Of Penang, Malaysia

Residents’ physical activity and health are considered among the crucial urban planning concerns. The relationship between spatial configuration of the built environment and human movement patterns is widely supported in the literature. Despite the growing research on the relationship between the built environment and health, there is still a gap in the theoretical aspects, especially in Malaysian context. In this sense, this study combined the two significant and influencing concepts of Space Syntax and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) to empirically investigate their impact on public physical activity and health. Moreover, this study examined the mediating role of perception of safety and fear of crime in this relationship. The present study employed a quantitative research approach. In this study, for the first time, an axial map of the entire Penang Island street network was drawn, and the most comprehensive space syntax analyses (i.e., calculations of integration, connectivity, and control value) were performed using the DepthMapX software. The study further employed a survey method for the next stage of data collection, including an on-site observation checklist to evaluate CPTED principles on a street scale and a self-administered questionnaire containing several sections about the respondents’ physical activity, general health, perception of safety, fear of crime, and their houses’ elements of CPTED. A stratified systematic sampling method was used to select samples among stratum (i.e., global integration). A total number of 211 participants from the selected neighbourhood were involved in this study

Does Facilitating Human–Place Bonds Alleviate the Negative Effects of Incivilities on Health?

The present study has two purposes—methodological and theoretical. The methodological purpose is to examine a method for the analysis of perceived incivilities and health in urban neighbourhoods. The current study investigates the direct and indirect relationships between the two variables. The theoretical purpose is to measure neighbourhood incivility as a second-order latent variable that represents physical and social incivilities, and investigates place identity and place attachment as mediators in the relationship between incivilities and health. Previous research has focused on a single dimension of incivility. By contrast, the current study considers a multidimensional form of incivility. This quantitative study comprises 265 residents from an urban neighbourhood in Penang, Malaysia. The results of the structural equation modelling suggest that perceptions towards neighbourhood play a mediating role in the relationship between incivility and health. The mediation roles of place identity and place attachment in the relationship between incivilities and health are also supported. Thus, facilitating human–place bonds alleviates the negative effects of incivilities on health in the study neighbourhood. Residents are less attached to neighbourhoods that are perceived as socially and physically deteriorated. Thus, reducing incivilities and improving place attachment may enhance neighbourhood health

Prevalence and risk factors of low birth weight in the Southeast of Iran

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and related factors of low birth weight (LBW) in the Southeast of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Kerman province. Data were collected from Iranian Maternal and Neonatal Network at public and private hospitals. All live births from March 2014 to March 2015 considered as the source population. The risk factors including maternal age, gravida, parity, abortion, pregnancy risk factors, maternal nationality, maternal education, maternity insurance, place of living, consanguinity, neonate sex, preterm labor, place of birth, delivery manager, and delivery type were compared between LBW and normal birth weight groups. Results: The prevalence of LBW was 9.4% in the present study. Preterm labor (odds ratio [OR]: 22.06; P 35 years (OR: 1.21; P = 0.001), delivery by cesarean section (OR: 1.17; P = 0.002), pregnancy risk factors (OR: 1.67; P < 0.001), maternal illiteracy (OR: 1.91; P < 0.001), living in the rural area (OR: 1.19; P < 0.001), consanguineous (OR: 1.08; P = 0.025), and delivery by obstetrician (OR: 1.12; P = 0.029) were identified as significant factors associated with LBW in this study. Conclusions: Prevention of preterm labor, consanguineous marriage, pregnancy age 35 years old, and maternal medical risk factors are some critical interventions to reduce its burden. Increasing the access to high-quality health-care services in rural and deprived areas is another effective strategy for the prevention of LBW