Volume 4, Issue 4 (November 2025)
Health Science Monitor 2025, 4(4): 252-259 |
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Dargahi F, Hosseini R, Jamili A, Rafieian M, Skhaeian K, Pirnejad H. Investigating the Relationship Between Environmental and Quantitative Housing Indicators and the COVID-19 Infection Rate: A Cross-Sectional Study in Urmia. Health Science Monitor 2025; 4 (4) :252-259
URL: http://hsm.umsu.ac.ir/article-1-273-en.html
URL: http://hsm.umsu.ac.ir/article-1-273-en.html
Farzad Dargahi 
, Rana Hosseini * , Ali Jamili , Mojtaba Rafieian , Kosar Skhaeian , Habibollah Pirnejad
, Rana Hosseini * , Ali Jamili , Mojtaba Rafieian , Kosar Skhaeian , Habibollah Pirnejad
Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
Abstract: (68 Views)
Background Economic and social conditions, housing characteristics, and neighborhood environments substantially influence the spread of COVID-19. This study examined the relationship between environmental and quantitative housing indicators and COVID-19 infection among households in Urmia.
Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study included individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020. Using Cochran’s formula, 420 participants were randomly selected from approximately 35,000 hospitalized patients, and Moran’s analysis was applied to confirm the randomness of the sample. Data sources included a demographic checklist, housing and environmental indicators, 2016 national census data, and Urmia’s detailed urban development plan. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 25.
Results Of the assessed residential units, 71% (n=298) had infection rates above 50%. COVID-19 infection was inversely associated with access to green space (p=0.025), indicating that households with greater proximity to green areas experienced lower infection rates. The regression model accounted for 32.4% of the variance in infection rates, with household crowding (t=7.279) and access to green space (t=−2.116) showing the strongest effects.
Conclusions Housing conditions play a significant role in the transmission of COVID-19. Improving safety standards in contemporary built environments may help mitigate the spread of infectious diseases. Urban planning and design policies should incorporate these findings to reduce infection rates and mortality during pandemics.
Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study included individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020. Using Cochran’s formula, 420 participants were randomly selected from approximately 35,000 hospitalized patients, and Moran’s analysis was applied to confirm the randomness of the sample. Data sources included a demographic checklist, housing and environmental indicators, 2016 national census data, and Urmia’s detailed urban development plan. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 25.
Results Of the assessed residential units, 71% (n=298) had infection rates above 50%. COVID-19 infection was inversely associated with access to green space (p=0.025), indicating that households with greater proximity to green areas experienced lower infection rates. The regression model accounted for 32.4% of the variance in infection rates, with household crowding (t=7.279) and access to green space (t=−2.116) showing the strongest effects.
Conclusions Housing conditions play a significant role in the transmission of COVID-19. Improving safety standards in contemporary built environments may help mitigate the spread of infectious diseases. Urban planning and design policies should incorporate these findings to reduce infection rates and mortality during pandemics.
Type of Study: Research Article |
Subject:
Environmental and Occupational Health
Received: 2025/10/18 | Accepted: 2025/11/1 | Published: 2025/11/19
Received: 2025/10/18 | Accepted: 2025/11/1 | Published: 2025/11/19
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