Association Between Residential Greenness, Cardiometabolic Disorders, and Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults in China

Long-term exposure to air pollution, road traffic noise and greenness, and incidence of myocardial infarction in women

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence shows that long-term exposure to air pollution, road traffic noise, and greenness can each be associated with cardiovascular disease, but only few studies combined these exposures. In this study, we assessed associations of multiple environmental exposures and incidence of myocardial infarction using annual time-varying predictors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In a population-based cohort of 20,407 women in Sweden, we estimated a five-year moving average of residential exposure to air pollution (PM2.5, PM10 and NO2), road traffic noise (Lden), and greenness (normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI in 500 m buffers), from 1998 to 2017 based on annually varying exposures and address history. We used adjusted time-varying Cox proportional hazards regressions to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) of myocardial infarction per interquartile range (IQR). Furthermore, we investigated interactions between the exposures and explored potential vulnerable subgroups.

RESULTS

In multi-exposure models, long-term exposure to greenness was inversely associated with incidence of myocardial infarction (HR 0.89; 95 % CI 0.80, 0.99 per IQR NDVI increase). Stronger associations were observed in some subgroups, e.g. among women with low attained education and in overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) compared to their counterparts. For air pollution, we observed a tendency of an increased risk of myocardial infarction in relation to PM2.5 (HR 1.07; 95 % CI 0.93, 1.23) and the association appeared stronger in women with low attained education (HR 1.30; 95 % CI 1.06, 1.58). No associations were observed for PM10, NO2 or road traffic noise. Furthermore, there were no clear interaction patterns between the exposures.

CONCLUSION

Over a 20-year follow-up period, in multi-exposure models, we found an inverse association between residential greenness and risk of myocardial infarction among women. Furthermore, we observed an increased risk of myocardial infarction in relation to PM2.5 among women with low attained education. Road traffic noise was not associated with myocardial infarction.

Simulating the impact of greenspace exposure on metabolic biomarkers in a diverse population living in San Diego, California: A g-computation application

Introduction

Growing evidence exists that greenspace exposure can reduce metabolic syndrome risk, a growing public health concern with well-documented inequities across population subgroups. We capitalize on the use of g-computation to simulate the influence of multiple possible interventions on residential greenspace on nine metabolic biomarkers and metabolic syndrome in adults (N = 555) from the 2014-2017 Community of Mine Study living in San Diego County, California.

Methods

Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) exposure from 2017 was averaged across a 400-m buffer around the participants' residential addresses. Participants' fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c (%), waist circumference, and metabolic syndrome were assessed as outcomes of interest. Using parametric g-computation, we calculated risk differences for participants being exposed to each decile of the participant NDVI distribution compared to minimum NDVI. Differential health impacts from NDVI exposure by sex, ethnicity, income, and age were examined.

Results

We found that a hypothetical increase in NDVI exposure led to a decrease in hemoglobin A1c (%), glucose, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, an increase in fasting total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations, and minimal changes to systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, and metabolic syndrome. The impact of NDVI changes was greater in women, Hispanic individuals, and those under 65 years old.

Conclusions

G-computation helps to simulate the potential health benefits of differential NDVI exposure and identifies which subpopulations can benefit most from targeted interventions aimed at minimizing health disparities.

Tree-Based Machine Learning to Identify Predictors of Psoriasis Incidence at the Neighborhood Level: A Populational Study from Quebec, Canada

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a major global health burden affecting ~ 60 million people worldwide. Existing studies on psoriasis focused on individual-level health behaviors (e.g. diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise) and characteristics as drivers of psoriasis risk. However, it is increasingly recognized that health behavior arises in the context of larger social, cultural, economic and environmental determinants of health. We aimed to identify the top risk factors that significantly impact the incidence of psoriasis at the neighborhood level using populational data from the province of Quebec (Canada) and advanced tree-based machine learning (ML) techniques.

METHODS

Adult psoriasis patients were identified using International Classification of Disease (ICD)-9/10 codes from Quebec (Canada) populational databases for years 1997-2015. Data on environmental and socioeconomic factors 1 year prior to psoriasis onset were obtained from the Canadian Urban Environment Health Consortium (CANUE) and Statistics Canada (StatCan) and were input as predictors into the gradient boosting ML. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC). Parsimonious models and partial dependence plots were determined to assess directionality of the relationship.

RESULTS

The incidence of psoriasis varied geographically from 1.6 to 325.6/100,000 person-years in Quebec. The parsimonious model (top 9 predictors) had an AUC of 0.77 to predict high psoriasis incidence. Amongst top predictors, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, maximum daily temperature, proportion of females, soil moisture, urbanization, and distance to expressways had a negative association with psoriasis incidence. Nighttime light brightness had a positive association, whereas social and material deprivation indices suggested a higher psoriasis incidence in the middle socioeconomic class neighborhoods.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to highlight highly variable psoriasis incidence rates on a jurisdictional level and suggests that living environment, notably climate, vegetation, urbanization and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics may have an association with psoriasis incidence.

Greenness, Genetic Predisposition, and Tinnitus

This study aimed to investigate the association between residential greenness and tinnitus and the potential interaction between greenness and genetic predisposition to tinnitus. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is used to measure residential greenness. The tinnitus is defined based on self-reported. In the cross-sectional analyses, logistic regression models are used for the baseline sample of the United Kingdom Biobank cohort. In the secondary analysis, a Cox proportional hazard model is used for a subsample of participants who completed the tinnitus questionnaire at follow-up. In the cross-sectional analysis including 106471 participants, higher residential greenness is associated with lower odds of tinnitus for each interquartile range increase in continuous NDVI, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.95 to 0.99) for tinnitus. A similar association is observed in the longitudinal analysis, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.92 (95% confidence interval: 0.86 to 0.98) for the association of NDVI increased per interquartile range with incident tinnitus. Moreover, there is a significant interaction between greenness and genetic predisposition to tinnitus (P < 0.05). This study suggested that residential greenness is negatively associated with tinnitus. Greenness and genetic predisposition to tinnitus are found to have a significant interaction.

Associations of residential greenness exposure and ambient air pollutants with newly-diagnosed drug-resistant tuberculosis cases

Growing evidence has found the health protective effects of greenness exposure on tuberculosis (TB) and the impact of ambient air pollutants on TB drug-resistance. However, it remains unclear whether residential greenness is also beneficial to reduce TB drug-resistance, and whether air pollution modify the greenness-TB resistance relationship. We enrolled 5006 newly-diagnosed TB patients from Shandong, China, during 2014 to 2021. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in 250 m and 500 m buffer around individuals' residential zone was used to assess greenness exposure. All patients were divided by quartiles of NDVI250-m and NDVI500-m (from low to high: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) respectively. Six logistic regression models (NDVI, NDVI + PM2.5/PM10/SO2/NO2/O3) were used to estimate the association of NDVI and TB drug-resistance when adjusting different air pollutants or not. All models were adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, complications, smoking, drinking, population density, nighttime light index, road density. Compared with participants in NDVI250-m Q1 and NDVI500-m Q1, other groups had lower rates of MDR-TB, PDR-TB, RFP-resistance, SM-resistance, RFP + SM resistance, INH + RFP + EMB + SM resistance. NDVI500-m reduced the risk of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and the adjusted odds ratio (aOR, 95% confidence interval, CI) compared with NDVI500-m Q1 were 0.736 (0.547-0.991) in NDVI + PM10 model, 0.733 (0.544-0.986) in NDVI + PM2.5 model, 0.735(0.546-0.99) in NDVI + SO2 model, 0.736 (0.546-0.991) in NDVI + NO2 model, respectively, P < 0.05. NDVI500-m contributed to a decreased risk of streptomycin (SM)-resistance. The aOR of rifampicin (RFP) + SM resistance were 0.132 (NDVI250-m, Q4 vs Q1, 95% CI: 0.03-0.578), 0.199 (NDVI500-m, Q3 vs. Q1, 95% CI: 0.057-0.688) and 0.264 (NDVI500-m, Q4 vs. Q1, 95% CI: 0.087-0.799). The adjusted ORs (Q2 vs. Q1, 95% CI) of isoniazid (INH) + RFP + ethambutol (EMB) + SM resistance in 500 m buffer were 0.276 (0.119-0.639) in NDVI model, 0.279 (0.11-0.705) in NDVI + PM10 model, 0.281 (0.111-0.713) in NDVI + PM2.5 model, 0.279 (0.11-0.709) in NDVI + SO2 model, 0.296 (0.117-0.754) in NDVI + NO2 model, 0.294 (0.116-0.748) in NDVI + O3 model, respectively. The study showed, for the first time, that residential greenness exposure in 500 m buffer is beneficial for reducing newly-diagnosed DR-TB (including PDR-RB, MDR-TB, MR-TB), and ambient air pollutants may partially mediate this association.

Association of residential greenness with obstructive sleep apnea among Chinese old adults and the mediation role of PM2.5 and leisure-time physical activity

Few studies have investigated the association of residential greenness with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study was to comprehensively examine the association of residential greenness exposure with OSA and explore the mediating effect of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and PM2.5 on the association among Chinese old adults. A prospective cohort study that enrolled 2027 adults aged ≥65 was conducted between 1st July 2015 and 30th September 2019 in Southern China. OSA was ascertained by Berlin Questionnaire. Greenness exposure was measured by contemporaneous and cumulative average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the 1000 m radius around each participant's residential address. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by Cox proportional hazards model to assess the impact of greenness exposure on the incidence of OSA after adjusting for confounders. LTPA and PM2.5 were examined as potential mediators in the aforementioned models. A total of 293, nearly 14.5 %, participants developed OSA within 59,251 person-months of follow-up. When comparing the highest with lowest tertiles, both contemporaneous NDVI (>0.351 vs. ≤0.325: HR = 0.20, 95 % CI = 0.13-0.31) and cumulative NDVI (> 0.346 vs. ≤ 0.317: HR = 0.32, 95 % CI = 0.21-0.47) were associated with a reduced risk of OSA after adjusting for confounders. LTPA and PM2.5 significantly mediated the association between greenness and OSA. In conclusion, this study indicated that exposure to higher residential greenness could decrease OSA risk, and this benefit may be achieved by promoting physical activity and decreasing PM2.5 concentration. The findings suggest to formulate targeted interventional strategies by expanding residential greenness to prevent OSA and reduce disease burden.

