Personal Wellbeing Amid Pandemic Response: Impacts of Neighborhood Built Environment, Risk Communication and Health

Abstract

Maintaining personal wellbeing is essential for an effective pandemic response due to its multifaceted impacts on various aspects of society. This study aimed to evaluate personal wellbeing during pandemic response and investigate the effects of built environment in neighborhoods, risk communication, and health indicators. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A sample with 5458 participants was collected in Hong Kong through a self-administered online survey. Personal Wellbeing Index- Adult (PWI-A) was adopted to measure personal wellbeing. This study indicated a more than 20% decrease in personal wellbeing among Hong Kong residents during the pandemic, particularly impacting future security, personal safety, and living standards. Positive influences on wellbeing included more open spaces, using more traditional information channels, seeking reliable media sources, and confidence in information seeking. Conversely, wellbeing was negatively affected by a higher percentage of public residential areas, using more new information channels, increased social media time, smoking habits and chronic health conditions. These findings provide critical insights into the diverse impacts of the pandemic on individuals and communities. They guide targeted interventions and contribute to building resilience against future crises.