Higher Green Space Research Articles

Association of fine particulate matter and residential green space with rheumatoid arthritis

BackgroundFine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a recognized risk factor for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, but the association between PM2.5 and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still controversial. Additionally, evidence on the relationship of green space with RA is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the separate and combined associations of PM2.5 and green space with risk of RA. MethodsOur study involved 30,684 participants from the Yinzhou cohort in Ningbo, China. PM2.5 concentrations were determined using a land-use regression model. Residential green space was assessed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from satellite images. We employed the Cox proportional hazard model to evaluate the relationships of PM2.5 and green space with RA. ResultsDuring the 176,894 person-years of follow-up period, 354 cases of RA were identified. Hazard ratio (HR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for every interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 were 1.23 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.49). Compared with lower exposure to residential green space, individuals living in areas with more green space had a decreased risk of RA (HR was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.92), 0.80 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.92), and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.89) for 250m, 500m, and 1000m NDVI buffers, respectively). Similar results were observed for the association between EVI and RA. Furthermore, a significant multiplicative interaction was observed between PM2.5 and green space (NDVI 250m and EVI 250m). No mediating effect of PM2.5 on the relationship between green space and RA was observed. ConclusionOur findings indicated that living in areas with higher green space was linked to a reduced risk of RA, whereas living in areas with higher PM2.5 was associated with an increased risk of RA. The beneficial effect of high green space may be offset by exposure to PM2.5.

Neighborhood environments underpin screen time intervention success in children: Evidence from a study of greenspace and community programming across 130 US communities

The goal of this study was to understand how neighborhood greenspace access may support or hinder the effectiveness of community programs and policies (CPPs) aimed at reducing racial and ethnic inequities in screen time among 4598 US children. We found higher CPP intensity was significantly associated with fewer screen time behaviors in high greenspace neighborhoods, but not neighborhoods with low or moderate greenspace. Moreover, there were significant differences in greenspace access by neighborhood-level race and ethnicity. Implementing CPPs without regard for racial and ethnic greenspace inequities may be an underlying cause in the perpetuation of inequities in childhood screen time.

Association between Neighborhood Stressors and Allostatic Load in Breast Cancer Survivors: The Pathways Study.

Allostatic load (AL) is an intermediary outcome through which neighborhood drivers of health may impact cancer survivorship outcomes. We examined associations of neighborhood stressors and AL in 2,553 women with breast cancer recruited into the Pathways Study in 2006-2013. AL score was derived from biomarkers in the cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune domains of physiological stress measured within 3 years after baseline. Neighborhood data were appended to participants' geocoded baseline addresses. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate associations between neighborhood stressors and risk of higher AL score. Adjusting for age and stage, high AL was positively associated with low versus high neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES; OR=2.24, 95% CI=1.61-3.12) and green space (OR=1.55, 95% CI=1.18-2.03); high versus low traffic (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.01-1.72), crime (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.05-1.67), and household crowding (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.22-2.01); and more versus no fast-food restaurants (OR=1.50, 95% CI=1.21-1.84). Associations remained for nSES and fast-food restaurants after co-adjustment with other neighborhood stressors, and for fast-food restaurants after additional adjustment with individual sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Our preliminary findings can inform further studies of the physiological effects of neighborhood stressors, which collectively may help improve survivorship outcomes for the growing population of breast cancer survivors.

Spatial synergistic effect of urban green space ecosystem on air pollution and heat island effect

It is crucial for urban greening studies to comprehend the spatial synergy effect of the urban green space ecosystem on air pollution and the heat island effect. However, there are limited studies that have considered the impact of green space ecosystems on different air pollutants and urban heat island effects across different seasons from an urban space perspective. Therefore, this study took an urban space perspective and established a high-precision spatial grid with a resolution of 500 m. The spatial econometric regression and bivariate local Moran's I test were employed to analyze the impacts of urban green space ecosystems on air pollutants (including summer ozone (O3) concentration, winter fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration and winter inhalable particulate matter (PM10) concentration) and heat islands in summer and winter.The results showed that the spatial regression coefficients between green space and heat islands, PM2.5 concentration and PM10 concentration are significantly negative, −0.00049***, −0.00329***, and −0.00365*, respectively. The urban green space ecosystems are observed to effectively mitigate the heat island effect and help to reduce PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in winter. There are 88 high-high clustering in the spatial interactions between green space and ozone concentration in summer, that is, the grids with high O3 concentration surrounded by the high green space grids. It implies that urban green space ecosystems can significantly increase O3 pollution in summer. This study reveals that low BVOCs tree species should be widely planted in urban green spaces, while large-scale green space parks should be established in the urban region to continuously increase the proportion of green space. This study would contribute to improving the awareness of the government and relevant employees on scientific urban greening methods.

