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Association between Surrounding Greenness and Mortality: An Ecological Study in Taiwan

Author

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  • Hsiao-Yun Lee

    (Department of Leisure Industry and Health Promotion, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei 112, Taiwan)

  • Chih-Da Wu

    (Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
    National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli 350, Taiwan)

  • Yi-Tsai Chang

    (Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan)

  • Yinq-Rong Chern

    (Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan)

  • Shih-Chun Candice Lung

    (Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan)

  • Huey-Jen Su

    (Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan)

  • Wen-Chi Pan

    (Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan)

Abstract

Exposure to surrounding greenness is associated with reduced mortality in Caucasian populations. Little is known however about the relationship between green vegetation and the risk of death in Asian populations. Therefore, we opted to evaluate the association of greenness with mortality in Taiwan. Death information was retrieved from the Taiwan Death Certificate database between 2006 to 2014 (3287 days). Exposure to green vegetation was based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) collected by the Moderate Resolution Imagine Spectroradiometer (MODIS). A generalized additive mixed model was utilized to assess the association between NDVI exposure and mortality. A total of 1,173,773 deaths were identified from 2006 to 2014. We found one unit increment on NDVI was associated with a reduced mortality due to all-cause (risk ratio [RR] = 0.901; 95% confidence interval = 0.862–0.941), cardiovascular diseases (RR = 0.892; 95% CI = 0.817–0.975), respiratory diseases (RR = 0.721; 95% CI = 0.632–0.824), and lung cancer (RR = 0.871; 95% CI = 0.735–1.032). Using the green land cover as the alternative green index showed the protective relationship on all-cause mortality. Exposure to surrounding greenness was negatively associated with mortality in Taiwan. Further research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanism.

Suggested Citation

  • Hsiao-Yun Lee & Chih-Da Wu & Yi-Tsai Chang & Yinq-Rong Chern & Shih-Chun Candice Lung & Huey-Jen Su & Wen-Chi Pan, 2020. "Association between Surrounding Greenness and Mortality: An Ecological Study in Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-10, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:12:p:4525-:d:375407
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Richardson, Elizabeth A. & Mitchell, Richard, 2010. "Gender differences in relationships between urban green space and health in the United Kingdom," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 568-575, August.
    2. Maayan Yitshak-Sade & Peter James & Itai Kloog & Jaime E. Hart & Joel D. Schwartz & Francine Laden & Kevin J. Lane & M. Patricia Fabian & Kelvin C. Fong & Antonella Zanobetti, 2019. "Neighborhood Greenness Attenuates the Adverse Effect of PM 2.5 on Cardiovascular Mortality in Neighborhoods of Lower Socioeconomic Status," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-10, March.
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    1. Jiyun Jung & Jae Yoon Park & Woojae Myung & Jun-Young Lee & Hyunwoong Ko & Hyewon Lee, 2022. "Association between Residential Greenness and Incidence of Parkinson’s Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Liping Liao & Minzhe Du, 2022. "Associations between Greenspaces and Individual Health: A Longitudinal Study in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-15, October.
    3. Alessandro Bianconi & Giulia Longo & Angela Andrea Coa & Matteo Fiore & Davide Gori, 2023. "Impacts of Urban Green on Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-20, May.

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    Keywords

    greenness; mortality; Taiwan;
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