Project Details

In Dortmund, as in many other cities, neighbourhoods are characterised in very different ways by exercise and green spaces as well as noise and air pollutants. Children spend a large part of their day in their neighbourhoods. The study "Environment and health of children in Dortmund" focuses on how such differences in the characteristics of the residential environment between neighbourhoods affect children's health. The aim of the research project is to identify the factors of the social and built residential environment that are relevant to the health of children in Dortmund, taking into account the individual social situation. The analyses take into account both a stress and a resource perspective in relation to residential environment factors and health targets. From September 2014 to August 2015, a complete survey will be carried out among all parents of the almost 5,000 children taking part in the school entry examination in Dortmund. By collecting the residential address, the parents' information on the living environment and health of their children can be linked with objective measurement data from the city of Dortmund.

The study has been approved by the ethics committee of the University of Bremen.
The study is being conducted in the context of the junior research group "City as a healthy place to live independent of social inequality" (SALUS). This research group is an association of researchers from the fields of urban planning, public health and epidemiology. The research focuses on questions of social inequality in health and approaches to developing strategies for health-promoting urban development.