Sains Malaysiana 43(9)(2014): 1405–1414

Urban Environmental Heath: Respiratory Infection and Urban Factors in

Urban Growth Corridor of Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang, Malaysia

(Kesihatan Persekitaran Bandar: Jangkitan Pernafasan dan Faktor Bandar di Koridor Pertumbuhan

Bandar Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam dan Klang, Malaysia)

OLIVER LING HOON LEH¹*, SITI NUR AFIQAH MOHAMED MUSTHAFA²

& ABDUL RAUF ABDUL RASAM²

¹Head of Research Intensive Group on Cities and Urban Environment (RIGCUE)

Centre for Environmental Design & Management (CEDM), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying (FSPU), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor D.E. Malaysia

²Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying (FSPU), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)

40450 Shah Alam, Selangor D.E. Malaysia

Received: 23 August 2013/Accepted: 31 January 2014

ABSTRACT

Environmental health in general is referring to the aspect of concern on healthy environment, and the interrelations between environment and human health. Due to the urbanization, urban development is changing the natural environment into a man-made environment. Along with the process, level of environmental quality and human health are decreased. Air quality as reference shows that urban ambient air is more polluted than rural. Due to high density of human population and their activities in urban areas, it produces air pollutants with higher rate as compared to less-developed areas. Air pollutants contribute to various health problems. People suffering from respiratory diseases are the most likely to be affected by air pollution. This paper aimed to examine the rate of respiratory infection among residents in an urban growth corridor (Petaling Jaya-Shah Alam-Klang) and the relationship with the urban land uses, traffic volume and air quality. There were four major types of data used in this study i.e., respiratory infection of the respondents, air quality, land use and traffic volume. A health questionnaire survey was carried out besides the secondary data collection from the various government departments. Relationship analysis was performed between respiratory health and the urban factors (air quality, traffic volume and land uses). The study found out that the relationship between the respiratory health and the urban factors is different in city-wide land use and traffic factors, as compared to the localised air quality and land use factors. To conclude, the urban factors are potentially affecting the respiratory health.

Keywords: Acute respiratory infection (ARI); air pollution index (API); land use; relationship; traffic volume

ABSTRAK

Kesihatan persekitaran secara amnya, merujuk kepada aspek kesihatan persekitaran dan hubungkaitan antara alam sekitar dan kesihatan manusia. Disebabkan oleh urbanisasi, pembangunan telah mengubah alam semula jadi kepada alam binaan. Dengan ini, paras kualiti persekitaran dan kesihatan manusia telah menurun. Dengan merujuk kepada kualiti udara, udara ambien bandar adalah lebih tercemar berbanding dengan luar bandar. Disebabkan oleh kepadatan populasi manusia yang tinggi dan aktivitinya di bandar, ia telah menghasilkan pencemar udara pada kadar yang lebih tinggi berbanding dengan kawasan yang kurang maju. Pencemar udara menyumbang kepada pelbagai masalah kesihatan. Manusia yang berpenyakit pernafasan adalah lebih cendurung menerima kesan daripada pencemaran udara. Kertas ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji jangkitan pernafasan bagi penduduk di koridor pertumbuhan bandar (Petaling Jaya - Shah Alam - Klang) serta hubungkaitannya dengan guna tanah bandar, bilangan trafik dan kualiti udara. Terdapat empat data utama yang digunakan untuk kajian ini, iaitu jangkitan pernafasan bagi penduduk, data kualiti udara, guna tanah dan bilangan trafik. Satu temu bual kesihatan telah dilakukan di samping pengumpulan data sekunder daripada jabatan kerajaan. Analisis hubungkaitan telah dilakukan di antara kesihatan pernafasan dan faktor bandar (kualiti udara, bilangan trafik dan guna tanah). Kajian ini menemui hubungkaitan antara kesihatan pernafasan dan faktor-faktor bandar adalah berbeza antara faktor guna tanah dan trafik di peringkat bandar serta faktor kualiti udara dan guna tanah di peringkat tempatan. Sebagai rumusan, faktor bandar adalah berpotensi member impak kepada kesihatan pernafasan.

Kata kunci: Bilangan trafik; guna tanah; hubungkaitan; indek pencemaran udara; jangkitan pernafasan akut

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*Corresponding author; email: oliverling.my@gmail.com