Beneficial associations between outdoor visible greenness at the workplace and metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults

BACKGROUND

Greenness surrounding residential places has been found to significantly reduce the risk of diseases such as hypertension, obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, it is unclear whether visible greenness exposure at the workplace has any impact on the risk of MetS.

METHODS

Visible greenness exposure was assessed using a Green View Index (GVI) based on street view images through a convolutional neural network model. We utilized logistic regression to examine the cross-sectional association between GVI and MetS as well as its components among 51,552 adults aged 18-60 in the city of Hangzhou, China, from January 2018 to December 2021. Stratified analyses were conducted by age and sex groups. Furthermore, a scenario analysis was conducted to investigate the risks of having MetS among adults in different GVI scenarios.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 40.1, and 38.5% were women. We found a statistically significant association between GVI and having MetS. Compared to the lowest quartile of GVI, participants in the highest quartile of GVI had a 17% (95% CI: 11-23%) lower odds of having MetS. The protective association was stronger in the males, but we did not observe such differences in different age groups. Furthermore, we found inverse associations between GVI and the odds of hypertension, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, obesity, and high levels of FPG.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher exposure to outdoor visible greenness in the workplace environment might have a protective effect against MetS.

Residential greenness alleviated the adverse associations of long-term exposure to ambient PM1 with cardiac conduction abnormalities in rural adults

BACKGROUND

Ambient air pollution was linked to elevated risks of adverse cardiovascular events, and alterations in electrophysiological properties of the heart might be potential pathways. However, there is still lacking research exploring the associations between PM1 exposure and cardiac conduction parameters. Additionally, the interactive effects of PM1 and residential greenness on cardiac conduction parameters in resource-limited areas remain unknown.

METHODS

A total of 27483 individuals were enrolled from the Henan Rural Cohort study. Cardiac conduction parameters were tested by 12-lead electrocardiograms. Concentrations of PM1 were evaluated by satellite-based spatiotemporal models. Levels of residential greenness were assessed using Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Logistic regression models and restricted cubic splines were fitted to explore the associations of PM1 and residential greenness exposure with cardiac conduction abnormalities risk, and the interaction plot method was performed to visualize their interaction effects.

RESULTS

The 3-year median concentration of PM1 was 56.47 (2.55) μg/m3, the adjusted odds rate (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for abnormal HR, PR, QRS, and QTc interval risk in response to 1 μg/m3 increase in PM1 were 1.064 (1.044, 1.085), 1.037 (1.002, 1.074), 1.061 (1.044, 1.077) and 1.046 (1.028, 1.065), respectively. Participants exposure to higher levels of PM1 had increased risks of abnormal HR (OR = 1.221, 95%CI: 1.144, 1.303), PR (OR = 1.061, 95%CI: 0.940, 1.196), QRS (OR = 1.225, 95%CI: 1.161, 1.294) and QTc interval (OR = 1.193, 95%CI: 1.121, 1.271) compared with lower levels of PM1. Negative interactive effects of exposure to PM1 and residential greenness on abnormal HR, QRS, and QTc intervals were observed (Pfor interaction < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Long-term PM1 exposure was associated with elevated cardiac conduction abnormalities risks, and this adverse association might be mitigated by residential greenness to some extent. These findings emphasize that controlling PM1 pollution and increasing greenness levels might be effective strategies to reduce cardiovascular disease burdens in resource-limited areas.

Exposure to ambient air pollution and metabolic kidney diseases: evidence from the Northeast China Biobank

BACKGROUND

At present, there is no epidemiological evidence of the association between metabolic kidney diseases (MKD) and exposure to air pollution.

METHODS

We investigated the association between exposure to long-term air pollution and the risk of developing MKD using samples from the Northeast China Biobank.

RESULTS

Data from 29 191 participants were analyzed. MKD prevalence was 3.23%. Every standard deviation increment in PM2.5 increased the risk of MKD [odds ratio (OR) = 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-1.58), diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (OR = 2.03, 95% CI 1.52-2.73), hypertensive kidney disease (BKD) (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.11-1.56), hyperlipidemic kidney disease (PKD) (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.19-1.63) and obese kidney disease (OKD) (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.00-1.81). PM10 increased the risk of MKD (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.20-1.67), DKD (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.03-1.85), BKD (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.07-1.58) and PKD (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.26-1.80). Sulfur dioxide increased the risk of MKD (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.34-1.85), DKD (OR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.36-2.40), BKD (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.19-1.74) and PKD (OR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.44-2.04). Ozone decreased the risk of PKD (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.99). Age, ethnicity and air pollution interacted to affect the risk of MKD, BKD and PKD. Associations between air pollution and CKD or metabolic disease were weaker than those with MKD. The association between air pollution and MKD became stronger when compared with participants with non-metabolic disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Air pollution may cause MKD or facilitate the progression from metabolic disease to renal failure.

Independent and interactive associations between greenness and ambient pollutants on novel glycolipid metabolism biomarkers: A national repeated measurement study

This study aims to investigate the independent and interactive effects of greenness and ambient pollutants on novel glycolipid metabolism biomarkers. A repeated national cohort study was conducted among 5085 adults from 150 counties/districts across China, with levels of novel glycolipid metabolism biomarkers of TyG index, TG/HDL-c, TC/HDL-c, and non-HDL-c measured. Exposure levels of greenness and ambient pollutants (including PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2) for each participant were determined based on their residential location. Linear mixed-effect and interactive models were used to evaluate the independent and interactive effects between greenness and ambient pollutants on the four novel glycolipid metabolism biomarkers. In the main models, the changes [β (95% CIs)] of TyG index, TG/HDL-c, TC/HDL-c, and non-HDL-c were -0.021 (-0.036, -0.007), -0.120 (-0.175, -0.066), -0.092 (-0.122, -0.062), and -0.445 (-1.370, 0.480) for every 0.1 increase in NDVI, and were 0.004 (0.003, 0.005), 0.014 (0.009, 0.019), 0.009 (0.006, 0.011), and 0.067 (-0.019, 0.154) for every 1 μg/m3 increase in PM1. Results of interactive analyses demonstrated that individuals living in low-polluted areas could get greater benefits from greenness than those living in highly-polluted areas. Additionally, the results of mediation analyses revealed that PM2.5 mediated 14.40% of the association between greenness and the TyG index. Further research is needed to validate our findings.

Associations of Urban Built Environment with Cardiovascular Risks and Mortality: a Systematic Review

With rapid urbanization, built environment has emerged as a set of modifiable factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize evidence on the associations of attributes of urban built environment (e.g. residential density, land use mix, greenness and walkability) with cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. hypertension and arterial stiffness) and major CVD events including mortality. A total of 63 studies, including 31 of cross-sectional design and 32 of longitudinal design conducted across 21 geographical locations and published between 2012 and 2023 were extracted for review. Overall, we report moderately consistent evidence of protective associations of greenness with cardiovascular risks and major CVD events (cross-sectional studies: 12 of 15 on hypertension/blood pressure (BP) and 2 of 3 on arterial stiffness; and longitudinal studies: 6 of 8 on hypertension/BP, 7 of 8 on CVD mortality, 3 of 3 on ischemic heart disease mortality and 5 of 8 studies on stroke hospitalization or mortality reporting significant inverse associations). Consistently, walkability was associated with lower risks of hypertension, arterial stiffness and major CVD events (cross-sectional studies: 11 of 12 on hypertension/BP and 1 of 1 on arterial stiffness; and longitudinal studies: 3 of 6 on hypertension/BP and 1 of 2 studies on CVD events being protective). Sixty-seven percent of the studies were rated as "probably high" risk of confounding bias because of inability to adjust for underlying comorbidities/family history of diseases in their statistical models. Forty-six percent and 14% of the studies were rated as "probably high" risk of bias for exposure and outcome measurements, respectively. Future studies with robust design will further help elucidate the linkages between urban built environment and cardiovascular health, thereby informing planning policies for creating healthy cities.

Association between greenspace and cancer: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis of multiple large cohort studies

Cancer is a chronic disease that seriously endangers human health, and studies on its association with greenspace have been published. We aimed to systematically review the epidemiological evidence and obtain the best available evidence. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were used as search databases, the time limit was September 12, 2022, and the cited articles were manually supplemented. Two researchers independently performed literature screening and data extraction. We performed a meta-analysis of data using a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as the greenspace measure, providing hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% CI. After standardization of the data, we used a random effects model for pooling. We also assessed the risk of bias for each study and the quality of each evidence body. We identified 10,108 items and included 14 studies from 11 institutions in eight countries. All studies had a low risk of bias. Quantitative analysis of 13 studies found a beneficial association of greenspace with the mortality of lung cancer (pooled HR [95% CI]=0.965 [0.947, 0.983]) and prostate cancer (HR [95% CI]=0.939 [0.898, 0.980]) based on 0.1-unit NDVI increment and a potential beneficial association with the incidence of prostate, lung, and breast cancer. Greenspace had opposite associations with cancer mortality for urban and rural populations. Indirect comparisons did not find statistically significant differences in the effects of greenspace on different cancer outcomes. The evidence body assessment was considered to be "very low." This review indicated potential beneficial associations between greenspace for lung, prostate, and breast cancer outcomes. However, there was a lack of mediation analysis to explore the underlying mechanism of a causal association. Meanwhile, the interstudy heterogeneity was large. Therefore, future studies should consider more accurate exposure assessment and more comprehensive covariate coverage, while focusing on mediating analysis. PROSPERO: CRD42022361068.

