Abstract
With the rapid development of urbanization, air pollution, deterioration of the ecological environment, and urban problems are growing to threaten public health, especially for the elderly who are more vulnerable than young people. In recent years, incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis has increased significantly. Faced with the enormous health challenges brought by the increasingly serious urban environment, this paper explores the impact of the built environment on the incidence of chronic diseases in the elderly. Data for ten chronic diseases in 2015 are collected at county level from the health surveys of elderly in 466 counties. Nine indicators of land use, socio-economic, air/water/soil pollution and other factors have also been proposed to comprehensively reflect the region's built environment characteristics. Method of geographically weighted regression and structural equation modeling are used to explore the spatial distribution characteristics of chronic diseases in the elderly and the mechanisms by which the built environment affects the public health. The results and conclusions have implications for planning for liveable places and healthy cities.
