Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study aims to examine if a garbage dumping site has real and negative influence on the quality of life (QOL) for the nearby residents. The net effects of the residential distance from the garbage dumping site and from the garbage truck route were investigated for five domains of the QOL. METHODS: Two hundred fifty seven Shin-dong Myeon residents, Chun-cheon Si, participated in a selfadministrated survey. The Shin-dong Myeon garbage dumping site began operating in 1996. ANCOVA with generalized linear models and multiple regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: Descriptive analyses show that a residence nearby a garbage dumping site is negatively associated with the physical and environmental domains of the QOL. The residential distance from the garbage truck route does not exert any significant effect on various domains of QOL, except for the environmental domain. On the multivariate analysis, the residents living near the garbage dumping site tended to have a significantly negative QOL in the physical and environmental domains. However, the distance from the garbage truck route did not show a significant nor substantial effect on the QOL. The demographic and socioeconomic control variables are associated with a number of the QOL domains, and their patterns are consistent with the general expectations. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that a garbage dumping site is considered to be an environmental hazard among the nearby residents according to the lower scores on the physical and environmental domains of the QOL. The findings from this study provide comprehensive understanding on the residents&QOL, and they may help politicians and policy makers make decisions for appropriate interventions.

• Keywords: Quality of life, RuralGarbage dumping siteGarbage truck route