Effects of residential greenness and genetic predisposition on hemoglobin A1c and type 2 diabetes: Gene-environment interaction analysis from a nationwide study

BACKGROUND

Current evidence on the relations of residential greenness with glucose homeostasis and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remained largely uncertain. Most importantly, no prior studies have investigated whether genetic predisposition modifies the above associations.

METHODS

We leveraged data from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study, with participants enrolled between 2006 and 2010. Residential greenness was assessed by using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and the weighting T2D-specific genetic risk score (GRS) was constructed based on previously published genome-wide association studies. Linear regression models and logistic regression models were used to investigate associations of residential greenness with glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) and T2D prevalence, respectively. Interaction models explored whether genetic predisposition modifies greenness-HbA_1c/T2D associations.

RESULTS

Among 315,146 individuals (mean [SD] age, 56.59 [8.09] years), each one-unit increase in residential greenness was associated with reduction in HbA_1c (β: -0.87, 95% CI: -1.16 to -0.58) and a 12% decrease in odds of T2D (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79 to 0.98), respectively. Additionally, interaction analyses further demonstrated that residential greenness and genetic risk had cumulative effects on HbA_1c and T2D. Compared with individuals who were exposed to low greenness and had high GRS, participants with low GRS and high greenness had a significant decline in HbA_1c (β: -2.96, 95% CI: -3.10 to -2.82, P for interaction = 0.04) and T2D (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.50, P for interaction = 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS

We add novel evidence that residential greenness has protective effects on glucose metabolism and T2D, and those beneficial effects can be amplified by low genetic risk. Our findings may facilitate the improvement of the living environment and the development of prevention strategies by considering genetic susceptibility to T2D.

Impacts of Urban Green on Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of mortality globally. In particular, ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) and cerebrovascular diseases (CBVDs) represent the main drivers of CVD-related deaths. Many literature examples have assessed the association between CVD risk factors and urban greenness. Urban green (UG) may positively affect physical activity, reduce air and noise pollution, and mitigate the heat island effect, which are known risk factors for CVD morbidity. This systematic review aims to assess the effects of urban green spaces on CVD morbidity and mortality. Peer-reviewed research articles with a quantitative association between urban green exposure variables and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes were included. Meta-analyses were conducted for each outcome evaluated in at least three comparable studies. Most of the included studies' results highlighted an inverse correlation between exposure to UG and CVD outcomes. Gender differences were found in four studies, with a protective effect of UG only statistically significant in men. Three meta-analyses were performed, showing an overall protective effect of UG on CVD mortality (HR (95% CI) = 0.94 (0.91, 0.97)), IHD mortality (HR (95% CI) = 0.96 (0.93, 0.99)), and CBVD mortality (HR (95% CI) = 0.96 (0.94, 0.97)). The results of this systematic review suggest that exposure to UG may represent a protective factor for CVDs.

Associations between residential greenness and the predicted 10-year risk for atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease among Chinese adults

BACKGROUND

Exposure to build environments, especially residential greenness, offers benefits to reduce the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD). The 10-year ASCVD risk is a useful indicator for long-term ASCVD risk, but the evidence on the association and potential pathway of residential greenness in mitigating its development remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the associations between residential greenness and the 10-year predicted ASCVD risks, and potentially mediation effect on this association by air pollution, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA).

METHODS

The baseline of the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) study, enrolling 99,556 adults during 2018-2019, was used in this cross-sectional study. The participants' 10-year ASCVD risks were predicted as low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups, based on the six risk factors: age, smoking, hypertension, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and high total cholesterol (TC). The 3-year mean value within the circular buffer of 500 m and 1000 m of Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI_500m and EVI_1000m) were used to assess greenness exposure. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between residential greenness and the 10-year ASCVD risks. Stratified analyses by sex, age and smoking status were performed to identify susceptible populations. Causal mediation analysis was used to explore the mediation effects of air pollution, BMI and PA.

RESULTS

A total of 75,975 participants were included, of which 17.9 % (n = 13,614) and 5.6 % (n = 4253) had the moderate and high 10-year ASCVD risks, respectively. Compared to the low-risk group, each interquartile increase in EVI_500m and EVI_1000m reduced the ASCVD risk of the moderate-risk group by 4 % (OR = 0.96 [0.94, 0.98]) and 4 % (OR = 0.96 [0.94, 0.98]), respectively; and reduced the risk of the high-risk group by 8 % (OR = 0.92 [0.90, 0.96]) and 7 % (OR = 0.93 [0.90, 0.97]), respectively. However, the increased greenness did not affect the ASCVD risk of the high-risk group when compared to the moderate-risk group. Effects of residential greenness on the ASCVD risk were stronger in women than in men (p < 0.05), and were not observed in those aged ≥55. PA and BMI partially mediated the association between greenness and the 10-year ASCVD risk.

CONCLUSIONS

ASCVD prevention strategies should be tailored to maximize the effectiveness within the groups with different ASCVD risks, better at early stages when the ASCVD risk is low.

The association between residential greenness and hearing impairment

Growing evidence shows that residential greenness is beneficial for various health outcomes, but the link between residential greenness and hearing impairment has not been explored. We aimed to explore the link between residential greenness and hearing impairment using baseline data from the UK Biobank. We used data from 107,516 participants between the ages of 40 and 69 years in the UK Biobank from 2006 to 2010. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to measure the residential greenness. We defined hearing impairment using the digital triplet test. Logistic regression models were conducted to examine the association of residential greenness with hearing impairment. Each interquartile increment in NDVI was associated with 19% lower odds of hearing impairment (odds ratio, OR 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.79-0.83). Compared with participants in the first NDVI quartile, those in the second, third, and fourth NDVI quartiles had lower odds of hearing impairment (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.65-0.73 for the second; OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.72-0.81 for the third; OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.65-0.72 for the fourth). Age and Townsend deprivation index showed moderating effects on this association. Our findings showed a negative association between residential greenness and hearing impairment, which might provide potential value for developing cost-effective greenness design and configuration interventions to reduce the risk of hearing impairment.

Residential greenness exposure and decreased prevalence of diabetic retinopathy: A nationwide analysis in China

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness among diabetics. We aimed to explore whether long-term exposure to residential greenness was beneficial to DR.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We used data from a large-scale, cross-sectional screening survey conducted in 129 cities of 27 provincial regions of China from 2018 to 2021 among patients with diabetes. We measured residential greenness exposure as the 3-year average of annual maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) at a spatial resolution of 250 m. DR was assessed by ophthalmologists based on fundus photographs. The primary outcome was DR, and secondary outcome included DR severity status (i.e., nonproliferative and proliferative), hallmarks of retinal lesions and macular oedema.

RESULTS

A total of 484,380 adult participants with diabetes were included in the current analysis, and 15.7% of them were diagnosed with DR. NDVI was inversely and linearly associated with DR prevalence, and an increment of 0.1 NDVI was associated with a 10% (9%-10%) decrease in DR prevalence. Significant and inverse associations were further found for nonproliferative and proliferative DR, hallmarks of lesions and macular oedema. The association between greenness and DR was stronger among participants who were older, obese, lived in the south, had longer duration of diabetes or did not take antidiabetic medications.

CONCLUSIONS

This large-scale nationwide study provides the first-hand epidemiological evidence on the associations of residential greenness with DR. Our findings highlight the importance of residential greenness in alleviating DR risk especially in an era of aging and urbanization.

Association between residential greenness and all-cause mortality and the joint mediation effect of air pollutants among old people with disability: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Residential greenness offers health benefits to old people, but evidence of its association with the health of old people with disability is scarce. Moreover, due to the limited mobility of this vulnerable population, air pollutants may play an indispensable mediating role in that association, which however remains understudied.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the association between residential greenness and all-cause mortality risk and the joint mediation effect of air pollutants among old people with disability.

METHODS

A total of 34,075 old people with disability were included in the Chengdu Long-term Care Insurance cohort. Participants' residential greenness exposure was measured by an enhanced vegetation index within the 500 m buffer zone (EVI_500m). Causal mediation analysis was conducted to assess the total effect (TE) of residential greenness and the natural indirect effect (NIE) through PM_2.5, CO, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃ on all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

The TE of EVI_500m on the all-cause mortality risk in overall participants showed negative, which, decreased from the 2^nd quartile (HR = 0.93, 95 % CI: 0. 91, 0.95) to the 4^th quartile (HR = 0.81, 95 % CI: 0.76, 0.85); the NIE through the five air pollutants also decreased from the 2^nd quartile (HR = 0.96, 95 % CI: 0.95, 0.98) to the 4^th quartile (HR = 0.90, 95 % CI: 0.88, 0.93), with the proportion mediated decreased from 48 % to 44 %. The stronger TE or NIE were observed in participants aged <80 years old, men, with mild-moderate disability, and having outdoor experience every week.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to residential greenness was associated with a decreased risk of mortality, partially through the pathways of air pollutants, which varied by age, sex, degree of disability, and frequency of weekly outdoors. Our findings would provide evidence to develop aging-friendly cities.

