Plan for healthy neighborhoods to improve mental wellbeing: a pilot study in Fresno, California

By using data collected from a self-administered survey, this study evaluates the variation of mental wellbeing between individuals and neighborhoods and its personal and neighborhood determinants in Fresno, California. It reveals the disparities of mental wellbeing, physical activity, and neighborhood environment between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged neighborhoods in Fresno. Residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods report slightly lower levels of mental wellbeing and physical activity, significantly weaker neighborhood social capital, and much lower neighborhood environment quality. Our path analysis suggests that outdoor physical activity and perceived neighborhood social capital are the only two factors that influence mental wellbeing after controlling for personal socioeconomics and personality. Neither perceived nor objectively measured neighborhood environmental factors show significant and direct impacts on mental wellbeing. Neighborhood environment, however, shows indirect associations with mental wellbeing through their correlations with outdoor physical activity and perceived neighborhood social capital.