The Necessity of Paying Attention to Assessment Tools of the Quality of Life of Afghan Immigrants Residing in Iran’s Deprived Urban Areas

Letter to Editor

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Science, Kermanshah, IR Iran

2 Department of Psychology, Malayer University, Hamadan, IR Iran

3 Research Center of Addiction and Behavioral Sciences, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IR Iran

4 Yazd Diabetes Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IR Iran


The question of quality of life has attracted a lot of attention in recent years and is increasingly becoming the object of theoretical and empirical research in various disciplines. The study of such a concept is based on the fundamental assumption that the social and physical environment of an area can influence the well-being of people residing in that area [1]. Hence, measuring the quality of urban life in developed countries is one of the main purposes of urban studies which includes multiple biological, social, environmental, and economic components. Considering this indicator in cities is important as an efficient tool in urban management and planning and in determining the rate of community health [1, 2]. Iran as a developing country has high growth in urban population and in the number of cities. The urban population of the country (0.71.4) and the number of urban areas (up to 1331 areas) have increased according to 2011 statistics [3]. The total number of Afghan nationals in Iran in 2015 was about 2,500,000, about 1,000,000 of whom have been allowed to live in cities. At first glance, this figure seems to be insignificant, but those refugees and illegal immigrants who live in Iran and are unwilling to return to Afghanistan are deprived of many health and safety facilities for reasons of security, employment, and housing [4]. Most Afghan refugees have chosen to live in deprived urban areas that are unlike other urban areas in terms of the health reform and social-economic prosperity; moreover, the quality of life there is low. Studying and identifying the problems of immigrants in old and deprived areas in order to meet their health and security needs is crucial [2, 3]... (Read more...)

  1. Lambiri D, Biagi B, Royuela V. Quality of life in the economic and urban economic literature. Soc Indic Res. 2007;84(1):1-25. doi: 10.1007/s11205-006-9071-5
  2. Smith C, Levermore G. Designing urban spaces and buildings to improve sustainability and quality of life in a warmer world. Energy Policy. 2008;36(12):4558-62. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2008.09.011
  3. Pourahmad A, Zarei J. Measuring of quality of life in the realm of urban distressed areas: case studies in Tehran 9 district. J Res Urban Plan. 2015;21(9):1-18.
  4. Mohammadian M, Dadfar M, Bolhari J, Karimi Keisami E. Screening for mental disorders among Afghan immigrants residing in Tehran. Iran J Psychiatry Clin Psychol. 2005;11(3):270-7.
  5. Seik FT. Subjective assessment of urban quality of life in Singapore (1997–1998). Habitat Int. 2000;24(1):31-49. doi: 10.1016/S0197-3975(99)00026-0
  6. Lee Y-J. Subjective quality of life measurement in Taipei. Build Environ. 2008;43(7):1205-15. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.11.023