Exploring the impact of demographic, architectural, and well-being factors on health outcomes in informal settlements: The role of daylight, window depth, and building orientation

Abstract

Inhabitants of informal settlements face socio-economic difficulties and suboptimal living conditions, where demographic, architectural, and well-being factors interrelate to determine quality of life (QoL). This paper explores how these interactions occur and how architectural interventions can shape these environments in ways that contribute to improved health outcomes. We conducted a demographic and architectural study, with a focus on daylighting among selected inhabitants. We also investigated well-being by utilizing the SF-36 and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) surveys to measure health and sleep quality. The results clearly showed that older age and lower education are strongly related to poor health, while natural light exposure and better building orientation are strongly related to improvement in sleeping quality and, hence, good health. Distinct clusters emerged from this population; for instance, the employed and better-educated people presented higher well-being. Interaction effects also showed how age, education, and daylight exposure are interactively determining health and sleep outcomes. The health of the less educated elderly decreases at a much greater rate; accessibility to daylight moderates this. Such findings hint at targeted interventions that might involve optimal window placement, coupled with improvements in building orientation and social support measures to enhance general well-being among vulnerable groups. Merging these architectonic and socio-economic factors, the interventions could contribute a lot to people living a better life in such informal settlements.