Built environment factors contribute to asthma morbidity in older people: A case study of Seoul, Korea

This paper aims to examine various built environment factors contributing to asthma and severe asthma morbidities in older people by performing spatial regression analysis. By controlling the socio-demographic factors of asthma in Seoul, we found a significant correlation of the built environment factors with severe asthma rather than with asthma in older people. The results suggest that population density and bus transit can make asthma severe in older people, while active transportation activities have a positive influence on severe asthma in older people. However, a significant contribution of built environment factors to asthma in older people is not identified. The findings from spatial regression imply that the collaboration of multi-level governments and agencies needs to develop policies for mitigating poor air quality from the perspective of environmental justice.