Spatial and moderating effects of greenspace on the association between air pollution and lung cancer incidence

Lung cancer remains the primary cause of death globally. Studies have increasingly explored the role of greenspace in mitigating lung cancer risks, yet research gaps persist. First, while the direct spatial effect of greenspace has received attention, its potential spillover effects, driven by human mobility and air pollution dispersion, remain underexamined. Second, despite prevalent assertions of greenspace as an air purifier, the extent to which it moderates the air pollution-lung cancer association has yet to be fully understood. Third, the evaluation of greenspace's effects, predominately analyzed linearly a priori, demands exploration into their potential nonlinearity. We utilize three-year lung cancer datasets from 228 counties in China, to investigate the spatial, moderating, and threshold effects of greenspaces on lung cancer incidence in relation to air pollution. Employing spatial econometric and threshold models, our findings indicate that greenspace reduces lung cancer incidence in both local and neighboring counties. We also observe a diminution in the detrimental impact of air pollution on lung cancer incidence in areas with higher greenspace, especially when the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index surpasses a given threshold. These insights contribute to an enhanced understanding of greenspace's role in lung cancer prevention and could inform policies on greenspace expansion prioritization.

Exposure to Residential Green Space and Bone Mineral Density in Young Children

Bone mass accrual is influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors. Targeted interventions at the early stages of life might decrease fracture and/or osteoporosis risk later in life. To investigate whether early-life exposure to residential surrounding green space is associated with a change in bone mineral density in young children. In this prospective birth cohort study (ENVIRONAGE [Environmental Influence on Aging in Early Life]), mother-child pairs from Flanders, Belgium, were recruited at birth and followed up for 4 to 6 years, between October 1, 2014, and July 31, 2021. Data analysis was conducted between January and February 2022. Green space was estimated for high green (>3 m vegetation height), low green (≤3 m vegetation height ), and total green (sum of high and low) within several radii (100-3000 m) around the residence after geocoding of the addresses. Radial bone mineral density was assessed using quantitative ultrasound measurement at follow-up, measured as the mean of the axially transmitted speed of sound in meters per second. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used while accounting for relevant covariates and potential confounders. The study population comprised 327 children (180 [55.0%] female; mean [SD] age, 4.6 [0.4] years at the follow-up evaluation). Early-life exposure to residential green space was associated with increased childhood bone health. An IQR increment in total green (21.2%) and high green (19.9%) space within 500 m was associated with an increase of 27.38 m/s (95% CI, 9.63-45.13 m/s) and 25.30 m/s (95% CI, 7.93-42.68 m/s) in bone mineral density, respectively. Additionally, an IQR increase in total (25.2%) and high (23.2%) green space within 1000 m was associated with a 67% (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17-0.61) and 61% (odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.18-0.75) lower risk of having a bone density lower than the sex-specific 10th percentile (3567.6 m/s for girls and 3522.8 m/s for boys). In this study of children aged 4 to 6 years, higher bone mineral density and a lower risk of having low bone density were associated with higher residential green space exposure during childhood. These findings highlight the importance of early-life exposure to residential green space on bone health during critical periods of growth and development, with long-term implications.

The effect modification of greenspace and impervious surface on the heat-mortality association: Differences by the dissimilarity index

