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Residential Greenness and Birthweight in the State of Massachusetts, USA

Author

Listed:
  • Kelvin C. Fong

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

  • Itai Kloog

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 653, Israel)

  • Brent A. Coull

    (Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

  • Petros Koutrakis

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

  • Francine Laden

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
    Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
    Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

  • Joel D. Schwartz

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
    Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

  • Peter James

    (Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

Abstract

Natural vegetation, or greenness, may benefit maternal health and consequently, fetal growth, by providing opportunities for physical activity and psychological restoration, and decreasing detrimental environmental exposures. We retrieved Massachusetts Birth Registry data from 2001–2013 and investigated the association between residential greenness and birthweight in full-term births (≥37 weeks gestation). We calculated average residential greenness during pregnancy using 250 m normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from satellites. We estimated associations between greenness and continuous birthweight, term low birthweight (TLBW: <2500 g), and small for gestational age (SGA: <10th percentile of birthweight stratified by sex and gestational age) adjusted for individual and neighborhood covariates and considered nonlinearity and effect modification. Higher greenness exposure was associated with higher birthweight with stronger associations in the lower than higher range of greenness. Greenness was associated with lower odds of TLBW (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.97, 0.99 per 0.1 increase in NDVI) and SGA (OR 0.98; 95% 0.97, 0.99) and associations varied by population density (TLBW) and socioeconomic status (TLBW, SGA). Our results suggest that greenness is beneficial to fetal growth exhibited by higher birthweight and lower odds of TLBW and SGA. Unlike prior studies, associations with TLBW and SGA appeared stronger among those with higher socioeconomic status.

Suggested Citation

  • Kelvin C. Fong & Itai Kloog & Brent A. Coull & Petros Koutrakis & Francine Laden & Joel D. Schwartz & Peter James, 2018. "Residential Greenness and Birthweight in the State of Massachusetts, USA," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:6:p:1248-:d:152117
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Winkleby, M.A. & Jatulis, D.E. & Frank, E. & Fortmann, S.P., 1992. "Socioeconomic status and health: How education, income, and occupation contribute to risk factors for cardiovascular disease," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 82(6), pages 816-820.
    2. Joan A. Casey & Peter James & Kara E. Rudolph & Chih-Da Wu & Brian S. Schwartz, 2016. "Greenness and Birth Outcomes in a Range of Pennsylvania Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Kathryn Abelt & Sara McLafferty, 2017. "Green Streets: Urban Green and Birth Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kelvin C. Fong & Maayan Yitshak-Sade & Kevin J. Lane & M. Patricia Fabian & Itai Kloog & Joel D. Schwartz & Brent A. Coull & Petros Koutrakis & Jaime E. Hart & Francine Laden & Antonella Zanobetti, 2020. "Racial Disparities in Associations between Neighborhood Demographic Polarization and Birth Weight," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-11, April.
    2. Giulia Squillacioti & Valeria Bellisario & Stefano Levra & Pavilio Piccioni & Roberto Bono, 2019. "Greenness Availability and Respiratory Health in a Population of Urbanised Children in North-Western Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. 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.
    4. Selin Akaraci & Xiaoqi Feng & Thomas Suesse & Bin Jalaludin & Thomas Astell-Burt, 2020. "A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Associations between Green and Blue Spaces and Birth Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-20, April.
    5. Alessandro Rigolon & Matthew H. E. M. Browning & Olivia McAnirlin & Hyunseo (Violet) Yoon, 2021. "Green Space and Health Equity: A Systematic Review on the Potential of Green Space to Reduce Health Disparities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-27, March.
    6. Maayan Yitshak-Sade & M. Patricia Fabian & Kevin J. Lane & Jaime E. Hart & Joel D. Schwartz & Francine Laden & Peter James & Kelvin C. Fong & Itai Kloog & Antonella Zanobetti, 2020. "Estimating the Combined Effects of Natural and Built Environmental Exposures on Birthweight among Urban Residents in Massachusetts," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Siqi Luo & Yaqi Wang & Fatemeh Mayvaneh & Helder Relvas & Mohammad Baaghideh & Kai Wang & Yang Yuan & Zhouxin Yin & Yunquan Zhang, 2023. "Surrounding greenness is associated with lower risk and burden of low birth weight in Iran," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.

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