1Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, India. Email: anwesha_2121hs18@iitp.ac.in; ORCID: 0000-0003-1937-3715
2Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, India. Email: papia.raj@gmail.com; ORCID: 0000-0001-6182-9574
Corresponding Author: Anwesha Sarkar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Patna- 801106, Bihar, India. Email: anwesha_2121hs18@iitp.ac.in
Received: 16th Dec, 2025; Revised: 8th Feb 2026; Accepted: 12th Feb, 2026; Available Online: 28th Feb, 2026
Neighbourhoods are essential organs of urban areas and have a significant influence on women's health. Yet, evidence on neighbourhood influencing women's health in developing countries, such as India, remains limited. This study attempts to examine how a neighbourhood in Kolkata, India, influences women's health. Data was collected from 170 women via surveys. Results showed that 49.41% of the respondents were overweight or obese. Digestive disorders affected 80% of the participants, reproductive health problems 48.24%, respiratory conditions 44.12%, cardiovascular diseases 32.94%, and diabetes 20.59%. Health concerns varied by age, with reproductive, respiratory, and cardiovascular conditions dominating younger, middle-aged, and older women, respectively. Lack of walkability significantly correlated with cardiovascular conditions at r 0.96, orthopaedic problems at r 0.94, and reproductive conditions at r 0.89. While air pollution significantly correlated with respiratory illness at r 0.56. Logistic regression identified air pollution as the strongest predictor of women's health, with odds ratios ranging from 1.43 to 1.63. In conclusion, the need for gender-sensitive neighbourhood-level urban health interventions is highlighted.
Keywords: Neighbourhood, women's health, physical environment, social environment India
How to cite this article: Sarkar A, Raj P, Assessing the influence of neighbourhood on the health of women in urban India. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026; 16(2): 475-482; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.2.53
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None