Effects of green space environmental features in urban residential quarters on residents' self-rated health: Evidence from 21 residential communities in Beijing, China

Urban green spaces are crucial for the physical and mental health and well-being of residents. A residential area is a larger residential unit with different buildings and public infrastructure, and is a form of public housing in densely populated cities. Although existing research has investigated various types of urban green spaces, such as parks, amusement parks, etc., there is little research on the impact of residential quarter green space (RQGS) environmental quality on residents' health. A survey was conducted on outdoor green spaces in 21 residential areas of two different sub-districts in the central urban area of Beijing, China. The measurement includes demographic characteristics, RQGS environmental multidimensional assessment, green space usage behaviors, and residents' self-evaluation of health status. The study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to construct a multiple chain mediation model to reveal the impact of perception and usage of environmental factors on the health status of participants. The results indicate that although there are differences in environmental factors, resident satisfaction, and usage behavior of RQGS, there is a highly significant correlation between them and residents' self-rated health; The intermediary pathway of the report reveals that environmental factors mainly indirectly affect residents' health through the joint mediation of green space satisfaction and usage behavior, among which satisfaction is particularly important and has a choice effect of satisfaction preference; There are differences in the impact of environmental factors from different dimensions on the health benefits of residents. These findings and conclusions will help us understand RQGS and guide future optimization and management of it.