Autor/a:
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Smith, Graham; Cirach, Marta; Swart, Wim; Dedele, Audrius; Gidlow, Christopher J.; Kempen, Elise van; Kruize, Hanneke; Grazuleviciene, Regina; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J.
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Abstract:
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BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recognises the
importance of natural environments for human health. Evidence
for natural environment-health associations comes largely from
single countries or regions, with varied approaches to measuring
natural environment exposure. We present a standardised approach
to measuring neighbourhood natural environment exposure in
cities in different regions of Europe. METHODS: The Positive
Health Effects of the Natural Outdoor environment in TYPical
populations of different regions in Europe (PHENOTYPE) study
aimed to explore the mechanisms linking natural environment
exposure and health in four European cities (Barcelona, Spain;
Doetinchem, the Netherlands; Kaunas, Lithuania; and
Stoke-on-Trent, UK). Common GIS protocols were used to develop a
hierarchy of natural environment measures, from simple measures
(e.g., NDVI, Urban Atlas) using Europe-wide data sources, to
detailed measures derived from local data that were specific to
mechanisms thought to underpin natural environment-health
associations (physical activity, social interaction, stress
reduction/restoration). Indicators were created around
residential addresses for a range of straight line and network
buffers (100 m-1 km). RESULTS: For simple indicators derived
from Europe-wide data, we observed differences between cities,
which varied with different indicators (e.g., Kaunas and
Doetinchem had equal highest mean NDVI within 100 m buffer, but
mean distance to nearest natural environment in Kaunas was more
twice that in Doetinchem). Mean distance to nearest natural
environment for all cities suggested that most participants
lived close to some kind of natural environments (64 +/- 58-363
+/- 281 m; mean 180 +/- 204 m). The detailed classification
highlighted marked between-city differences in terms of
prominent types of natural environment. Indicators specific to
mechanisms derived from this classification also captured more
variation than the simple indicators. Distance to nearest and
count indicators showed clear differences between cities, and
those specific to the mechanisms showed within-city differences
for Barcelona and Doetinchem. CONCLUSIONS: This paper
demonstrates the feasibility and challenges of creating
comparable GIS-derived natural environment exposure indicators
across diverse European cities. Mechanism-specific indicators
showed within- and between-city variability that supports their
utility for ecological studies, which could inform more specific
policy recommendations than the traditional proxies for natural
environment access. |