Mediating effect of metabolic diseases on the relationship between hyperuricemia and coronary heart disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Studies have shown that elevated serum uric acid (SUA) may increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it is still disputable how mediate effects between metabolic diseases and hyperuricemia affect the incidence of CHD. This study aimed to explore whether metabolic diseases may mediate the connection from hyperuricemia at baseline to the elevated incidence risk of CHD during follow-ups.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Based on the Jinchang cohort, 48 001 subjects were followed for 9 years between June 2011 and December 2019. Multivariate-adjusted Cox regression models were applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of CHD with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Significantly increased risks of CHD were observed in hyperuricemia (HR:1.46, 95%CI:1.28, 1.67) when compared with normouricemia population. The mediating effect model further demonstrated that metabolic diseases could mediate the association between hyperuricemia and CHD pathogenesis, partially for the combined metabolic diseases with mediation effects of 45.12%, 25.24% for hypertension, 28.58% for overweight or obese status, 29.05% for hypertriglyceridemia, 6.70% for hypercholesterolemia, 3.52% for low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and 6.51% for high low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperuricemia significantly increased the risk of incident CHD, and this association was partly mediated by metabolic diseases.

The Indirect Effect of Sleep on the Association Between Protracted Social Stressors and Psychological Distress Among Hong Kong Young People

PURPOSE

Hong Kong youth and young adults experienced unprecedented stress amid social unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have examined how these stressors were related to psychological distress among youth and young adults. This study assessed how psychological distress is associated with stress from social unrest, financial circumstances, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether poor sleep quality may explain these associations.

METHODS

Participants of a representative phone survey included 1,501 Hong Kong youth and young adults (Mage = 26.1 (4.0); 48.2% female). We examined the associations between psychological distress and three types of stress (social unrest, financial, and COVID-19 stress), and the indirect effect of poor sleep.

RESULTS

Eleven point nine percent, 4.1%, and 9.7% of respondents reported feeling very seriously distressed by social unrest, financial circumstances, and the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. All three forms of stress were associated with poor sleep. The indirect effects of poor sleep on the association between all three forms of stress and psychological distress were identified. Moderated indirect effect analysis indicated that being female intensified the effect of COVID-19-related stress on psychological distress and that younger female youth and older male youth were more vulnerable to financial stress and social unrest stress (vs. older female youth and younger male youth).

DISCUSSION

Sleep may be one mechanism that accounts for the association between psychological distress and protracted stressors among Hong Kong youth and young adults. These results suggest the importance of prioritizing sleep improvement in mental health interventions during times of societal change.

Association of greenness exposure with coronary artery stenosis and biomarkers of myocardial injury in patients with myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Greenness has been linked to cardiovascular health; however, limited evidence is available regarding its association with coronary artery stenosis and biomarkers of myocardial injury. We aimed to assess these associations and examine their modification and mediation effects in patients with myocardial infarction (MI).

METHODS

This study included 2030 patients with MI. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to characterize greenness exposure. We used a logistic regression model to explore the relationship between coronary artery stenosis and residential greenness, and applied linear regression models to assess the association of greenness with biomarkers of myocardial injury. The bootstrap method was used to explore whether potential variables mediated the associations. To further investigate the exposure-response curve describing these relationships, we developed restricted cubic spline models.

RESULT

Compared to the lowest quartile of NDVI, the odds ratio (OR) (95 % confidence interval [CI]) for severe stenosis (≥75 % stenosis) was 0.68 (95 % CI: 0.47 to 0.98) for the third quartile. Participants in the highest greenness exposure quartile had lower levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase (CK), and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CKMB) than those in the lowest quartile (β = -0.22, 95 % CI: -0.40 to -0.05; β = -0.13, 95 % CI: -0.22 to -0.04; β = -0.07, 95 % CI: -0.14 to -0.003). The association between residential greenness and myocardial injury biomarkers was stronger in men and older participants. Mediation analyses revealed that the effects of greenness on coronary stenosis, cTnI, CK, and CKMB were mediated by systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP).

CONCLUSION

Higher greenness exposure was associated with coronary artery stenosis and reduced levels of myocardial injury biomarkers, including cTnI, CK, and CKMB. These associations may be partially mediated by SBP and DBP levels.

Associations between greenspace surrounding schools and lipid levels in Chinese children and teenagers

Little evidence exists concerning the associations of greenspace with childhood lipid profiles and dyslipidemias, especially in developing countries and regions. We aimed to investigate the associations of greenspace surrounding schools with lipid levels and dyslipidemia prevalence among Chinese children and teenagers. We obtained baseline information and health data of 10,408 children and teenagers (aged 6-18 years) who studied from 94 schools in China. We measured levels of four blood lipids: triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Dyslipidemias were defined using standard recommendations. Greenness surrounding schools were assessed using two satellite-based greenness indices, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) at 300-, 500-, and 1000-m circular buffers based on each school's latitude and longitude. We used random forest model combined with meteorological and remote sensing data to estimate air pollution levels surrounding each school. We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate the associations of greenness with lipid levels and dyslipidemias prevalence. We also performed sub-group and mediation analyses. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in NDVI_500m was significantly associated with a 0.064 mmol/L (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.083, -0.045) and 0.049 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.065, -0.033) decreased TC and LDL-C levels, respectively, as well as a 0.13-fold (95% CI: 0.01, 0.23) and 0.17-fold (95% CI: 0.01, 0.30) decreased odds of hypercholesterolemia and hyperbetalipoproteinemia, respectively. Associations were stronger in students aged ≤12 years and born to parents having lower education levels compared to their counterparts. Particle with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) mediated 61.5% and 16.7% of the association of greenness with TG and LDL-C levels, respectively. In summary, higher school-based greenness exposure was beneficially associated with lipid levels among Chinese children and adolescents, and part of the association can be explained by lowed PM_2.5 levels.

Household air pollution, adherence to a healthy lifestyle, and risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity: Results from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

The adverse health effects of household air pollution have been widely explored, but few studies have evaluated the effects of household air pollution on the risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM), a pressing public health concern worldwide. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether exposure to household use of polluting fuels is associated with morbid CMM and, if so, whether a healthy lifestyle could mitigate this association.

METHODS

In this prospective, nationwide representative cohort of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), participants free of CMM (defined as the coexistence of 2 or more of the following: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes or high blood sugar) were included in 2011-2012 and followed for CMM incidence until 2018. Household air pollution was measured as the use of solid fuels for cooking and heating. The healthy lifestyle score was determined by six factors, physical activity, smoking, body mass index, total cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure, and categorized into three groups (unhealthy, 0-1 factors; intermediate, 2-4; and healthy, 5-6). Cox proportional hazards models investigated associations between household air pollution and incident CMM. The potential modifier effect of a healthy lifestyle score was tested through stratified analyses.

RESULTS

Among 7125 eligible participants, 239 incident cases of CMM were identified over a median follow-up of 7.0 years. After adjustment for potential confounders, the use of solid household fuels for heating was associated with more significant hazards of CMM (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.71, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.28 to 2.28), while use for cooking (HR, 1.14; 95 % CI, 0.85 to 1.52) was not. Compared with participants in the unhealthy group, those in the healthy and intermediate groups had considerably lower CMM risk, with adjusted HRs (95 % CI) of 0.17 (0.09 to 0.31) and 0.39 (0.29 to 0.53), respectively, regardless of the household air pollution category. Importantly, when participants adhered to a healthy lifestyle, exposure to household air pollution was no longer significantly associated with a higher risk of CMM (adjusted HR 1.77, 95 % CI 0.51 to 6.12; P = 0.369).

CONCLUSIONS

Household usage of polluting fuels was significantly associated with a higher risk of CMM, and adherence to a healthy lifestyle may mitigate this adverse effect. From a broader perspective, our findings underscore the importance of public health policies and interventions targeting multiple exposures (air pollution, physical activity, smoking, etc.) in enhancing the prevention of detrimental cardiometabolic health effect.

Residential greenness associated with decreased risk of metabolic- dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: Evidence from a large population-based epidemiological study

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have shown that residential greenness positively correlates with enhanced health. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) affects about a quarter of the population while lacking specific treatments. Given that the association between green space and MAFLD is still unknown, we explored the association between residential greenness and MAFLD as well as the potential mechanisms based on the baseline survey of the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC).

METHODS

Residential greenness was expressed as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI). MAFLD was assessed through hepatic steatosis, the presence of overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and evidence of metabolic dysregulation. We used logistic regression to examine the association between NDVI/EVI and the prevalence of MAFLD. Moreover, we utilized causal mediation analyses to explore the role of physical activity and ambient particulate matters (PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀) on the association between residential greenness and MAFLD.

RESULTS

We included 72,368 participants from the CMEC and found that residential greenness was negatively associated with the prevalence of MAFLD. For an interquartile range (IQR) increase in NDVI_500 m and EVI_500 m, the odds ratio (OR) of MAFLD were 0.78 (95 %CI: 0.75, 0.81) and 0.81 (95 %CI: 0.78, 0.84), respectively. Greater association between residential greenness and MAFLD was observed among males. Air pollutants and physical activity could mediate a partial effect (8.5-22.9 %) of residential greenness on MAFLD.

CONCLUSION

Higher residential greenness was associated with decreased risk of MAFLD. Moreover, the association was greater among males. The protective effects of residential greenness may be achieved by mitigating the hazardous effects of air pollutants and encouraging physical activity.