Recent studies have shown that heat-mortality risk differs by level of greenspace and impervious surface. However, these studies do not consider both green spaces and impervious surfaces simultaneously, and further did not fully consider community- and individual-level characteristics. In this study we explored the effect modification of greenspace and impervious surface on the association between heat and mortality and how it differs by race/ethnicity dissimilarity index levels in North Carolina, USA. We aggregated datasets for greenspace, impervious surface estimates, temperature, and mortality for 1275 census tracts for North Carolina, USA, for 2000 to 2016 for 5 warm months (May to September). We used distributed lag non-linear models to estimate the heat-mortality relationship in each census tract. Heat-mortality relative risk (RR) was higher for census tracts with low greenspace than high greenspace (RR comparing risk at 99th temperature and minimum mortality temperature: 1.08 (1.02, 1.15) for low greenspace and 0.97 (0.87, 1.08) for high greenspace). Heat-mortality RR was higher for tracts with high impervious surface than low impervious surface (1.04 (1.00, 1.09) for high impervious surface and 0.94 (0.84, 1.05) for low impervious surface). Census tracts with high dissimilarity value and low greenspace had the highest heat-mortality risk compared to the tracts with high dissimilarity value with and high greenspace (1.13 (1.02, 1.24) for high dissimilarity index and 0.97 (0.86, 1.09) for low dissimilarity index). Communities with low greenspace or high impervious surfaces had higher heat-mortality associations, and this effect modification was higher for high race/ethnicity dissimilarity regions.

Greenspace related to bipolar disorder in Taiwan: Quantitative benefits of saving DALY loss and increasing income.

Scientific evidence reported that surrounding greenspace could promote better mental health. Considering bipolar disorder as the health outcome, this study aimed to investigate the association between greenspace and bipolar disorder in Taiwan and quantified the benefits of greenspace on bipolar disorder adjusted for the international greenspace availability standard. By examining datasets across 348 townships, two quantitative measures (i.e., disability-adjusted life year loss and income) were used to represent the benefits. The incidence rate of bipolar disorder was obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Normalized different vegetation index (NDVI) was measured as a proxy for the greenspace availability. A generalized additive mixed model coupled with a sensitivity test were applied to evaluate the statistical association. The prevented fraction for the population (PFP) was then applied to develop a scenario for quantifying benefit. The result showed a significant negative association between greenspace and bipolar disorder in Taiwan. Compared to low greenspace, areas with medium and high greenspace may reduce the bipolar risk by 21% (RR=0.79; 95% CI=0.76-0.83) and 51% (RR=0.49; 95% CI=0.45-0.53). Calculating benefits, we found that the development of a scenario by increasing greenspace adjusted for availability indicator in township categorized as low greenspace could save in DALY loss due to bipolar disorder up to10.97% and increase in income up to 11.04% from the current situation. Lastly, this was the first study in Asia-Pacific to apply a customized greenspace increment scenario to quantify the benefits to a particular health burden such as bipolar disorder.

Association of air pollution and green space with all-cause general practitioner and emergency room visits: A cross-sectional study of young people and adults living in Belgium

BackgroundResiding in areas with lower levels of air pollution and higher green space is beneficial to physical and mental health. We investigated associations of PM2.5, tree cover and grass cover with in-hours and out-of-hours GP visits and ER visits, for young people and adults. We estimated potential cost savings of GP visits attributable to high PM2.5. MethodsWe linked individual-level health insurance claims data of 315,123 young people (10–24 years) and 885,988 adults (25–64 years) with census tract-level PM2.5, tree cover and grass cover. Deploying negative binomial generalized linear mixed models, we estimated associations between quartile exposures and the three outcome measures. ResultsFor in-hours and out-of-hours GP visits, among young people as well as adults, statistically significant pairwise differences between quartiles suggested increasing beneficial effects with lower PM2.5. The same outcomes were statistically significantly less frequent in quartiles with highest tree cover (>30.00%) compared to quartiles with lower tree cover, but otherwise pairwise differences were not statistically significant. These associations largely persisted in rural and urban areas. Among adults living in urban areas lower grass cover was associated with increased in-hours GP visits and ER visits. Assuming causality, reducing PM2.5 levels to the lowest quartile (4.91–7.49 μg/m³), among adults, 195,964 in-hours and 74,042 out-of-hours GP visits could be avoided annually. Among young people, 27,457 in-hours and 22,423 out-of-hours GP visits could be avoided annually. Nationally, this amounts to an annual potential cost saving of €43 million (€5.7 million in out-of-pocket payments and €37.2 million in compulsory health insurance). ConclusionHigher ambient PM2.5 and lower tree cover show associations with higher non-urgent and urgent medical care utilization. These findings confirm the importance of reducing air pollution and fostering green zones, and that such policies may contribute positively to economic growth.

