Abstract
BACKGROUND: With rapid urbanization, lots of mega-communities have been built in the cities of China. Lots of neighborhood environmental problems exist in mega-communities and may impact on residents' quality of life. To the best of our knowledge, little is known about the association between neighborhood environment and HRQoL among residents living in mega-communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between perceived neighborhood environment and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among residents living in mega-communities in Guiyang, Southwestern China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 665 residents selected from three mega-communities in Guiyang. The perceived neighborhood environment was measured using the perceived neighborhood environment scale developed based on characteristics of Chinese communities, and HRQoL was evaluated using Short Form 12 (SF-12). Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression model were used to assess the association between perceived neighborhood environment and HRQoL. RESULTS: After controlling for confounding factors, mental HRQoL was positively associated with perceived neighborhood safety (β = 0.137, P < 0.001), and air pollution (β = 0.142, P = 0.001). Physical HRQoL had positive associations with perceived sidewalk condition (β = 0.090, P = 0.026), neighborhood safety (β = 0.085, P = 0.042), and indoor light (β = 0.085, P = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Among residents who lived in mega-communities, satisfaction with neighborhood safety, air pollution, sidewalk condition, and indoor light were positively related with HRQoL. This study could provide evidence for the design and planning of neighborhood environment to promote HRQoL.