Residential Surrounding Greenspace and Arterial Stiffening: A Whitehall II Longitudinal Study
Year: 2019
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: OPS 30: Green space and morbidity, Room 110, Floor 1, August 27, 2019, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Background/Aim: Arterial stiffness, and its progression with age, is an important indicator of the ageing of the cardiovascular system. Exposure to greenspace may be protective against arterial stiffness; however, the available evidence on such an effect is non-existent. We aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to greenspace and arterial stiffness and its progression over time. Methods: This longitudinal study was based on 4349 participants (aged 55 to 79 at baseline) of the Whitehall II Study from the UK. Arterial stiffness was assessed in two medical examinations (2007-2009 and 2012-2013) by measuring the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Residential surrounding greenspace was characterized using satellite-based indices of greenspace including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and Vegetation Continuous Field (VCF) across buffers of 500 and 1000 meters surrounding the participants’ address at each follow-up. The association between the greenspace indicators (one at a time) and baseline PWV and the 4-year change in PWV was assessed using linear mixed effects models with the participant as random effect, controlling for demographic factors, lifestyle factors, and indicators of individual and area socioeconomic status. Results: Higher residential surrounding greenspace was associated with a decreased 4-year change in PWV; an interquartile range increase in NDVI, EVI, and VCF in the 500 m buffer was associated with a -0.05 m/s (95% Confidence Interval (CI): -0.07, -0.03), -0.07 m/s (95% CI: -0.10, -0.04) and -0.09 m/s (95% CI: -0.12, -0.06) 4-year change in PWV, respectively. Similar results were found using 1000 m buffers. No association was found with the baseline PWV. Conclusions: We observed that higher residential surrounding greenspace was associated with a decelerated progression in arterial stiffness. Greenspaces could contribute to the maintenance of cardiovascular health in the older population.
Source: Environmental Epidemiology
Language: English
Topic: Urban Green Space and Health
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,200
OpenAlex ID: W2981595909