Population-weighted exposure to green spaces tied to lower COVID-19 mortality rates: A nationwide dose-response study in the USA

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge loss of human life globally. However, few studies investigated the link between exposure to green space and risk of COVID-19 mortality rate, while also distinguishing the effects of various types of green space, considering the spatial distribution of human population and green space, and identifying the optimal buffer distances of nearby green space. It is critical and pressing to fill these significant knowledge gaps to protect and promote billions of people's health and life across the world. This study adopted a negative binomial generalized linear mixed-effects model to examine the association between the ratios of various types of green space, population-weighted exposure to those various types of green space, and COVID-19 mortality rates across 3025 counties in the USA, adjusted for sociodemographic, pre-existing chronic disease, policy and regulation, behavioral, and environmental factors. The findings show that greater exposure to forest was associated with lower COVID-19 mortality rates, while developed open space had mixed associations with COVID-19 mortality rates. Forest outside park had the largest effect size across all buffer distances, followed by forest inside park. The optimal exposure buffer distance was 1 km for forest outside park, with per one-unit of increase in exposure associated with a 9.9 % decrease in COVID-19 mortality rates (95 % confidence interval (CI): 6.9 %-12.8 %). The optimal exposure buffer distance of forest inside park was 400 m, with per one-unit of increase in exposure associated with a 4.7 % decrease in mortality rates (95 % CI: 2.4 %-6.9 %). The results suggest that greater exposure to green spaces, especially to nearby forests, may mitigate the risk of COVID-19 mortality. Although findings of an ecological study cannot be directly used to guide medical interventions, this study may pave a critical new way for future research and practice across multiple disciplines.

Optimizing Hypertension Control Globally: WHF Roadmap

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Hypertension represents the most important cardiovascular risk factor, affecting over 4.06 billion adults worldwide. In this review, we will discuss potential barriers and their solutions to improve prevention, detection, and management of hypertension.

RECENT FINDINGS

The prevalence of hypertension has been increasing in low- and middle-income countries, requiring new strategies to improve its recognition and proper management. The World Heart Federation (WHF) developed a roadmap for hypertension, advising health system policies and clinical practices as part of its commitment to improving global cardiovascular health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published in 2021 practical guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults. Identifying potential roadblocks and solutions deserves high priority to improve the detection, management, and control of hypertension.

Greenspace exposure and poststroke disability: A nationwide longitudinal study

INTRODUCTION

Exposure to greenspace has been reported to reduce stroke mortality, but there is a lack of evidence regarding poststroke disability. This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term greenspace exposure and the risk of poststroke disability.

METHODS

Based on the China National Stroke Screening Survey from 2013 to 2019, a total of 65,892 visits from 28,085 stroke survivors with ≥ 2 visits were included in this longitudinal study. Long-term greenspace exposure was assessed by a 3-year average of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the proportion of green land cover according to participants' residential communities. Poststroke functional status was assessed with the modified Ranking Score (mRS) at each visit; a cutoff score > 2 indicated disability. Fixed effects regressions were used to examine the association of greenspace exposure with continuous mRS scores or binary indicators for disability.

RESULTS

The annual mean NDVI value was 0.369 (standard deviation = 0.120) for all visits among stroke survivors. With full adjustments, each 0.05 increase in NDVI was associated with a 0.056-unit (95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.034, 0.079) decrease in the mRS score and a 46.6 % (95 % CI: 10.0 %, 68.3 %) lower risk of poststroke disability. An L-shaped curve was observed for the nonlinear associations between NDVI and mRS score or disability. Additionally, each 1 % increase in grasslands, savannas, forest, and croplands was associated with 0.008- (95 % CI: 0.002, 0.014), 0.003- (95 % CI: 0.001, 0.005), 0.001- (95 % CI: -0.015, 0.018), and 0.002-unit (95 % CI: -0.003, 0.007) decreases in the mRS score, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing greenspace was inversely associated with mRS score. Greenspace planning can be a potential intervention to prevent poststroke disability.

The Effect of Psychological Burden on Dyslipidemia Moderated by Greenness: A Nationwide Study from China

Globally, dyslipidemia is now become a leading risk factor for many adverse health outcomes, especially in the middle-aged and elderly. Recent evidence suggests that exposure to greenness and the relief of a psychological burden may decrease the prevalence of dyslipidemia. The objective of our study was to examine whether a green space can moderate the association between mental health status and dyslipidemia. Our study selected the datasets of depression symptoms, dyslipidemia from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), and the satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from the 30 m annual maximum NDVI dataset in China in 2018. Ultimately, a total of 10,022 middle-aged and elderly Chinese were involved in our study. Multilevel logistic regressions were performed to examine the association between symptoms of depression and dyslipidemia, as well as the moderate effect of greenness exposure on the association. Our research suggested that adults diagnosed with depression symptoms were more likely to suffer from dyslipidemia. In addition, the NDVI was shown to moderate the effect of depression on dyslipidemia significantly, though the effect was attenuated as depression increased. Regarding the moderate effect of the NDVI on the above association across age, gender, and residence, the findings presented that females, the elderly, and respondents living in urban areas were at a greater risk of having dyslipidemia, although the protective effect of the NDVI was considered. Likewise, the moderate effect of the NDVI gradually decreased as the level of depression increased in different groups. The current study conducted in China provides insights into the association between mental health, green space, and dyslipidemia. Hence, improving mental health and green spaces can be potential targets for medical interventions to decrease the prevalence of dyslipidemia.

Long-term exposure to PM2.5 constituents in relation to glucose levels and diabetes in middle-aged and older Chinese

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have indicated the associations between fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure and diabetes or glucose levels. However, evidence linking PM_2.5 constituents and diabetes or glucose levels was extensively scarce, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the associations of exposure to PM_2.5 and its five constituents (black carbon [BC], organic matter [OM], nitrate [NO₃^-], sulfate [SO₄^2-], and ammonium [NH₄⁺]) with diabetes and glucose levels among the middle-aged and elderly Chinese populations.

METHODS

A national cross-sectional sample of participants aged 45+ years was enrolled from 28 provinces across China's mainland. Health examination and questionnaire survey for each respondent were performed during 2011-2012. Diabetes was determined by alternative definitions, and the main definition (MD) was self-report diabetes or antidiabetic medicine use or HbA_1c ≥6.5 or fasting glucose ≥7 mmol/L or random glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L. Monthly exposure to PM_2.5 mass and its five constituents (BC, OM, NO₃^-, SO₄^2-, and NH₄⁺) for each participant at residence were estimated using satellite-based spatiotemporal prediction models. Generalized linear models and linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the effects of exposure to PM_2.5 and its constituents on diabetes or glucose levels, respectively. Stratification analyses were done by sex and age.

RESULTS

We included a total of 17,326 adults over 45 years in this study. The 3-year mean (interquartile range [IQR]) concentrations of PM_2.5, BC, OM, NO₃^-, SO₄^2-, and NH₄⁺ were 47.9 (27.4) µg/m³, 2.9 (2.2) µg/m³, 9.2 (6.6) µg/m³, 10.2 (9.4) µg/m³, 11.0 (5.2) µg/m³, and 7.1 (4.4) µg/m³, respectively. Per IQR rise in exposure to PM_2.5 was significantly associated with an increase of 0.133 mmol/L (95% confidence interval, 0.048-0.219) in glucose concentrations. Similar positive associations were observed for BC (0.097 mmol/L [0.012-0.181]), OM (0.160 mmol/L [0.065-0.256]), NO₃^- (0.145 mmol/L [0.039-0.251]), SO₄^2- (0.111 mmol/L [0.026-0.196]), and NH₄⁺ (0.135 mmol/L [0.041-0.230]). Under different diabetes definitions, PM_2.5 mass and selected constituents with the exception of SO₄^2- were all associated with a higher risk of prevalent diabetes. In MD-based analysis, similar positive associations were observed for four constituents, with corresponding odds ratios of 1.180 (1.097-1.270) for PM_2.5, 1.154 (1.079-1.235) for BC, 1.170 (1.079-1.270) for OM, 1.200 (1.098-1.312) for NO₃^-, and 1.123 (1.037-1.215) for NH₄⁺. Stratified analyses showed a significantly higher risk of diabetes in males (1.225 [1.064-1.411]) than females (1.024 [0.923-1.136]) when exposed to PM_2.5. Participants under 65 years were generally more vulnerable to diabetes hazards related to PM_2.5 constituents exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposures to PM_2.5 and its constituents (i.e., BC, OM, NO₃^-, and NH₄⁺) were positively associated with increased risks of prevalent diabetes and elevated glucose levels in middle-aged and older adults.

Residential greenness, air pollution, and incident ischemic heart disease: A prospective cohort study in China

Greener residential surroundings are associated with beneficial health outcomes, whereas higher air pollution exposure is linked with elevated risks of chronic diseases. To date, limited studies have explored the interaction between residential greenness and air pollution on the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). We performed a prospective cohort study that included 29,141 adult participants recruited from Yinzhou District, Ningbo, China. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) around each participant's residence was calculated to measure residential greenness exposure. Land-use regression models were conducted to estimate long-term individual exposure to air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) and ≤10 μm (PM₁₀). Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the associations of residential greenness and air pollutants with the risk of incident IHD. During 101,172.5 person-years of follow-up, 1392 incident IHD cases were reported in the study population. Residential greenness, expressed as an interquartile range (IQR) increase in NDVI within 250 m, was inversely associated with incident IHD (HR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.81,0.98). However, long-term exposures to air pollution were associated with higher IHD incidence (HR = 1.21, 95%CI:1.10,1.33 per IQR increase for PM_2.5; HR = 1.12, 95%CI:1.03,1.22 per IQR increase for PM₁₀; HR = 1.09, 95%CI:1.02,1.16 per IQR increase for NO₂). Mediation analyses suggested that the beneficial effect of residential greenness on incident IHD could be partly mediated by reducing the exposure to PM_2.5. These findings suggested that higher greenness was associated with decreased risk of IHD, while air pollutants were positively associated with incident IHD. Meanwhile, residential greenness may decrease the risk of IHD by reducing exposure to PM_2.5.

Associations of residential greenness, ambient air pollution, biological sex, and glucocorticoids levels in rural China

AIMS

To evaluate the associations between residential greenness and glucocorticoid levels and whether air pollutants and sex modify the relationship between greenness and glucocorticoid level in Chinese rural adults.

