Correlating walkability and urban morphology on Woman’s health using spatial statistical analysis: A comparative study of two neighborhoods in Beirut

Abstract

Urban environments are amongst the major contributing factors that lead to weight gain due to several cultural factors that relate to poor dieting habits and minimal physical activity. Studies conducted to correlate the urban fabric variety with wellbeing require designing coordinated framework approach for informed health planning. For this reason, in Beirut, a vehicle-dependent city that promotes a modern yet unhealthy lifestyle alongside feeble pedestrian infrastructure, there exists significant medical issues amongst women, specific to obesity with many environmental elements being contributors to it. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop a strategic structure that correlates the physical attributes of a neighborhood to the walker’s framework, and to associate the daily travel patterns with the socio-economic dimension. By using GIS software, two pilot case studies are investigated in Beirut, proving that the walkability of Tarik Jdideh (77.5%) is higher than that of Bir-Al-Hasan (22.5%), varying in the nature of the urban fabric and land-use. Also, this study relates walkability with the body mass index, obesity, the overall health status, and chronic diseases. The results show that physical activity is unpopular amongst middle-aged Lebanese women and that there is insufficient awareness regarding the effect of sedentary lifestyles on obesity. Keywords: Beirut, Women, Physical health, Walkability, Body mass index