ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study tries to evaluate, through a multidisciplinary approach, the relationship between urban structure, isolation and distribution of social determinants of health, in the so-called "formerly-Bastogi, a compound, with more than 1,500 inhabitants, located in north-western Rome, Italy. METHODS: The architectural-urban analysis, conducted through site visits and evaluations of urban situation, showed how strongly the compound is isolated from the neighbourhoods, and structurally degraded. The socio-demographic analysis, based on the National Census data, showed significant differences in the distribution of the social determinants of health between "formerly-Bastogi" and the surrounding areas. RESULTS: The area under study appears to be isolated from the surrounding urban space, both because of social and architectural factors. This situation could have some association with inhabitants' health. CONCLUSIONS: If our preliminary investigation was useful for a diagnosis of the situation, a more complete - qualitative and quantitative - investigation of the context will be needed to plan appropriate multidisciplinary health-promoting interventions.