The new path of tourism planning development based on MSPA-connectivity-space syntax

As China’s tourism industry is on the right track, the country has gradually paid more attention to the ecological protection of tourism areas. Under the concept of sustainable development, the research on environmental adaptability of tourist attractions has become a hotspot. This study took Huanglongxi Ancient Town in Shuangliu District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province as the research object, and determined seven ecological protection spaces of Huanglongxi Ancient Town by MSPA method, and then used the landscape connectivity method to identify the priority of ecological sources. The high green space and water are the “source”, and finally the path network is constructed using space syntax, and the relationship between the flow of people and the path resistance disturbance is calculated. After analysis, it is concluded that Huanglongxi Ancient Town has 2 green spaces with higher priority and 1 water area with higher priority. The route layout can meet the current annual reception volume and will not cause obvious congestion during the daily peak. Huanglongxi Ancient Town has 6 enterprises above designated size and 20,000 square kilometers of arable land. The average dLLC of the green space in Huanglongxi Ancient Town is 19.10, the average dPC is 20.92, the maximum time resistance is 0.951 + 1.703*10-7*V151.3, and the maximum time resistance disturbance is 0.999. Huanglongxi Ancient Town can pass between paths 7–8. Add new paths to improve the path situation.

0240 Greenspace in Relation to Sleep Health among a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Cohort of US Women

Abstract Introduction Exposure to greenspace has been associated with better sleep health by potentially supporting salubrious activities (e.g., physical activity), buffering noise, improving air quality, and promoting mental health. However, most prior studies have included few sleep dimensions or lacked racial/ethnic diversity. Further, access to greenspace is not equitably distributed across racial/ethnic groups due to structural racism, including environmental justice issues. Methods To investigate cross-sectional associations between greenspace with sleep health, overall and by race/ethnicity, we used data collected at enrollment (2003-2009) from women in the Sister Study (n=1,575 Hispanic/Latina, n=4,421 non-Hispanic (NH)-Black, and n=41,628 NH-White). Participants’ home addresses (X-Y coordinates) were linked to NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Normalized Difference Vegetation Index data (250m resolution) during July of the year of enrollment to capture tertiles of proximity to greenspace. Participants reported multiple sleep dimensions including short sleep duration (< 7 hours), insomnia symptoms, frequent napping, and sleep debt (≥2-hour difference between average longest and shortest sleep duration during a week). Adjusting for both individual- and neighborhood-level sociodemographic characteristics, log Poisson regression with robust variance estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) for low/moderate vs. high greenspace associated with poor sleep, overall and by race/ethnicity. Results Among participants (mean±SD age=55.7±9.0 years), Hispanic/Latina and NH-Black participants comprised 8% of the population with high greenspace, 15% with low/moderate greenspace, and reported shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality compared to NH-White participants. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, neighborhood disadvantage, and population density, low/moderate vs. high greenspace was associated with an 8% higher prevalence of frequent napping (PR=1.08 [95% CI:1.02-1.15]). Low/moderate greenspace was also marginally associated with a higher prevalence of short sleep duration (PR=1.01 [0.98-1.05]), insomnia symptoms (PR=1.03 [0.99-1.07]), and comorbid short sleep with insomnia symptoms (PR=1.04 [0.99-1.10]) but was not associated with sleep debt. Associations did not vary by race/ethnicity. Conclusion Low or moderate greenspace was marginally associated with poorer sleep across racial/ethnic groups, supporting greenspace as beneficial for all. Although replication with longitudinal data and objective sleep measures is warranted, greenspace interventions may improve population sleep health; equitable access may help address racial/ethnic sleep disparities. Support (if any) NIEHS (Z1AES103325[CLJ] and Z01ES044005[DPS]):

Relations of residential green and blue spaces with new-onset chronic kidney disease

