Contribution of the built environment to inequity in loneliness by neighbourhood disadvantage in Australia

ABSTRACT

Disadvantaged areas have higher loneliness levels than advantaged areas, though studies rarely identify objective built environment determinants of loneliness by neighbourhood disadvantage. We studied the contribution of objective walkability components (residential density, street connectivity, and land use mix) and overall walkability in the relationship between neighbourhood disadvantage and loneliness using cross-sectional data from 3778 individuals aged 48-77 years old living in 200 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia. Residential density only partly contributed to the observed inequity in loneliness across neighbourhood disadvantages, among all walkability components. Moreover, the overall walkability could not explain inequity in loneliness across neighbourhood disadvantages.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• loneliness
• disadvantaged neighbourhoods
• built environment
• walkability
• middle to older adults

This article is related to:

Research for city practice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data supporting the research outcome are available upon request from the corresponding author, [[email protected]]. It is due to privacy/ethical constraints.

Additional information

Funding

The HABITAT Study was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (grants APP1047453, APP497236 and APP339718).

Notes on contributors

Melanie Davern

The authors are affiliated with Urban Research (CUR) at RMIT University. This centre is a vibrant hub for interdis-ciplinary urban studies, aiming to extend evidence about the significant need for cities to be socially, environmentally, and economically responsive to the global sustainable goals.