METHODS

We collected cross-sectional survey data from 6055 participants from the Henan Rural cohort. The three-year average residential greenness for participants was assessed using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from a satellite platform. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was employed to quantify the concentrations of glucocorticoids, which were measured by morning blood draw after at least 8 hr of fasting. A random forest model was employed to obtain the average concentrations of PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀. A general linear regression model was performed to estimate the associations of NDVI_500-m values with cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and cortisone. Furthermore, interaction plots were used to present the interaction effects of particulate matter, sex, and green space on glucocorticoid levels.

RESULTS

After adjusting for multiple variables, an elevated average NDVI_500-m value in the total population was associated with a decrease in cortisol levels (β = -0.063, 95 % confidence interval (CI): - 0.118, - 0.008), and 11-deoxycortisol levels (β = -0.118, 95 % CI: -0.190, -0.047), as well as an increase in cortisone levels (β = 0.130, 95 % CI: 0.079, 0.181). By adding the interaction terms of air pollutants and residential greenness into the regression model, interaction effects between air pollutants and residential greenness were found (cortisol, PM_2.5: P interaction=:0.018; PM₁₀: P interaction=0.016; 11-deoxycortisol, all pollutants: P interaction< 0.001), suggesting that the protective effect of residential greenness on serum glucocorticoids disappeared accompanying with increased concentrations of particulate matter. Moreover, trends towards modification in the association between green space and glucocorticoid levels were also evident by sex, but these did not reach statistical significance (for all glucocorticoids: P interaction> 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Long-term exposure to green space was negatively correlated with cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol levels, and positively correlated with cortisone levels. There may be sex differences in these associations. Moreover, the protective effect of residential greenness on serum glucocorticoids was altered by high levels of particulate matter.

Assessing myocardial infarction severity from the urban environment perspective in Wuhan, China

Health inequalities are globally widespread due to the regional socioeconomic inequalities. Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading health problem causing deaths worldwide. Yet medical services for it are often inequitably distributed by region. Moreover, studies concerning MI's potential spatial risk factors generally suffer from difficulties in focusing on too few factors, inappropriate models, and coarse spatial grain of data. To address these issues, this paper integrates registered 1098 MI cases and urban multi-source spatio-temporal big data, and spatially analyses the risk factors for MI severity by applying an advanced interpretable model, the random forest algorithm (RFA)-based SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) model. In addition, a community-scale model between spatio-temporal risk factors and MI cases is constructed to predict the MI severity of all communities in Wuhan, China. The results suggest that those risk factors (i.e., age of patients, medical quality, temperature changes, air pollution and urban habitat) affect the MI severity at the community scale. We found that Wuhan residents in the downtown area are at risk for high MI severity, and the surrounding suburb areas show a donut-shape pattern of risk for medium-to-high MI severity. These patterns draw our attention to the impact of spatial environmental risk factors on MI severity. Thus, this paper provides three recommendations for urban planning to reduce the risk and mortality from severe MI in the aspect of policy implication.

Green space and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Exposure to green space has been proposed to be beneficially associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Many studies have explored this topic, but the results remain conflicting. We aimed to evaluate the epidemiological evidence on this topic by performing a systematic review with meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Embase for studies on the association between green space and cardiovascular disease (CVD) that were published till January 2022. Two authors independently performed study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and risk of bias assessment. For studies providing detailed numeric data, we also conducted quantitative meta-analyses and calculated the pooled odd ratios (ORs) for associations between the most commonly used exposure estimate (normalized difference vegetative index [NDVI]) and five CVD events: CVD mortality, ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality, cerebrovascular disease (CBVD) mortality, and stroke incidence/prevalence. Additional analyses were conducted to explore the geographical scale effects of NDVI. Publication bias tests were also conducted. Of the 6787 records identified, 53 studies were eligible for inclusion. These studies covered 18 countries and included data from more than 100 million persons. Meta-analyses showed that a 0.1 increase in NDVI was significantly associated with 2-3% lower odds of CVD mortality (OR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.99), IHD mortality (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96-1.00), CBVD mortality (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-1.00), and stroke incidence/prevalence (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96-0.99). There was no significant difference between the pooled estimates for different buffer sizes. No evidence of publication bias was detected. We provide strong and robust evidence for the beneficial effects of green space exposure on cardiovascular health. More prospective studies and mechanistic studies, especially that conducted in low- and middle-income countries, are merited to strengthen our conclusions.

Risk Assessment of CHD Using Retinal Images with Machine Learning Approaches for People with Cardiometabolic Disorders

BACKGROUND

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, constituting a growing health and social burden. People with cardiometabolic disorders are more likely to develop CHD. Retinal image analysis is a novel and noninvasive method to assess microvascular function. We aim to investigate whether retinal images can be used for CHD risk estimation for people with cardiometabolic disorders.

METHODS

We have conducted a case-control study at Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, where 188 CHD patients and 128 controls with cardiometabolic disorders were recruited. Retinal images were captured within two weeks of admission. The retinal characteristics were estimated by the automatic retinal imaging analysis (ARIA) algorithm. Risk estimation models were established for CHD patients using machine learning approaches. We divided CHD patients into a diabetes group and a non-diabetes group for sensitivity analysis. A ten-fold cross-validation method was used to validate the results.

RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity were 81.3% and 88.3%, respectively, with an accuracy of 85.4% for CHD risk estimation. The risk estimation model for CHD with diabetes performed better than the model for CHD without diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

The ARIA algorithm can be used as a risk assessment tool for CHD for people with cardiometabolic disorders.

Obesogenic environments and cardiovascular disease: a path analysis using US nationally representative data

INTRODUCTION

People living in obesogenic environments, with limited access to healthful food outlets and exercise facilities, generally have poor health. Previous research suggests that behavioral risk factors and indicators of physiological functioning may mediate this link; however, no studies to date have had the requisite data to investigate multi-level behavioral and physiological risk factors simultaneously. The present study conducted serial and parallel mediation analyses to examine behavioral and physiological pathways explaining the association between environmental obesogenicity and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

METHODS

This cross-sectional observational study used data from the 2012-2016 Health and Retirement Study, a representative survey of US older adults (n = 12,482, mean age 65.9). Environmental obesogenicity was operationalized as a combined score consisting of nine environmental measures of food and physical activity. CVD and health-compromising behaviors (diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise) were self-reported. Physiological dysregulation was assessed with measured blood pressure, heart rate, HbA1c, cholesterol levels, BMI, and C-reactive protein. The Hayes Process Macro was used to examine serial and parallel paths through health-compromising behaviors and physiological dysregulation in the environmental obesogenicity-CVD link.

RESULTS

People living in more obesogenic environments had greater odds of self-reported CVD (odds ratio = 1.074, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.028, 1.122), engaged in more health-compromising behaviors (β = 0.026, 95% CI: 0.008, 0.044), and had greater physiological dysregulation (β = 0.035, 95% CI: 0.017, 0.054). Combined, health-compromising behaviors and physiological dysregulation accounted for 7% of the total effects of environmental obesogenicity on CVD.

CONCLUSION

Behavioral and physiological pathways partially explain the environmental obesogenicity-CVD association. Obesogenic environments may stymie the success of cardiovascular health-promotion programs by reducing access to resources supporting healthy lifestyles.

Impact of residential greenness on myocardial infarction in the population with diabetes: A sex-dependent association?

Living in urban areas with abundant greenness might provide health benefits in general population. Literature suggests that sex/gender plays a role in the association between greenness and health outcomes. But the impact of greenness in populations with moderate to high cardiovascular risk, such as persons with diabetes, is still unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between urban greenness and myocardial infarction incidence in persons with type 2 diabetes in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), and seek potential gender/sex differences in this association. This retrospective cohort study is based on data from the System for the Development of Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP database). We used Cox models to estimate if a 0.01 increase in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) at census tract level was associated to reduced risk of developing a myocardial infarction. Models were adjusted by demographic and clinical characteristics at individual level, and by environmental and socioeconomic variables at census tract level. Amongst 41,463 persons with diabetes and 154,803.85 person-years of follow-up, we observed 449 incident cases of acute myocardial infarction. For each 0.01 increment in NDVI the risk of developing a myocardial infarction decreased by 6% (Hazard Ratio, HR = 0.94; 95%CI, 0.89-0.99) in the population with diabetes. When stratifying by sex, we observed a significant association only in men (HR = 0.91; 95%CI, 0.86-0.97). People with diabetes living in urban greener areas might benefit from reduced cardiovascular risk, specially men. We observed sex/gender disparities, which could be related to different exposures and activities performed in green spaces between men and women. Further studies are needed to confirm sex/gender disparities between greenness exposure and cardiovascular outcomes. Our findings contribute to improve the health of people with diabetes who should be recommended to spent time and exercise in green areas.

Greenness alleviates the effects of ambient particulate matter on the risks of high blood pressure in children and adolescents

Both ambient particulate matter (PM) and decrease of greenness have been suggested as risk factors for high blood pressure (HBP) in children and adolescents. But most evidence were from cross-sectional studies with limited data from prospective cohorts. In this cohort study, we included 588,004 children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years without HBP from 2005 to 2018 in Beijing (240,081) and Zhongshan (347,923) city of China. The cumulative incidence of HBP was 32.04%, and incidence rate was 14.86 per 100 person-year. After adjustment for confounders, the ten-unit increase in PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ exposure was significantly associated with 43%, 70%, and 43%- higher risks of HBP, respectively, but the 0.1-unit increase in NDVI exposure was significantly associated with a 25% lower risk of HBP. The HRs of PM₁ on the HBP risk were 1.486 and 1.150 in the low and the high-level of greenness, and they were 2.635 and 2.507 for PM_2.5, and for PM₁₀ 1.367 and 1.702 in the two groups. The attributable fraction (AFs) of PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ on HBP incidents were 13.74%, 40.08%, and 15.47% in the low-level of greenness, which simultaneously was higher than those in the high-level of greenness (AF = 4.62%, 17.28%, and 9.96%). The exposure to higher ambient PM air pollution and lower greenness around schools were associated with a higher risk of HBP in children and adolescents, but higher greenness alleviated the adverse effects of ambient PM₁ and PM_2.5 on the HBP risks. Our findings highlighted a synergic strategy in preventing childhood HBP by decreasing air pollution reduction and improving greenness concurrently.