ObjectiveWe investigated the associations of residential green and blue spaces with chronic kidney disease (CKD) incidence, which have rarely been examined. MethodsA total of 346,697 participants from UK Biobank without CKD at baseline were included. Land coverage percentages of residential green and blue spaces at 300 m and 1000 m buffer were estimated using land use data. The primary outcome was new-onset CKD ascertained through linkage to health administrative datasets. ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 12.0 years, 10,101 new-onset CKD were documented. Overall, there were significant inverse associations of residential green space coverage at 300 m (per SD [21.7 %] increment, HR,0.96, 95%CI, 0.94–0.98) and 1000 m (per SD [20.7 %] increment, HR, 0.96, 95%CI, 0.94–0.98) buffer, and blue space at 300 m (per SD [1.1 %] increment, HR, 0.97, 95%CI, 0.95–1.00) and 1000 m (per SD [1.2 %] increment, HR, 0.97, 95%CI, 0.95–1.00) buffer with the risk of new-onset CKD. Moreover, at 300 m buffer, a significantly lower risk of new-onset CKD (HRs ranging from 0.88 to 0.90) was found in participants with both higher green space and higher blue space (both of them in the 2nd or 3rd tertile, and at least one in the 3rd tertile). At 1000 m buffer, a significantly lower risk of new-onset CKD (HRs ranging from 0.79 to 0.89) was found in participants with either higher green space or higher blue space (either one in the 2nd or 3rd tertile). Furthermore, PM2.5 did not significantly modify the association of exposure to green and blue space with the risk of CKD (all P for interactions >0.05). ConclusionsResidential green and blue spaces, especially at larger buffer sizes, might be protective factors against new-onset CKD.

Greener cities cost more green: Examining the impacts of different urban expansion patterns on NPP

Urban expansion patterns whether rather “dispersed” or “compact”, have profound impacts on vegetation net primary productivity (NPP), which substantially alters the ecosystem functioning and its resources. However, there remains limited understanding of which pattern is more conducive towards NPP. Different studies have different and even contradictory views. Hence, to better understand the relationship of NPP and the underlying urban spatial patterns further research is needed. In this study, we compare the impacts of different urban expansion patterns on NPP at varying scales for the time period of 2000–2020. We exemplify this for differing city types in China (Chengdu and Hangzhou) and the USA (Chicago and Raleigh). The results showed cities with dispersed spatial patterns caused higher NPP loss rates (17.93%) than cities with compact spatial patterns (10.40%). The majority of NPP loss (more than 72%) caused by urbanization occurred predominantly in suburban and urban fringe areas. In both, suburban and urban fringe areas, the American cities with low population density and dispersed expansion patterns showed more NPP loss per new urban resident (880.713–8076.308 Mg C 10−4 persons) as well as more NPP loss per square kilometer of built-up land (51.480–881.737 Mg C km−2). The dispersed spatial pattern with high green space ratios significantly alleviated the NPP loss at the local scale but caused more overall NPP loss for the entire city. These findings shed new light on the scale dependence of urbanization-induced impacts on vegetation, and thus, help to better understand the effects of urban expansion patterns on our environment from local to planetary scales.

Resident Satisfaction of Urban Green Spaces through the Lens of Landsenses Ecology.

Residents' satisfaction of urban green space has been widely detected in living environments around the world. Most previous reports were performed with objective indicators to reflect the characteristics of vegetation and landscapes of residential green space. However, subjective senses as impact factors in the evaluation of residents' satisfaction based on landsenses ecology are scarce. To address this, in this study, physical perception, aesthetic cognition, and psychological cognition as latent variables in a structural equation model were investigated to determine the residents' satisfaction in Xiamen, in southeast China, a famously high green space coverage region. The results indicate that physical perception is the fundamental condition to improve residents' satisfaction, while aesthetic cognition and psychological cognition are the direct factors that influenced residents' satisfaction. Residents exhibit a preference for the residential green space which contains more biodiversity and landscape diversity, a higher biomass, and greater openness. In addition, the residents' perception significantly related to greenspace characteristics. The results provide a scientific basis for urban green space planning and optimization of ecological resources' allocation.

Identifying Driving Factors of Basin Ecosystem Service Value Based on Local Bivariate Spatial Correlation Patterns

Ecosystem service value (ESV) is a crucial indicator for evaluating ecosystem health, and identifying its spatial driving factors will help to provide scientific decision support for ecological protection and restoration. This study took the Liuxi River Basin in China as the research object and used the value equivalent method to estimate regional ESV. In the process of using the Geodetector model (GDM), the study area was spatially stratified by using the local bivariate spatial correlation pattern to mine the potential driving factors of ESV. The results show that: (1) From 2005 to 2018, the total value of ecosystem services in the Liuxi River Basin showed a fluctuating and increasing trend. ESV had high-value aggregation in the northeastern mountainous areas with high green space coverage and high river distance accessibility and low-value aggregation in the central and southwestern urban areas with frequent human activities. Its spatial heterogeneity and aggregation patterns were of statistical significance. (2) The spatial distribution characteristics of ESV were affected by various driving factors to varying degrees. The order of their degree of influence on ESV was per capita green area > slope > the proportion of urban and rural human settlements > river distance accessibility > population. (3) Compared to the previous study, the stratification method employing the local bivariate spatial correlation pattern more fully considers spatial autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity. It effectively captured the spatial explanatory power of driving factors. This study can provide new ideas for capturing the driving mechanisms of ESV and insights into the sustainable development of the ecological environment in other regions with similar characteristics worldwide.

