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Association between Residential Greenness and Allostatic Load: A Cohort Study
Ka Yan Lai1,2, Sarika Kumari1, John Gallacher3
1Healthy High Density Cities Lab, HKUrbanLab, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Environmental Science & Technology
|March 4, 2024
Summary
Living in greener areas is linked to lower allostatic load (AL), a measure of the body's wear and tear. This study highlights the protective health benefits of residential greenness for overall well-being.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Public Health
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Allostatic load (AL) represents physiological burden and predicts chronic disease, but its link to residential greenness is understudied.
- Understanding environmental determinants of AL is crucial for public health strategies.
- Previous research has not extensively explored the quantitative association between neighborhood vegetation and physiological stress markers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between residential greenness and allostatic load (AL) in a large UK population.
- To quantify the relationship between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and composite measures of physiological burden.
- To explore potential mediators, such as physical activity, in the greenness-AL relationship.
Main Methods:
- Utilized UK Biobank data from 212,600 participants (2007-2010).
- Modeled residential greenness using high-resolution NDVI within a 0.5 km radial catchment.
- Calculated AL from 13 biomarkers across metabolic, cardiovascular, inflammatory, liver, and kidney systems.
- Employed multilevel mixed-effects generalized linear models to analyze the association.
Main Results:
- Each interquartile range (IQR) increase in NDVI greenness was associated with a significant reduction in AL (β = -0.28, 95% CI = -0.55, -0.01).
- Participants in the highest quintile of greenness showed substantially lower AL compared to the lowest quintile (β = -0.64, 95% CI = -1.02, -0.26).
- Physical activity mediated a small proportion (3.2%) of the association between greenness and AL.
Conclusions:
- Residential greenness demonstrates a protective association with allostatic load.
- Increased exposure to neighborhood vegetation may contribute to reduced physiological wear and tear.
- Findings support the integration of green space considerations into urban planning and public health initiatives for improved population health.
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