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Fernandes A, Avraam D, Cadman T, Dadvand P, Guxens M, Binter AC, Pinot de Moira A, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Duijts L, Julvez J, De Castro M, Fossati S, Márquez S, Vrijkotte T, Elhakeem A, McEachan R, Yang T, Pedersen M, Vinther J, Lepeule J, Heude B, Jaddoe VWV, Santos S, Welten M, El Marroun H, Mian A, Andrušaitytė S, Lertxundi A, Ibarluzea J, Ballester F, Esplugues A, Torres Toda M, Harris JR, Lucia Thorbjørnsrud Nader J, Moirano G, Maritano S, Catherine Wilson R, Vrijheid M. Green spaces and respiratory, cardiometabolic, and neurodevelopmental outcomes: An individual-participant data meta-analysis of >35.000 European children. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108853. [PMID: 38963986 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Studies evaluating the benefits and risks of green spaces on children's health are scarce. The present study aimed to examine the associations between exposure to green spaces during pregnancy and early childhood with respiratory, cardiometabolic, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in school-age children. We performed an Individual-Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis involving 35,000 children from ten European birth cohorts across eight countries. For each participant, we calculated residential Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within a 300 m buffer and the linear distance to green spaces (meters) during prenatal life and childhood. Multiple harmonized health outcomes were selected: asthma and wheezing, lung function, body mass index, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, non-verbal intelligence, internalizing and externalizing problems, and ADHD symptoms. We conducted a two-stage IPD meta-analysis and evaluated effect modification by socioeconomic status (SES) and sex. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed via random-effects meta-regression. Residential surrounding green spaces in childhood, not pregnancy, was associated with improved lung function, particularly higher FEV1 (β = 0.06; 95 %CI: 0.03, 0.09 I2 = 4.03 %, p < 0.001) and FVC (β = 0.07; 95 %CI: 0.04, 0.09 I2 = 0 %, p < 0.001) with a stronger association observed in females (p < 0.001). This association remained robust after multiple testing correction and did not change notably after adjusting for ambient air pollution. Increased distance to green spaces showed an association with lower FVC (β = -0.04; 95 %CI: -0.07, -0.02, I2 = 4.8, p = 0.001), with a stronger effect in children from higher SES backgrounds (p < 0.001). No consistent associations were found between green spaces and asthma, wheezing, cardiometabolic, or neurodevelopmental outcomes, with direction of effect varying across cohorts. Wheezing and neurodevelopmental outcomes showed high between-study heterogeneity, and the age at outcome assessment was only associated with heterogeneity in internalizing problems.. This large European meta-analysis suggests that childhood exposure to green spaces may lead to better lung function. Associations with other respiratory outcomes and selected cardiometabolic and neurodevelopmental outcomes remain inconclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Fernandes
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Demetris Avraam
- Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tim Cadman
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Payam Dadvand
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mònica Guxens
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anne-Claire Binter
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angela Pinot de Moira
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Liesbeth Duijts
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jordi Julvez
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Clinical and Epidemiological Neuroscience (NeuroÈpia), Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), Reus, Spain
| | - Montserrat De Castro
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Serena Fossati
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Márquez
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tanja Vrijkotte
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ahmed Elhakeem
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, Bristol BS8 2BN, United Kingdom; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK
| | - Rosemary McEachan
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK
| | - Tiffany Yang
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK
| | - Marie Pedersen
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johan Vinther
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johanna Lepeule
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm U 1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Team of Environmental Epidemiology Applied to Development and Respiratory Health, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Barbara Heude
- Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Inserm, INRAE, Center for Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), F-75004 Paris, France
| | - Vincent W V Jaddoe
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Susana Santos
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Marieke Welten
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hanan El Marroun
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Science, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Annemiek Mian
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sandra Andrušaitytė
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Aitana Lertxundi
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development Group, 20014, San Sebastian, Spain; Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Jesús Ibarluzea
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development Group, 20014, San Sebastian, Spain; Ministry of Health of the Basque Government, Sub-Directorate for Public Health and Addictions of Gipuzkoa, 20013 San Sebastian, Spain; Faculty of Psychology of the University of the Basque Country (EHU-UPV), 20018, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Ferran Ballester
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Nursing, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain; Epidemiology Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Esplugues
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Nursing, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain; Epidemiology Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Torres Toda
- Unit Medical Expertise and Data Intelligence, Department of Health Protection, National Health Laboratory (LNS), Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | - Jennifer R Harris
- Center for Fertility and Health, The Nowegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Johanna Lucia Thorbjørnsrud Nader
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Division of Health Data and Digitalisation, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Giovenale Moirano
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia Maritano
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Martine Vrijheid