Physiological and affective responses to green space virtual reality among pregnant women

BackgroundBenefits of green spaces on stress reduction have been shown in previous studies. Most existing studies to date have focused on the general population. However, there is a lack of understanding of physiological mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of green space among special populations, such as pregnant women. ObjectivesTo examine physiological and affective responses to green space on stress recovery among pregnant women, using simulated green space exposure through virtual reality (VR). MethodsWe recruited 63 pregnant women between 8 and 14 weeks’ gestational age for a laboratory experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of three, 5-min, VR videos of an urban scene with different green space levels (i.e., non-green, moderate, and high) after a laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test. Physiological stress responses were measured via changes in blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance level, salivary alpha-amylase, and salivary cortisol. Affective response was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. ResultsWe found that visual exposure to a green space environment in VR was associated with both physiological and affective stress reduction among pregnant women, including lower systolic blood pressure [-4.6 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI): −8.8, −0.4], reduced salivary alpha-amylase concentration (−1.2 ng/ml, 95% CI: −2.2, −0.2), improved overall positive affect (score: 6.6, 95% CI: 0.3, 13.0) and decreased negative affect of anxiety (score: −2.6, 95% CI: −5.19, −0.04) compared to non-green space environment. Exposure to high green space environment in park-like setting had the strongest impacts on stress recovery. ConclusionThis study demonstrated that virtual green space exposure could effectively ease stress and improve mental health and well-being during pregnancy. Even a short immersion in VR-based green space environment may bring health benefits, which has significant implications for pregnant women when access to an actual nature may not be possible.

Prenatal exposure to residential green space and cord blood DNA methylation: epigenome wide association studies in the ENVIRONAGE cohort

Background and aim DNA methylation may be an underlying mechanism between green space and health. Although newborn DNA methylation is sensitive to environmental influences during prenatal life, the impact of green space has not been studied yet. This study evaluated whether prenatal exposure to residential green space is associated with cord blood DNA methylation. Methods We conducted epigenome-wide association studies using data from two subpopulations (N=198 and 349) of the ENVIRONAGE cohort. Cord blood DNA methylation was measured by Illumina HumanMethylation 450K and EPIC BeadChip arrays, respectively in the two subpopulations. High (vegetation >3m), low (vegetation <3m) and total (including both) green space exposure was estimated within 100 and 1000 m distance around the maternal residence using high-resolution data. We used linear mixed models to identify differentially methylated sites, and two different approaches (ENmix-combp and DMRcate) to identify differentially methylated regions. Functional analysis was performed by associating green space with cord expression of the genes mapped to the identified signals. Results Prenatal exposure to total, low and high residential green space within 100 and 1000 m was associated with six differentially methylated regions (annotated to COL9A3, GPR27, LINC00612, LINC01973, PARD6G-AS1, ZNF274 genes), in common to the two subsets. Methylation at 7 CpGs was associated with prenatal exposure to total and high green space at 100 and 1000 m distance, with no overlap between the two subsets. Expression level of the FSTL3 gene decreased with prenatal exposure to total green space at 1000 m buffer. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that prenatal residential exposure to green space is associated with cord blood DNA methylation, mainly at loci organized in regions, and that these signals may have functional relevance. Keywords: Residential green space, Epigenomics, Gene expression

Effect modification of greenness on the association between heat and mortality: A multi-city multi-country study.

