Exploring why residents of socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods have less favourable perceptions of their neighbourhood environment than residents of wealthy neighbourhoods

摘要

textabstractResidents of socioeconomically deprived areas perceive their neighbourhood as less\udconducive to healthy behaviours than residents of more affluent areas. Whether\udthese unfavourable perceptions are based on objective neighbourhood features or\udother factors is poorly understood. We examined individual and contextual correlates\udof socioeconomic inequalities in neighbourhood perceptions across five urban\udregions in Europe.\udData were analysed from 5205 participants of the SPOTLIGHT survey.\udParticipants reported perceptions of their neighbourhood environment with regard\udto aesthetics, safety, the presence of destinations and functionality of the\udneighbourhood, which were summed into an overall neighbourhood perceptions\udscore. Multivariable multilevel regression analyses were conducted to investigate\udwhether the following factors were associated with socioeconomic inequalities in\udneighbourhood perceptions: objectively observed neighbourhood features,\udneighbourhood social capital, exposure to the neighbourhood, self-rated health\udand lifestyle behaviours.\udObjectively observed traffic safety, aesthetics and the presence of destinations in the\udneighbourhood explained around 15% of differences in neighbourhood perceptions\udbetween residents of high and low neighbourhoods; levels of neighbourhood\udsocial cohesion explained around 52%. Exposure to the neighbourhood, self-rated\udhealth and lifestyle behaviours were significant correlates of neighbourhood\udperceptions but did not contribute to socioeconomic differences.\udThis cross-European study provided evidence that socioeconomic differences in\udneighbourhood perceptions are not only associated with objective neighbourhood\udfeatures but also with social cohesion. Levels of physical activity, sleep duration,\udself-rated health, happiness and neighbourhood preference were also associated\udwith neighbourhood perceptions.