Background: Evidence of the effects of the built environment on children has mainly focused on disease outcomes; however, quality of life (QoL) has gained increasing attention as an important health and policy endpoint itself. Research on built environment effects on children’s QoL could inform public health programs and urban planning and design.
Objective: We aimed to review and synthesize the evidence of the relationship between built environment features and children’s QoL.
Methods: Five research databases were searched for quantitative peer-reviewed studies on children between 2-18 years, published in English or German between 2010-2021. Only primary research was considered. Included studies (n=17) were coded and methodologically assessed with the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Checklists, and relevant data were extracted, analyzed, and synthesized, using the following built environment thematic framework: 1) neighborhood natural environment, 2) neighborhood infrastructure, and 3) neighborhood perception.
Results: Green space was positively associated with children’s QoL. Infrastructure yielded inconclusive results across all measured aspects. Overall neighborhood satisfaction was positively correlated with higher QoL but results on perceived environmental safety were mixed.
Conclusions: Most studies are correlational, making it difficult to infer causality. While the positive findings of green space on QoL are consistent, specific features of the built environment show inconsistent results. Overall perception of the built environment, such as neighborhood satisfaction, also shows more robust results compared to perceptions of specific features of the built environment. Due to the heterogeneity of both built environment and QoL measures, consistent definitions of both concepts will help advance this area of research.
Background
Despite research on large urban areas in the context of COVID-19, evidence on how these settings impact migrants is still limited.
Objective
To explore exacerbating and mitigating factors of large urban areas on migrants’ vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2022, focused on migrants (foreign-born individuals who have not been naturalized in the host country, regardless of legal immigration status) in urban areas with a population >500 000. After screening 880 studies, 29 studies were included and categorized within the following thematic framework: (i) pre-existing inequities, (ii) governance strategies, (iii) urban design and (iv) engagement of civil society organizations (CSOs).
Results
Exacerbating factors include pre-existing inequities (e.g. unemployment, financial instability and barriers to healthcare access), exclusionary government responses (e.g. ineligibility for relief funds or unemployment benefits) and residential segregation. Mitigating community-level factors include the engagement of CSOs to fill institutional and governmental gaps through service provision and use of technology.
Conclusions
We recommend increased attention to pre-existing structural inequities faced by migrants, more inclusive governance strategies and partnerships between government and CSOs to improve the design and delivery of services to migrants in large urban areas. More research is needed on how urban design can be utilized to mitigate COVID-19 impacts on migrant communities. The factors identified in this systematic review should be considered as part of migrant-inclusive emergency preparedness strategies to address the disproportionate impact of health crises on migrant communities.
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