Speaker
Description
Background: Noncommunicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), account for a large proportion of the global burden of disease. Certain characteristics of biodiverse green spaces such as walkability have been argued to enhance physical health outcomes such as cardiovascular health by increasing the likelihood and intensity of physical activity (PA). However, existing evidence on the relationship is inconclusive. Most previous studies failed to account for non-linearities in the relationship, and they have not systematically considered structural and qualitative characteristics of green spaces.
Aims: We aim to test for (potentially) non-linear relationships between various green space metrics, including measures of green space diversity and species richness, and various PA outcomes.
Methods: We used self-reported PA indices from the German National Cohort and objective GIS green space indicators to characterise the neighbourhoods around the respondent’s addresses for different buffer sizes. We modelled the potentially non-linear GS-PA relationship using generalised additive models (GAM).
Results: The GS metric with the highest explanatory power was NDVI at 1 km radius. There was no GS effect on total PA, but NDVI (1km) was negatively associated with sedentary behaviour. NDVI (1km) had a negative effect on commuting, but a positive effect on leisure time activities. It is possible that these two opposing effects might offset each other. Future research should take into account that different PA outcomes are affected by GS through different mechanisms.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
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