Health and perceptions of the local environment in socially contrasting neighbourhoods in Glasgow

This paper explores residents' perceptions of their local environment in four socially contrasting neighbourhoods in Glasgow City. Six aspects of the areas (amenities, problems, crime, neighbourliness, area reputation and satisfaction) differed significantly between the neighbourhoods, as did four dimensions of health (anxiety, depression, and self-assessed health in the last year and for age). Multivariate analysis suggested that social class and perceptions of the area independently contributed to the health differences between neighbourhoods. Public health policy should focus on health-promoting or health-damaging features of local areas as well as on individual lifestyle factors.