SummaryBackgroundIdentifying how greenspace impacts the temperature-mortality relationship in urban environments is crucial, especially given climate change and rapid urbanization. However, the effect modification of greenspace on heat-related mortality has been typically focused on a localized area or single country. This study examined the heat-mortality relationship among different greenspace levels in a global setting.MethodsWe collected daily ambient temperature and mortality data for 452 locations in 24 countries and used Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) as the greenspace measurement. We used distributed lag non-linear model to estimate the heat-mortality relationship in each city and the estimates were pooled adjusting for city-specific average temperature, city-specific temperature range, city-specific population density, and gross domestic product (GDP). The effect modification of greenspace was evaluated by comparing the heat-related mortality risk for different greenspace groups (low, medium, and high), which were divided into terciles among 452 locations.FindingsCities with high greenspace value had the lowest heat-mortality relative risk of 1·19 (95% CI: 1·13, 1·25), while the heat-related relative risk was 1·46 (95% CI: 1·31, 1·62) for cities with low greenspace when comparing the 99th temperature and the minimum mortality temperature. A 20% increase of greenspace is associated with a 9·02% (95% CI: 8·88, 9·16) decrease in the heat-related attributable fraction, and if this association is causal (which is not within the scope of this study to assess), such a reduction could save approximately 933 excess deaths per year in 24 countries.InterpretationOur findings can inform communities on the potential health benefits of greenspaces in the urban environment and mitigation measures regarding the impacts of climate change.FundingThis publication was developed under Assistance Agreement No. RD83587101 awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Yale University. It has not been formally reviewed by EPA. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Agency. EPA does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication. Research reported in this publication was also supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01MD012769. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Also, this work has been supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (2021R1A6A3A03038675), Medical Research Council-UK (MR/V034162/1 and MR/R013349/1), Natural Environment Research Council UK (Grant ID: NE/R009384/1), Academy of Finland (Grant ID: 310372), European Union's Horizon 2020 Project Exhaustion (Grant ID: 820655 and 874990), Czech Science Foundation (22-24920S), Emory University's NIEHS-funded HERCULES Center (Grant ID: P30ES019776), and Grant CEX2018-000794-S funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 The funders had no role in the design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript writing, or decision to publication.

The association between urban greenspace and psychological health among young adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

IntroductionPsychological disorders are emerging as health priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Ethiopia. Urban greenspace — parks, trees, and other vegetation integrated into urban form — may facilitate population psychological health, but is largely understudied outside high-income countries. We explore greenspace in relation to psychological health among young adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. MethodGreenspace exposure was calculated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from publicly available satellite imagery (2018–2019). We used tests of spatial clustering to characterize greenspace distribution. Derived NDVI values were linked to Positive Outcomes for Orphans study participants to explore cross-sectional associations between greenspace exposure and psychological health (measured 2019–2021). Two continuous scores of psychological health were examined: total difficulties from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and depressive symptoms from the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Multilevel generalized linear regression, nested by administrative units, was used to estimate the association between greenspace and psychological health. We also explored effect modification by gender and having income. ResultsWe found greenspace is spatially clustered in Addis Ababa, with high greenspace density in the northeast region and low greenspace density in the center of the city. Our findings suggest residing in greener areas is associated with fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties (β = −1.89; 95% CI: −3.50, −0.29), but not significantly associated with depressive symptomology (β = −0.61; 95% CI: −2.33, 1.11). We observed stronger associations between greenspace and total difficulties among those reporting any income and among males, and for the association between greenspace and depression symptomology among males. ConclusionWe offer initial exploration into the role of greenspace in psychological well-being in Addis Ababa, with potential implications for urban communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. Further research should continue to explore how the built and natural environment could be leveraged in similar settings to promote population psychological health.

Accessible Green Spaces? Spatial Disparities in Residential Green Space among People with Disabilities in the United States

This article presents new quantitative results on the distribution of residential green space for people with disabilities in the United States, building on and bridging scholarly research in two distinct domains: one involving approaches that quantify disparities in green space access among racialized minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, and the other using qualitative methods that demonstrate that most green spaces remain inaccessible and unwelcoming to disabled visitors. Using generalized additive models (GAMs) that controlled for demographic factors and climatological characteristics, we find that residential areas with more green space generally have a higher proportion of disabled residents. The statistical results run counter to expectations from the literature, thus complicating the prevailing narrative and indicating a need for mixed-methods research to examine multiple dimensions of access and environmental justice. Using cluster analysis to assess spatial trends, we detect residential clusters of high disability and low green space and find that they are located in predominantly non-White, urban, and more socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods compared to clusters of high disability and high green space. Cluster analysis results suggest that there are inequities in green space access at the intersection of disability, race, and class, as well as across the urban–rural continuum.