Living in a greener neighbourhood linked to better heart health

New research presented at the European Society of Cardiology shows how living in greener neighbourhoods is linked with better heart health. Using data from 243,558 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and over living in Miami over a 5 year period from 2011-2016, researchers from the University of Miami found that higher levels of greenness was associated with lower rates of heart conditions including stroke.

Satellite images were used to detect the amount of visible and near infrared (invisible) sunlight reflected from the Earth’s surface. Chlorophyll absorbs visible light and reflects near infrared light making it possible to measure the amount of vegetation in different neighbourhoods. After adjusting for other factors, age, race/ethnicity, baseline cardiovascular conditions and neighbourhood conditions like walkability and average household income, the researchers found that the individuals living in areas with high levels of greenness had 16% lower odds of developing any new cardiovascular conditions compared to those in areas with low levels of greenness. Individuals from neighbourhoods with low levels of greenness whose neighbourhoods became greener over the 5 years compared to those who continued to live in areas of low greenness had 15% lower odds of developing new cardiovascular conditions.