Association of residential greenness and incident depression: Investigating the mediation and interaction effects of particulate matter

BACKGROUND

Growing evidence has linked residential greenness to depression, the results from prospective cohort study are still limited. And it remains unclear whether particulate matter (PM) modify, mediate, or interact the greenness-depression relationship.

METHODS

We collected data from Yinzhou Cohort(N = 47,516) which was recruited between June 2015 and December 2017. Depression cases before April 2020 were ascertained from local Health Information System covered all residents' health care records. Residential greenness (the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI, and the Enhanced Vegetation Index, EVI) and PM (particulate matters with diameters≤2.5 μm, PM_2.5 and particulate matters with diameters≤10 μm, PM₁₀) were estimated based on participants' residential coordinates. We conducted Cox models employing age as timescale to estimate the association between residential greenness within different buffers and incident depression. Furthermore, we explored the potential confounding, mediation and interaction relationship between greenness and PM.

RESULTS

During the 99,556 person-years of follow-up, 1043 incident depression cases occurred. In single exposure models, residential greenness was inversely associated with depression incidence (e.g. Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79, 0.94 for per interquartile range (IQR) increase NDVI 250 m). The protective association between greenness was attenuated after introducing PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ into the models. We identified multiplicative interactions between greenness and PM exposure for depression (e.g. HR _interaction = 0.91, 95%CI: 0.85, 0.98 for per IQR decrease NDVI 250 m and per IQR increase PM_2.5). Besides, we found the protective association of greenness was partly mediated by PM (e.g. mediation proportion = 52.9% between NDVI 250 m and PM_2.5).

CONCLUSIONS

In this longitudinal cohort study, residents living in greener neighborhoods had a lower risk of depression incidence and the benefits were interacted and partly mediated by PM. Improvement in residential greenness could be an actionable and planning intervention to prevent depression.

Associations between metabolic syndrome and anthropogenic heat emissions in northeastern China

BACKGROUND

Recent research attention has been paid to anthropogenic heat emissions (AE), temperature increase generated by human activity such as lighting, transportation, manufacturing, construction, and building climate controls. However, there is no epidemiological data available to investigate the association between anthropogenic heat emissions and metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of conditions that increase risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationships between AE and MetS in China.

METHODS

We recruited 15,477 adults from the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study, a cross-sectional study in northeastern China. We retrieved anthropogenic heat flux by collecting socio-economic and energy consumption data as well as satellite-based nighttime light and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index datasets, including emissions from buildings, transportation, human metabolism, and industries. We also measured MetS components consisting of triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure, and waist circumference. Restricted cubic spline models were applied to assess the associations between AE and MetS.

RESULTS

The median flux of total AE was 30.98 W/m² and industrial AE was the dominant contributor (87.64%). The adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) of MetS for the 75th and 95th percentiles of the total AE against the threshold were 1.29 (95% CI: 1.21, 1.38) and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.47, 1.85). Greater AE was associated with higher odds of MetS in a dose-response pattern, and the lowest point of U-shape curve indicated the threshold effect. Participants who are young and middle-aged exhibited stronger associations between AE and MetS.

CONCLUSIONS

Our novel findings reveal that AE are positively associated with MetS and that associations are modified by age. Further investigations into the mechanisms of the effects are needed.

Associations of greenness surrounding schools with blood pressure and hypertension: A nationwide cross-sectional study of 61,229 children and adolescents in China

BACKGROUND

Greenness exposure may lower blood pressure. However, few studies of this relationship have been conducted with children and adolescents, especially in low and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate associations between greenness around schools and blood pressure among children and adolescents across China.

METHODS

We recruited 61,229 Chinese citizens aged 6-18 years from 94 schools in a nationwide cross-sectional study in seven Chinese provinces/province-level municipalities. Participants' blood pressures and hypertension were assessed with standardized protocols. Greenness levels within 500 m and 1,000 m of each school were estimated with three satellite-based indices: vegetation continuous fields (VCF), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI). Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate associations between greenness and blood pressure, greenness and prevalent hypertension, using coefficient and odds ratio respectively. Stratified analyses and mediation analyses were also performed.

RESULTS

One interquartile range increase in greenness was associated with a 17%-20% reduced prevalence of hypertension for all measures of greenness (odds ratios for VCF_500m = 20% (95% CI:18%, 23%); for NDVI_500m = 17% (95% CI:13%, 21%); and for SAVI_500m = 17% (95% CI: 13%, 20%). Increases in greenness were also associated with reductions in systolic blood pressure (0.48-0.58 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (0.26-0.52 mmHg). Older participants, boys, and urban dwellers showed stronger associations than their counterparts. No evidence of mediation was observed for air pollution (i.e., NO₂ and PM_2.5) and body mass index.

CONCLUSION

Higher greenness around schools may lower blood pressure levels and prevalent hypertension among Chinese children and adolescents, particularly in older subjects, boys, and those living in urban districts. Further studies, preferably longitudinal, are needed to examine causality.

Association between residential greenness and overweight/obesity among rural adults in northwestern China

BACKGROUND

Living in greener areas may reduce adiposity, but epidemiological evidence on this topic is still inconsistence and limited, especially in rural areas.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study among 4651 Uyghur adults in rural areas in Xinjiang province, northwestern China, from May to September 2016. We measured residential greenness levels using satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) in 100 m, 300 m, 500 m, and 1000 m buffers around each home address. Body height, weight, and waist circumference were assessed according to recommended guidelines. Data on baseline characteristics and confounders were collected using a questionnaire. We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate the associations of residential greenness with overweight/obesity prevalence and obesity-related anthropometric indices.

RESULTS

Higher residential greenness levels were associated with lower waist circumference and body mass index levels, as well as with a lower odds ratio of peripheral overweight/obesity prevalence. No significant association was found for greenness and central obesity prevalence. The associations persisted in magnitude and direction across several sensitivity analyses we performed. Stratified analysis suggested that the associations were generally stronger in older adults than those in younger adults. Additionally, neither air pollutants nor physical activity significantly mediated the associations between greenness and obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that higher residential greenness were associated with lower odds of overweight/obesity and lower obesity-related anthropometric indices among rural Uyghur adults in China, especially for older adults.

Air pollution and surrounding greenness in relation to ischemic stroke: A population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Evidence for the association between environmental exposures and ischemic stroke (IS) is limited and inconsistent. We aimed to assess the relationship between exposure to air pollutants, residential surrounding greenness, and incident IS, and to identify population subgroups particularly sensitive to these exposures.

METHODS

We used data from administrative health registries of the public healthcare system in Catalonia, Spain to construct a cohort of individuals aged 18 years and older without a previous stroke diagnosis at 1st January 2016 (n = 3 521 274). We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics and cerebrovascular risk factors, and derived exposure at the participant's residence to ambient levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in a 300 m buffer as an indicator of greenness. The primary outcome was IS diagnosis at any point during the follow-up. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate associations between environmental exposures and incident IS and stratified analyses to investigate effect modification.

RESULTS

Between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2017, 10 865 individuals were admitted to public hospitals with an IS diagnosis. Median exposure levels were: 17 µg/m³ PM_2.5, 35 µg/m³ NO₂, 2.28 µg/m³ BC and 0.27 NDVI. Individuals with higher residential exposure to air pollution were at greater risk of IS: HR 1·04 (95% CI:0·99-1·10) per 5 µg/m³ of PM_2.5; HR 1.05 (95% CI:1·00-1·10) per 1 µg/m³ of BC; HR 1·04 (95% CI:1·03-1·06) per 10 µg/m³ of NO₂. Conversely, individuals with higher residential surrounding green space, had lower risk of IS (HR 0·84; CI 95%:0·7-1.0). There was no evidence of effect modification by individual characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher incidence of IS was observed in relation to long-term exposures to air pollution, particularly NO₂, in a region that meets European health-based air quality standards. Residential surrounding greenness was associated with lower incidence of IS.

Residential greenness and prevalence of chronic kidney disease: Findings from the China National Survey of Chronic Kidney Disease

Green space is associated with many health benefits, but evidence concerning the effects on chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been investigated. Using the nationwide cross-sectional study of 47,204 adults from the China National Survey of Chronic Kidney Disease dataset and residential greenness assessed by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), this study evaluated the association between residential greenness and CKD prevalence. An interquartile range increase in NDVI_1000m (0.26) was associated with decreased odds of CKD for all participants with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73-0.86). Subgroup analyses demonstrated more apparent inverse associations in younger adults <65 years, male participants, people in higher socio-economic status, as well as people with smoking and alcohol drinking habit. In addition, more apparent inverse associations were found in regions with higher fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentration levels, with OR of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.65) for higher pollution regions, and OR of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.83, 1.09) for lower pollution regions (P for interaction <0.001). The exposure-response curves captured more apparent declines in OR of CKD when in lower NDVI_1000m exposure ranges (<0.6), even controlling for the PM_2.5 concentration. Our results indicated that residential greenness might be beneficial for the prevention and control of CKD at the population level, suggesting the positive significance of strengthening green space construction, particularly in regions with low greenness.