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Sanz-Mas M, Ubalde-López M, Borràs S, Brugueras S, Continente X, Daher C, Marí-Dell'Olmo M, López MJ. Adapting Schools to Climate Change with Green, Blue, and Grey Measures in Barcelona: Study Protocol of a Mixed-Method Evaluation. J Urban Health 2024; 101:141-154. [PMID: 38236429 PMCID: PMC10897086 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-023-00814-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Under the framework of the Urban Innovative Actions program of the European Commission, in 2020, 11 primary schools in Barcelona were transformed into climate shelters by implementing green, blue, and grey measures. Schoolyards were also opened to the local community to be used during non-school periods. Here we present the study protocol of a mixed-method approach to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions in terms of improving environmental quality and health for users. We evaluated school level through the following: (1) quantitative pre-post quasi-experimental study, and (2) qualitative evaluation. The quantitative study included measures of (a) environmental variables (collected via low-cost and non-low-cost sensors), (b) students' health and well-being (collected via health questionnaires, attention levels test, and systematic observations), and (c) teachers' health and well-being (collected via thermal comfort measurements and health questionnaires). The qualitative methods evaluated the perceptions about the effects of the interventions among students (using Photovoice) and teachers (through focus groups). The impact of the interventions was assessed at community level during summer non-school periods through a spontaneous ethnographic approach. Data collection started in August 2019 and ended in July 2022. The evaluation provides the opportunity to identify those solutions that worked and those that need to be improved for future experiences, as well as improve the evaluation methodology and replication for these kinds of interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Sanz-Mas
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB), Pl. Lesseps 1, 08023, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de La Salut (DCEXS), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mònica Ubalde-López
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de La Salut (DCEXS), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sílvia Borràs
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sílvia Brugueras
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB), Pl. Lesseps 1, 08023, Barcelona, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Xavier Continente
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB), Pl. Lesseps 1, 08023, Barcelona, Spain.
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
- Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Sant Quintí 77-79, 08041, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Carolyn Daher
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de La Salut (DCEXS), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marc Marí-Dell'Olmo
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB), Pl. Lesseps 1, 08023, Barcelona, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Sant Quintí 77-79, 08041, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María José López
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB), Pl. Lesseps 1, 08023, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de La Salut (DCEXS), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Sant Quintí 77-79, 08041, Barcelona, Spain
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Hazlehurst MF, Wolf KL, Simmons C, Nieto C, Steiner MK, Garrett KA, Faino AV, Ubalde López M, López-Toribio M, Tandon PS. Physical activity and social interaction assessments in schoolyard settings using the System for Observing Outdoor Play Environments in Neighborhood Schools (SOOPEN). Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2023; 20:94. [PMID: 37528409 PMCID: PMC10394799 DOI: 10.1186/s12966-023-01483-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The schoolyard environment provides key opportunities to promote physical activity and socioemotional development for children. Schoolyards can also serve as a community park resource outside of school hours. We aimed to: (i) implement and evaluate reliability of the System for Observing Outdoor Play Environments in Neighborhood Schools (SOOPEN), (ii) assess schoolyard use by children during recess and community members of all ages outside of school hours, and (iii) investigate relationships of schoolyard and children´s group characteristics with physical activity levels and prosocial interactions. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we observed student and community visitor behavior using SOOPEN at three urban elementary schoolyards in Tacoma, Washington, USA, prior to renovations intended to expand each facility's use as a community park in neighborhoods with poor park access. We assessed interrater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients and described current levels of schoolyard use (at the group level), physical activity, and prosocial behavior. Physical activity was assessed on a five-point scale and dichotomized to indicate moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Social interactions were coded as prosocial, antisocial, or neutral. We examined associations of selected schoolyard features and group characteristics with group MVPA and prosocial behavior during recess using modified Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS We observed a total of 981 activity-defined, informal groups in the schoolyards, and achieved good to excellent interrater reliability using SOOPEN. Community use of the schoolyards during evenings and weekends was limited (n = 56 groups). During 26, 25-50 min recess periods (n = 833 groups), 19% of groups were engaged in MVPA. Schoolyard areas with paved surfaces were associated with more MVPA (PR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.23) compared to field/grass areas; supervised groups were associated with less MVPA than groups not directly supervised by an adult (PR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.96). Schoolyard characteristics were not associated with prosocial behavior. Mixed-gender groups were associated with more MVPA and more prosocial behavior. CONCLUSIONS Our study using SOOPEN, a reliable new activity observation tool, highlights the multi-dimensional dynamics of physical activity and social interactions in schoolyards, which could be leveraged to promote healthy behaviors during and outside of school hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marnie F Hazlehurst
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kathleen L Wolf
- College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Anna V Faino
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mònica Ubalde López
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health-ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Research Network in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María López-Toribio
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pooja S Tandon
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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