Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators
Exposure to the natural environment in urban neighborhoods is essential for community interventions to improve human health. Although cross-sectional evidence suggests potential benefits, the understanding regarding how to integrate stronger associations to improve natural environments remains lacki...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Environmental and Sustainability Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972724002162 |
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| author | Xingcan Zhou Kojiro Sho Hongfei Qiu Shenglin Chang Qingya Cen |
| author_facet | Xingcan Zhou Kojiro Sho Hongfei Qiu Shenglin Chang Qingya Cen |
| author_sort | Xingcan Zhou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Exposure to the natural environment in urban neighborhoods is essential for community interventions to improve human health. Although cross-sectional evidence suggests potential benefits, the understanding regarding how to integrate stronger associations to improve natural environments remains lacking. This article synthesized longitudinal and experimental health evidence using different nature exposure indicators. We searched three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for articles published through June 2024; cross-sectional studies lacking temporality and qualitative case studies were excluded, and 96 studies were selected after screening 16102 records. Nature exposure indicators were categorized into availability, accessibility, visibility, and perceptibility. Notably, most studies measured availability using vegetation indices and area proportions, whereas accessibility was often analyzed in combination with availability in multidimensional assessments. Recent increases in visibility and perceptibility assessments, though infrequent, generally revealed significant positive relationships with human health. Among the 167 associations identified, 81.4% exhibited positive relationships with health, of which 70.06% were statistically significant. The highest percentage of negative results was observed in respiratory and emotional health outcomes. Nonsignificant or negative associations could be related to buffer size, nature coverage, or socioeconomic factors, and should prompt future research to explore underlying mechanisms and expand health practices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f24832a3d1ce4550bf09b93a1fd6b6bb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2665-9727 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental and Sustainability Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-f24832a3d1ce4550bf09b93a1fd6b6bb2025-01-29T05:01:45ZengElsevierEnvironmental and Sustainability Indicators2665-97272025-02-0125100548Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicatorsXingcan Zhou0Kojiro Sho1Hongfei Qiu2Shenglin Chang3Qingya Cen4College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, ChinaDepartment of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 1138656, Japan; Corresponding author. Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, ChinaGraduate Institute of Building and Planning, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, TaiwanCollege of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, ChinaExposure to the natural environment in urban neighborhoods is essential for community interventions to improve human health. Although cross-sectional evidence suggests potential benefits, the understanding regarding how to integrate stronger associations to improve natural environments remains lacking. This article synthesized longitudinal and experimental health evidence using different nature exposure indicators. We searched three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for articles published through June 2024; cross-sectional studies lacking temporality and qualitative case studies were excluded, and 96 studies were selected after screening 16102 records. Nature exposure indicators were categorized into availability, accessibility, visibility, and perceptibility. Notably, most studies measured availability using vegetation indices and area proportions, whereas accessibility was often analyzed in combination with availability in multidimensional assessments. Recent increases in visibility and perceptibility assessments, though infrequent, generally revealed significant positive relationships with human health. Among the 167 associations identified, 81.4% exhibited positive relationships with health, of which 70.06% were statistically significant. The highest percentage of negative results was observed in respiratory and emotional health outcomes. Nonsignificant or negative associations could be related to buffer size, nature coverage, or socioeconomic factors, and should prompt future research to explore underlying mechanisms and expand health practices.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972724002162Urban neighborhoodNatural environmentHuman healthSystematic reviewExposure indicators |
| spellingShingle | Xingcan Zhou Kojiro Sho Hongfei Qiu Shenglin Chang Qingya Cen Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators Environmental and Sustainability Indicators Urban neighborhood Natural environment Human health Systematic review Exposure indicators |
| title | Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators |
| title_full | Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators |
| title_fullStr | Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators |
| title_short | Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators |
| title_sort | association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health a systematic review of multiple exposure indicators |
| topic | Urban neighborhood Natural environment Human health Systematic review Exposure indicators |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972724002162 |
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