Urban Green Space and Health: Findings from 350 Communities in 20 Countries within the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology Study
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: PDS 70: Green space, Johan Friso Foyer, Floor 1, August 28, 2019, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Background: Exposure to urban green space has been associated with positive health outcomes, but most research has been conducted in developed countries. Methods. We studied 88,646 adults aged 35-70 from 350 urban communities in 20 diverse countries within the prospective urban and rural epidemiology study. We assessed green space exposure using satellite NDVI and for a subset of participants (n=54,993) also used self-reported measures of street trees and park access. We assessed associations with hypothesized pathways linking green space to health, including reductions in air pollution, increases in walking and leisure physical activity (PA), increases in neighborhood social capital and community perceptions, and reductions in stress. Our main health outcome measures included physiological baseline measures (BMI, blood pressure (SBP), lung function) and cardiovascular events and mortality after a median follow-up period of 8·7 years. We modeled fully adjusted associations, controlling for a comprehensive set of individual, household and community factors, in linear, logistic and cox proportional hazards models. Results. In fully adjusted models, we observed strong associations between satellite NDVI, street trees and park proximity and most hypothesized pathways. Green space metrics were associated with decreased BMI and SBP and increased lung function, with NDVI and park access having the strongest associations. For example, a 0.1 increase in NDVI was associated with a -0.20 (-0.32, -0.07) decrease in BMI. No associations were observed between green space metrics and CVD incidence. Park access in a 10-minute walk (yes vs no) was associated with a HR of 0.86 (0.76-0.98) for non-accidental mortality, but this effect was limited to high-income and upper middle-income countries. Conclusion. Urban green space provides support for healthy behaviors and environments and is associated with positive physiological measures. However, green space exposure alone did not reduce the risks for CVD or mortality in this global cohort study.
Source: Environmental Epidemiology
Institution: Oregon State University
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: W2981741324