Diana Younan1, Catherine Tuvblad2, Lianfa Li3, Jun Wu4, Fred Lurmann5, Meredith Franklin3, Kiros Berhane3, Rob McConnell3, Anna H Wu3, Laura A Baker6, Jiu-Chiuan Chen3. 1. Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Electronic address: dyounan@usc.edu. 2. University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Los Angeles; School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. 3. Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. 4. Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine College of Health Sciences, Irvine. 5. Sonoma Technology, Inc., Petaluma, CA. 6. University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Los Angeles.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Neighborhood greenspace improves mental health of urban-dwelling populations, but its putative neurobehavioral benefits in adolescents remain unclear. We conducted a prospective study on urban-dwelling adolescents to examine the association between greenspace in residential neighborhood and aggressive behaviors. METHOD: Participants (n = 1,287) of the Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior Study, a multi-ethnic cohort of twins and triplets born in 1990 to 1995 and living in Southern California, were examined in 2000 to 2012 (aged 9-18 years) with repeated assessments of their aggressive behaviors by the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from satellite imagery was used as a proxy for residential neighborhood greenspace aggregated over various spatiotemporal scales before each assessment. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to estimate the effects of greenspace on aggressive behaviors, adjusting for within-family/within-individual correlations and other potential confounders. RESULTS: Both short-term (1- to 6-month) and long-term (1- to 3-year) exposures to greenspace within 1,000 meters surrounding residences were associated with reduced aggressive behaviors. The benefit of increasing vegetation over the range (∼0.12 in NDVI) commonly seen in urban environments was equivalent to approximately 2 to 2.5 years of behavioral maturation. Sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) and neighborhood quality did not confound or modify these associations, and the benefits remained after accounting for temperature. CONCLUSION: Our novel findings support the benefits of neighborhood greenspace in reducing aggressive behaviors of urban-dwelling adolescents. Community-based interventions are needed to determine the efficacy of greenspace as a preemptive strategy to reduce aggressive behaviors in urban environments.
OBJECTIVE: Neighborhood greenspace improves mental health of urban-dwelling populations, but its putative neurobehavioral benefits in adolescents remain unclear. We conducted a prospective study on urban-dwelling adolescents to examine the association between greenspace in residential neighborhood and aggressive behaviors. METHOD:Participants (n = 1,287) of the Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior Study, a multi-ethnic cohort of twins and triplets born in 1990 to 1995 and living in Southern California, were examined in 2000 to 2012 (aged 9-18 years) with repeated assessments of their aggressive behaviors by the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from satellite imagery was used as a proxy for residential neighborhood greenspace aggregated over various spatiotemporal scales before each assessment. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to estimate the effects of greenspace on aggressive behaviors, adjusting for within-family/within-individual correlations and other potential confounders. RESULTS: Both short-term (1- to 6-month) and long-term (1- to 3-year) exposures to greenspace within 1,000 meters surrounding residences were associated with reduced aggressive behaviors. The benefit of increasing vegetation over the range (∼0.12 in NDVI) commonly seen in urban environments was equivalent to approximately 2 to 2.5 years of behavioral maturation. Sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) and neighborhood quality did not confound or modify these associations, and the benefits remained after accounting for temperature. CONCLUSION: Our novel findings support the benefits of neighborhood greenspace in reducing aggressive behaviors of urban-dwelling adolescents. Community-based interventions are needed to determine the efficacy of greenspace as a preemptive strategy to reduce aggressive behaviors in urban environments.
Authors: Lannie Ligthart; Meike Bartels; Rosa A Hoekstra; James J Hudziak; Dorret I Boomsma Journal: Twin Res Hum Genet Date: 2005-10 Impact factor: 1.587
Authors: Joseph L Servadio; Abiola S Lawal; Tate Davis; Josephine Bates; Armistead G Russell; Anu Ramaswami; Matteo Convertino; Nisha Botchwey Journal: J Urban Health Date: 2019-04 Impact factor: 3.671
Authors: Carla P Bezold; Rachel F Banay; Brent A Coull; Jaime E Hart; Peter James; Laura D Kubzansky; Stacey A Missmer; Francine Laden Journal: Ann Epidemiol Date: 2018-02-02 Impact factor: 3.797
Authors: Howard Frumkin; Gregory N Bratman; Sara Jo Breslow; Bobby Cochran; Peter H Kahn; Joshua J Lawler; Phillip S Levin; Pooja S Tandon; Usha Varanasi; Kathleen L Wolf; Spencer A Wood Journal: Environ Health Perspect Date: 2017-07-31 Impact factor: 9.031
Authors: Michelle C Kondo; Jaime M Fluehr; Thomas McKeon; Charles C Branas Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2018-03-03 Impact factor: 3.390