Association between Urban Socio-Environmental Characteristics Including Travel Behavior, and Health Performance

Abstract

Understanding the urban environment and the health status of residents is necessary for appropriate administrative services and regional management. This study used indicator scores derived from the area statistics of cities in the Tokyo metropolitan area to identify factors that affect health status. Indices were classified into two groups: health-related and non-health-related. The index values of each group served as the observed variables and were statistically standardized. The relationship between the two groups was analyzed using canonical correlation analysis. The results indicate that social infrastructure and daily travel behavior affect the health status of residents, possibly by promoting physical activity. Furthermore, characteristics of the urban environment and travel behavior were strongly associated with the ratio of deaths due to lifestyle-related diseases.