Analysis of the Relationship between the Urban Walkability and the Youth General Health with Emphasis on Physical-Spatial Dimensions(Three districts of Qazvin city)

In recent years, the benefits of walkability in the field of public health are such that the ability of urban walkability has become a key issue in the program of healthy cities of the world. The two main questions in this study are “What is the effect of walkability of urban areas on physical and mental health (public health) of the youth?” and "Will the general health of the young people increase with improving the walkability?" The research method is applied in terms of purpose, cross-section in terms of time, and mixed in terms of nature. The concept of walkability was introduced as an independent variable along with the explanation of its criteria. In a survey, a 28-item GHQ questionnaire was used to assess general health in young people. This questionnaire consists of four criteria with seven questions in each of them. These four criteria are: physical symptoms, anxiety symptoms and sleep disorders, social action and depressive symptoms. Then, in a field study, the following measures were used to assess the walkability: mixed uses, pedestrian attractive zones, pedestrian and bicycle network connection, access to mass transit, road safety and security. According to the ranks of the regions in terms of walkability and public health, it is observed that this is not a completely direct relationship and in all four scales of general health, this relationship is different. It is concluded that walkability in urban areas affects the mental health of young people more than it affects their physical health.