Association between greenness and dyslipidemia in patients with coronary heart disease: A proteomic approach

BACKGROUND

Residential surrounding greenness may be protective of dyslipidemia are often theorized but remain poorly quantified. In particular, the underlying biological mechanisms of blood lipid changes with green spaces remain unclear.

METHODS

Our observational epidemiology study included a residentially stable sample of 1035 coronary heart disease patients, and proteomics study included 16 participants. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to evaluate residential greenness exposures. Proteomics technology was used to identify plasma greenness-related proteome disturbance, and the pathway analysis was employed to evaluate the potential biological mechanisms of greenness decreasing dyslipidemia risk.

RESULT

Higher residential surrounding greenness in the 500-m area was associated with lower risks of dyslipidemia (odds ratio (OR) = 0.871, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.763, 0.994 for per one-quartile NDVI increase). Lymphocytes mediated 18.7% of the association between greenness and dyslipidemia. Greenness related proteins (including PLXDC1, IGFBP2 and LY6D) may regulate the biological functions of lipid metabolism and transport-related proteins (including ADIPOQ and CES1) through a series of biological processes.

CONCLUSION

People in greener surroundings have a lower risk of dyslipidemia, which may be due to their lower inflammation, stronger lipid transporter activity, and normal cholesterol metabolism.

Is residential greenness associated with dyslipidemia and lipid levels in Chinese rural-dwelling adults? The Henan rural cohort study

Scarce epidemiologic research examined the associations between residential greenness and dyslipidemia or lipid levels in low/middle-income countries. Baseline statistics (2015-2017) of 39,259 rural-dwelling adults were obtained from a Chinese longitudinal study. The blood lipid level was measured utilizing an enzymatic assay method. According to the 2016 Chinese guidelines on dyslipidemia (revision), patients with dyslipidemia were defined. Participants' exposure to residential greenness was characterized by the satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Mixed effects logistic regression and mixed effects linear regression were performed to assess the associations of residential greenness with dyslipidemia and lipid levels. The median (interquartile range, IQR) of 3-year average NDVI_1000-m was 0.521 (0.089) units. Each IQR increase in NDVI_1000-m was significantly linked with increased odds of hyperbetalipoproteinemia (OR = 1.33, 95%CI 1.21-1.46). The same increment in NDVI_1000-m was associated with lower total cholesterol (TC) levels and increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. For instance, the %changes in HDL-C levels was 0.71% (95%CI 0.17%-1.26%). The above relationships were partially mediated by reducing air pollution and lowering body mass index (BMI). Interaction effect analysis observed the greenness-lipid association was stronger in males than females (i.e., NDVI_1000-m-TC association). Long-term exposure to residential greenness was associated with odds of dyslipidemia and lipid levels in Chinese rural-dwelling adults, particularly among males. Considering the cross-sectional study design, more longitudinal studies are needed to identify the causal associations.

The relationship of the built and food environments with the metabolic syndrome in the Athens metropolitan area: a sex-stratified spatial analysis in the context of the ATTICA epidemiological study

PURPOSE

The built and food environments are widely acknowledged to play an important role in defining human health by influencing, among others, behaviors such as nutrition habits and physical activities. The aim of this study was to identify the spatial variability of the sex-specific prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its environmental determinants in the Athens metropolitan area.

METHODS

Data on the prevalence of the MetS were provided by the ATTICA epidemiological study for 2749 participants, with complete data for geographical identification (1375 women [44 years old {SD = 14 years}] and 1374 men [45 years old {SD = 13 years}]), while socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental characteristics were provided by official national and international databases.

RESULTS

Approximately 20% of the people residing in the study area were diagnosed with MetS, with its prevalence being almost two times higher in men compared to women. Areas more extensively covered by green urban spaces and sports facilities were shown to have a lower prevalence of MetS, while greater density and availability of supermarkets and street markets were inversely related to MetS prevalence in both sexes. In addition, the present analysis revealed that the beneficial role of the built environment's characteristics on MetS prevalence was significantly stronger in the male population, while the preventive effect of the food environment's characteristics was almost 1.5 times stronger in the female population CONCLUSION: Although individualized prevention and treatment approaches are necessary to decrease the burden of MetS, environmental modifications that promote healthy behaviors represent an essential health approach.

Associations of perfluorooctane sulfonate alternatives and serum lipids in Chinese adults

BACKGROUND

Chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acids (Cl-PFESAs), a group of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) alternatives, can be widely observed in humans and environmental matrices. However, associations between exposure to Cl-PFESAs and serum lipid levels in adults are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationships between Cl-PFESA levels and serum lipid levels in adults.

METHODS

We analyzed 1238 adults from the Isomers of C8 Health Project, a cross-sectional study conducted in China from July 2015 to October 2016. The average age of the participants was 61.98 ± 14.40 years. We quantified two select legacy per- and perfluoroalkyl substances [perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and PFOS] and their alternatives (6:2 and 8:2 Cl-PFESAs). We also measured four serum lipids: low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG). We used generalized linear models to estimate the associations between PFASs and serum lipids, with PFASs defined as either a categorical variable divided into quartiles or as a continuous variable.

RESULTS

We found that 6:2 Cl-PFESA was positively associated with serum TC and LDL-C. For instance, LDL-C levels in the highest quartile of 6:2 Cl-PFESA exposure (Q4) were significantly higher than those in the lowest quartile (Q1) [β: 0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.08, 0.30]. Further analysis showed that one ln-ng/mL increase in 6:2 Cl-PFESA exposure corresponded to a 0.10 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.05, 0.16) LDL-C increase, and that exposure to 8:2 Cl-PFESA was negatively correlated with HDL-C (β: -0.03, 95% CI: -0.05, -0.01). TC had a similar relationship with both 6:2 Cl-PFESA and legacy PFASs. Participants with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² exhibited a stronger association between 6:2 Cl-PFESA and TC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings make the novel suggestion that exposure to Cl-PFESAs are adversely associated with serum lipid levels, and that such associations are also observed in legacy PFASs. Increased investigation into the effects of Cl-PFESAs exposure on human health is warranted.

Associations of residential greenness with hypertension and blood pressure in a Chinese rural population: a cross-sectional study

Limited epidemiological literature identified the associations between residential greenness and hypertension in low-/middle-income countries. A random sampling strategy was adopted to recruit 39,259 residents, ≥ 18 years, and from 5 counties in central China. Blood pressure was measured based on the protocol of the American Heart Association. Hypertension was defined according to the 2010 Chinese guidelines for the management of hypertension. The satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were applied to estimate the residential greenness. Mixed logit model and mixed linear model were utilized to explore the relationships of residential greenness with hypertension and blood pressure. Higher residential greenness was associated with lower odds of hypertension and blood pressure levels. For instance, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in NDVI_500m was linked with lower odds of hypertension (OR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.88 to 0.95), a decrease of -0.88 mm Hg (95% CI -1.17 to -0.58) and -0.64 mm Hg (95% CI -0.82 to -0.46) in SBP and DBP, respectively. The effect of residential greenness was more pronounced in males, smokers, and drinkers. Long-term exposure to residential greenness was linked with lower odds of hypertension. More prospective studies are needed to verify the hypothesis.

Green Space and Health in Mainland China: A Systematic Review

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major cause of premature mortality and disabilities in China due to factors concomitant with rapid economic growth and urbanisation over three decades. Promoting green space might be a valuable strategy to help improve population health in China, as well as a range of co-benefits (e.g., increasing resilience to climate change). No systematic review has so far determined the degree of association between green space and health outcomes in China. This review was conducted to address this gap. Five electronic databases were searched using search terms on green space, health, and China. The review of 83 publications that met eligibility criteria reports associations indicative of various health benefits from more green space, including mental health, general health, healthier weight status and anthropometry, and more favorable cardiometabolic and cerebrovascular outcomes. There was insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions on mortality, birth outcomes, and cognitive function, and findings on respiratory and infectious outcomes were inconsistent and limited. Future work needs to examine the health benefits of particular types and qualities of green spaces, as well as to take advantage of (quasi-)experimental designs to test greening interventions within the context of China's rapid urbanization and economic growth.

World Heart Federation Roadmap for Hypertension - A 2021 Update

The World Heart Federation (WHF) Roadmap series covers a large range of cardiovascular conditions. These Roadmaps identify potential roadblocks and their solutions to improve the prevention, detection and management of cardiovascular diseases and provide a generic global framework available for local adaptation. A first Roadmap on raised blood pressure was published in 2015. Since then, advances in hypertension have included the publication of new clinical guidelines (AHA/ACC; ESC; ESH/ISH); the launch of the WHO Global HEARTS Initiative in 2016 and the associated Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) initiative in 2017; the inclusion of single-pill combinations on the WHO Essential Medicines' list as well as various advances in technology, in particular telemedicine and mobile health. Given the substantial benefit accrued from effective interventions in the management of hypertension and their potential for scalability in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), the WHF has now revisited and updated the 'Roadmap for raised BP' as 'Roadmap for hypertension' by incorporating new developments in science and policy. Even though cost-effective lifestyle and medical interventions to prevent and manage hypertension exist, uptake is still low, particularly in resource-poor areas. This Roadmap examined the roadblocks pertaining to both the demand side (demographic and socio-economic factors, knowledge and beliefs, social relations, norms, and traditions) and the supply side (health systems resources and processes) along the patient pathway to propose a range of possible solutions to overcoming them. Those include the development of population-wide prevention and control programmes; the implementation of opportunistic screening and of out-of-office blood pressure measurements; the strengthening of primary care and a greater focus on task sharing and team-based care; the delivery of people-centred care and stronger patient and carer education; and the facilitation of adherence to treatment. All of the above are dependent upon the availability and effective distribution of good quality, evidence-based, inexpensive BP-lowering agents.