Understanding the relationship between urban form and children's asthma in Ankara

Date

2023-9-7

Author

Çoban, Aybüke Balahun

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Childhood asthma rates have been on the rise worldwide, particularly in urban areas due to increased air pollution from sources like traffic, industry, and construction. However, there is limited understanding of which specific environmental factors are linked to this chronic disease. This study seeks to investigate the correlation between various mesoscale urban features such as building density, land use mix, neighborhood greenness, street connectivity, and the prevalence of asthma in children. The hypothesis is that these urban characteristics impact the concentration of air pollutants or allergens in areas where children live, learn, and play, subsequently influencing their respiratory health. The study was conducted in 8 different neighborhoods with various urban form characteristics from 4 regions in the capital city of Turkey, Ankara, and followed a four-step methodology. First, data on children's residential addresses and asthma diagnoses were collected using an ISAAC questionnaire completed by parents of 7 to 14-year-olds. Second, the collected address data were geocoded using ArcGIS and Google Earth Pro. Third, 200-meter buffers were assigned around the children's home addresses to define their near-home environments, and urban form variables within these buffers were analyzed using ArcGIS. Lastly, after identifying and including other relevant individual and environmental variables that could affect children’s asthma, a logistic regression analysis was conducted to uncover the relationships between the examined variables. The study is based on data obtained from 681 parents. It is anticipated that the study's findings will enhance the understanding of urban planners and designers regarding the connection between urban form variables and childhood asthma, potentially paving the way for future research employing different methodologies.

Subject Keywords

Childhood asthma, Urban form, Urban design, Geographic information systems

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/105609

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis