Association between neighborhood physical characteristics and mental health among older adults in Spain

•Cross-sectional study over a representative sample of Spanish older adults.•Neighborhood physical environment problems were associated with poor mental health.•Air pollution, troublesome animals and lack of green areas were main contributors.•The impact was stronger in larger localities and physically active people.•Improving residential environments could be one of the keys to healthy aging. The aim was to assess the impact of neighborhood physical environment on mental health among non-institutionalized older adults. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted over a representative sample of 5,071 people ≥65 years from the Spanish National Health Survey. The survey included nine items addressing the self-perceived degree of discomfort due to neighborhood physical problems. Participants were categorized into groups with “no problems”, “some problems” (somewhat discomfort on 1–4 items) and “many problems” (somewhat discomfort on ≥5 items or very much discomfort on ≥1 item). Mental health status was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire, consisting of 12 items assessing the severity of a psychological distress over the past few weeks. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regressions. A dose-response association (p-trend