Developing a Research Agenda on the Relationship between Physical Environment and Mental Health

Document Type : Articles from PhD & Master Dissertations

Authors

1 PhD Candidate of Urban Planning and Design, University of Tarbiat Modares, Tehran

2 Assitant Prof. of Urban Planning and Design, University of Tarbiat Modares, Tehran

Abstract

After two decades of focused global efforts on the link between the physical environment and health, while most of these studies have focused on the objective components of obesity and obesity, there is little research to improve mental health, especially in the country Iran. Accordingly, the present paper attempts to provide a research agenda for urban designers by reviewing the narrative of empirical literature and empirical evidence, and outlining the main challenges and ambiguities that research faces. A variety of databases and search engines such as Google Scholar, Pop Fashion, Scopus and Web of Science have been used to find articles. Selected articles were chosen on the basis of subject relevance, number of citations, and recent findings. Of the selected studies, 72, 25, and 3 percent, respectively, were published between 2010 and 2009, prior to 2000 and 2009, with an average of 151, 676, and 284 citations, respectively. The complexity of understanding mental health disorders coupled with the lack of conclusive results makes it difficult to justify and advocate the integration of urban mental health policies for societies that place economics and speculation at the top of policymaking. Although it is clear that physical components and cities are affecting the improvement or deterioration of mental health, the mechanisms of action remain unclear. In addition, there are few studies that have measured the effectiveness and effectiveness of urban policies on mental health

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