Urban Spatial Configuration and Non-Communicable Disease Prevalence in Doha, Qatar: An Ecological Spatial Analysis

(Background) The rapid urban transformation of Doha has intensified interest in how the spatial configuration of the built environment shapes patterns of chronic disease. While international evidence links walkability, network structure, and environmental exposure to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such relationships remain under-examined in hot-arid Gulf cities, highlighting an opportunity for public health action. (Objective) This study investigates what spatial conditions characterise Doha’s planning zones and how urban configuration relates to the distribution of selected NCDs. It maps municipal-scale variation in space syntax metrics, visualises patterns of NCD prevalence, and interprets linkages between health and morphology through behavioural and environmental pathways. (Methods) A cross-sectional ecological spatial study conducted across 56 zones using space syntax indicators and GIS-based mapping of clinically verified NCD prevalence. Spatial clustering was assessed through Moran’s I and LISA maps. (Results) Distinct morphological gradients were observed, from highly integrated inner-city street networks to coarse-grained peripheral superblocks. Obesity (11.1–50.0%) and hypertension (5.6–28.1%) showed the clearest spatial structuring, occurring more frequently in zones characterised by lower network integration, reduced permeability, and larger block sixes. COPD (1.7–12.5%) exhibited a distinct clustering pattern, occurring more often in large-block, corridor-oriented districts consistent with traffic-related exposure contexts. Diabetes (4.0–26.5%) showed weak spatial structuring and no consistent alignment with configurational measures at the planning-zone scale. (Conclusions) Urban configuration in Doha is associated with outcome-specific chronic disease patterns, with cardiometabolic conditions and chronic pulmonary health outcomes showing clear sensitivity to urban design and street-network configuration, while diabetes does not exhibit a consistent spatial association at the neighbourhood scale. Integrating key configurational indicators into municipal planning can support the identification of spatial health vulnerabilities and the prioritisation of health-supportive interventions in hot-arid cities. scale