Fact checked byErik Swain

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December 31, 2024
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Access to more residential greenspace tied to lower adiposity in children

Fact checked byErik Swain
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Key takeaways:

  • Higher greenspace levels in early adolescence were tied to lower adiposity measures in late adolescence.
  • Street-view greenspaces in early adolescence were associated with lower BMI in late adolescence.

Access to higher levels of residential greenspace was tied to lower adiposity in children, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open.

“Living in neighborhoods with more greenspace, particularly those featuring flowers and plants, is associated with a lower risk of childhood obesity, especially during adolescence,” Li Yi, PhD, MSc postdoctoral research fellow in the department of population medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, told Healio. “This finding supports the exploration of increasing residential greenspace levels and adding specific greenspace components in urban planning as a potential intervention strategy to combat childhood obesity, which can have long-term implications for the health of children and families.”

Li Yi, PhD, MSc

Yi and colleagues used data from Project Viva, a prebirth, U.S.-based cohort study and included 843 children (mean age, 7.9 years; 50.2% girls) in the prospective analysis. Participants were evaluated from mid-childhood and early adolescence through late adolescence between 2007 and 2021.

Researchers assessed associations between satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and street-view imagery-based greenspace metrics and adiposity measures through linking greenspace metrics with participants’ home addresses during mid-childhood and early adolescence.

The primary outcomes were BMI, waist circumference, total fat body mass and trunk fat mass during early and late adolescence.

When adjusting for confounders, researchers observed lower z scores for BMI (beta = –0.16; 95% CI, –0.27 to –0.04), waist circumference (beta = –0.13; 95% CI, –0.23 to –0.03), total fat body mass (beta = –0.62; 95% CI, –1.02 to –0.23) and trunk fat mass (beta = –0.33; 95% CI, –0.55 to –0.12) in late adolescence in participants who had higher NDVI within 270 m of residence in early adolescence.

In addition, higher percentages of street-view greenspaces, such as flowers, plants and fields within 500 m of residence in early adolescence, were associated with lower BMI in late adolescence (beta = –0.09; 95% CI, –0.18 to –0.01). Street-view greenspaces of trees and grass were not associated with lower BMI in late adolescence.

Researchers observed stronger inverse associations between street-view trees in early adolescence with all adiposity measures in late adolescent for girls vs. boys. However, researchers noted stronger inverse associations between street-view other greenspace in early adolescence and BMI for boys vs. girls (P = .02).

NDVI and street-view greenspace exposure during mid-childhood were not associated with adiposity in early adolescence.

“Future research should focus on identifying specific components of greenspaces that are most effective in preventing childhood obesity. For example, understanding the pathways in which residence in areas with more flowers and plants contribute to health benefits — whether by encouraging outdoor play, social interactions or mental well-being — could inform practical interventions,” Yi said. “Longitudinal studies are also needed to examine how exposure to different types of greenspaces during critical developmental periods such as adolescence impacts their health outcomes over life course.”

For more information:

Li Yi, PhD, MSc, can be reached at n3lyi@channing.harvard.edu.