A Scoping Review of the Definition of Walkability and its Relationship with Depression and Anxiety Symptoms
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
23 November 2022
Abstract
Walkability is a composite factor of the built environment which has been investigated in regards to its relationship with mental illness within a community. This scoping review aims to summarize the definition of walkability, and to investigate its relationship with depression and anxiety in previous literature. Walkability was defined theoretically, and by the subcomponents used in its composite measurement. Inconsistency in the definition of walkability limits the possibility of determining whether it is related to depression or anxiety. Future research should investigate the subcomponents of walkability in order to understand the impact of specific community-level factors on mental health outcomes.
Résumé
L’accessibilité piétonnière, l’un des éléments de l’environnement bâti, a été étudiée au niveau de sa relation avec la maladie mentale au sein d’une communauté. Cet examen de la portée vise à résumer la définition de l’accessibilité piétonnière et à examiner sa relation avec la dépression et l’anxiété dans de précédentes publications. L’accessibilité piétonnière a été définie théoriquement, et par les sous-composants utilisés dans sa dimension composite. Les variantes dans la définition de l’accessibilité piétonnière limitent la possibilité de déterminer si elle est liée à la dépression ou à l’anxiété. Les recherches futures devraient étudier les sous-composants de l’accessibilité piétonnière afin de comprendre l’incidence de facteurs communautaires particuliers sur les résultats en matière de santé mentale.
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Published In
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 41 • Number 2 • April 2022
Pages: 46 - 67
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Version of record online: 23 November 2022
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Emily Warner, Doaa Nadouri, Heather Orpana, and JianLi Wang. 2022. A Scoping Review of the Definition of Walkability and its Relationship with Depression and Anxiety Symptoms. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
41(2): 46-67. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2022-014
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