Greenness exposure: beneficial but multidimensional

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Greenness exposure is linked to positive psychological and cardiovascular health outcomes.
• Understanding the impact of greenness on respiratory health is crucial for public well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize current knowledge on the relationship between greenness exposure and various respiratory health outcomes.
• To review evidence on respiratory mortality, lung cancer, respiratory hospitalizations, lung function, COPD, and asthma.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of 174 articles identified via PubMed literature search.
• Inclusion criteria resulted in 42 eligible studies for the review.
• Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was the most common greenness exposure metric.

Main Results:

• Beneficial effects of greenness were observed for respiratory mortality, lung cancer incidence, respiratory hospitalizations, and lung function.
• Evidence regarding greenness and lung cancer mortality, asthma, and COPD was less conclusive.
• Different dimensions of greenness may yield varied health effects across population subgroups.

Conclusions:

• Greenness exposure shows promise for improving respiratory health, particularly in reducing mortality and hospitalizations.
• Further research is needed to clarify the effects on asthma and COPD, and to explore differential impacts across populations.
• Future studies should differentiate between various greenness metrics to better understand their specific health implications.