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Associations between types of greenery along neighborhood roads and weight status in different climates
Citation:
Tsai, W., A. Davis, AND Laura E. Jackson. Associations between types of greenery along neighborhood roads and weight status in different climates. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands, 41:104-107, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.03.011
Impact/Purpose:
To contribute new findings on eco-health relationships, including the signal of residential street trees vs. other street greenery in variations in adult BMI, and the similarities in significant findings across two highly climatically distinct U.S. urbanized areas (Portland, OR vs. Phoenix, AZ). Additional novel contributions include the use of one-meter resolution landcover data, and driver's license databases to calculate health metrics at the individual level for very large study populations.
Description:
Obesity is a major international public-health concern. Its prevalence is determined by many drivers. Neighborhood greenery has been identified as a critical factor for promoting human health in urban areas, due in part to its apparent role in facilitating healthy weight by promoting physical activity. However, studies have used diverse greenery measures and spatial analysis units to ascertain this relationship. This study examined associations between types of street greenery and weight status at the individual level across 500 to 2000m network buffers in two climatically distinct communities, Phoenix, AZ, and Portland, OR. Weight status was defined by body mass index using weight and height information on driver’s license records from participating states. Greenery measures were designed by the U.S. EPA’s EnviroAtlas project to quantify the pedestrian environment along a gradient of suitability for promoting physical exercise using meter-scale urban landcover data. Findings included that tree cover was consistently protective for healthy weight status across all buffer sizes after adjusting for potential confounders. Herbaceous cover showed protective effects in Phoenix but harmful effects in Portland. Every 10% increase in street tree cover at 2000m residential network buffers was associated with 18% lower odds of being overweight or obese (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.81 – 0.84 in Phoenix; 0.82, 95% CI: 0.81 – 0.83 in Portland). When compared to residents with less than 10% tree cover within 2000m, those with greater than 10% tree cover had 14% (AOR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.85 – 0.87) and 13% (AOR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81 – 0.92) lower odds of being overweight or obese in Phoenix and Portland, respectively. Findings support the importance of urban street trees, even in very different climates, for facilitating healthy weight status. They also help guide urban greenery management to prioritize vegetation type and allocation decisions in limited urban spaces.
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DOI: Associations between types of greenery along neighborhood roads and weight status in different climates