Residential greenspace and lung function throughout childhood and adolescence in five European birth cohorts. A CADSET initiative

Whether greenspace affects lung function is unclear. We explored associations between the level of greenness or presence of urban green space near the home with lung function measures taken repeatedly during childhood and adolescence in five European birth cohorts. Lung function was measured by spirometry between six and 22 years (2-3 times), and 9,206 participants from BAMSE (Sweden), GINI/LISA South and GINI/LISA North (Germany), PIAMA (The Netherlands) and INMA (Spain) contributed at least one lung function measurement. The mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in a 300 m buffer and presence of urban green space within a 300 m buffer (yes/no) were estimated at the home address at the time of each spirometry measurement. Cohort-specific associations were assessed using adjusted linear mixed models and combined in a random-effects meta-analysis. Residential greenness was not associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV<sub>1</sub>), forced vital capacity (FVC) or FEV<sub>1</sub>/FVC in the meta-analysis (2.3 ml [-3.2, 7.9], 6.2 ml [-3.4, 15.7] and -0.1 [-0.3, 0.1] per 0.1 increase in NDVI, respectively), nor was having a nearby urban green space (-8.6 ml [-22.3, 5.0], -7.6 ml [-24.7, 9.4] and 0.0 [-0.4, 0.3], respectively). Heterogeneity was low to moderate (I<sup>2</sup> = 0 -39 %). Asthma, atopy, air pollution, sex, socioeconomic status and urbanization did not modify the null associations. Using repeated data from five large independent European birth cohorts, we did not find associations between vegetation levels around the home or the presence of an urban green space and lung function levels during childhood and adolescence.

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Journal
Environment International
Published
2025-04-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109493
Primary Topic
Noise Effects and Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Residential greenspace and lung function throughout childhood and adolescence in five European birth cohorts. A CADSET initiative

Gerard H. Koppelman, Zhebin Yu, Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen, Ulrike Gehring et al.
Environment International
Noise Effects and Management
article

Residential greenspace and lung function throughout childhood and adolescence in five European birth cohorts. A CADSET initiative

Gerard H. Koppelman, Zhebin Yu, Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen, Ulrike Gehring, Tamara Schikowski, Judith García‐Aymerich, Chloë I. Bloom, Erik Melén, Mare Lõhmus, Àlvar Agustí, Sara Kress, Ane Arregi, Rosa Faner, Iana Markevych, Olena Gruzieva, Ferrán Ballester, Sarah Koch, Carlos A. Valencia‐Hernández, Marie Standl, Elaine Fuertes, Ana Esplugues, Aitana Lertxundi, Jadwiga A. Wedzicha, Claudia Flexeder
article en

Abstract

Whether greenspace affects lung function is unclear. We explored associations between the level of greenness or presence of urban green space near the home with lung function measures taken repeatedly during childhood and adolescence in five European birth cohorts. Lung function was measured by spirometry between six and 22 years (2-3 times), and 9,206 participants from BAMSE (Sweden), GINI/LISA South and GINI/LISA North (Germany), PIAMA (The Netherlands) and INMA (Spain) contributed at least one lung function measurement. The mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in a 300 m buffer and presence of urban green space within a 300 m buffer (yes/no) were estimated at the home address at the time of each spirometry measurement. Cohort-specific associations were assessed using adjusted linear mixed models and combined in a random-effects meta-analysis. Residential greenness was not associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV<sub>1</sub>), forced vital capacity (FVC) or FEV<sub>1</sub>/FVC in the meta-analysis (2.3 ml [-3.2, 7.9], 6.2 ml [-3.4, 15.7] and -0.1 [-0.3, 0.1] per 0.1 increase in NDVI, respectively), nor was having a nearby urban green space (-8.6 ml [-22.3, 5.0], -7.6 ml [-24.7, 9.4] and 0.0 [-0.4, 0.3], respectively). Heterogeneity was low to moderate (I<sup>2</sup> = 0 -39 %). Asthma, atopy, air pollution, sex, socioeconomic status and urbanization did not modify the null associations. Using repeated data from five large independent European birth cohorts, we did not find associations between vegetation levels around the home or the presence of an urban green space and lung function levels during childhood and adolescence.

Environment InternationalVol. 199
University Medical Center Groningen (NL), Universitat de València (ES), Universidad de Los Andes (CO), University of the Basque Country (ES), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES), Utrecht University (NL), Bielefeld University (DE), Hochschule Bielefeld (DE), Basque Government (ES), Medical University Plovdiv (BG), Karolinska Institutet (SE), Helmholtz Zentrum München (DE), Stockholm South General Hospital (SE), Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (ES), Leibniz Institute of Environmental Medicine (DE), Lung Institute (US), NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (GB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (ES), German Center for Lung Research (DE), Onkologikoa (ES), Bioef - Fundación Vasca de Innovación e Investigación Sanitarias (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (ES), Imperial College London (GB), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Chiesi Farmaceutici, European Respiratory Society, Centres de Recerca de Catalunya, Imperial College London, European Commission, Generalitat de Catalunya, Eusko Jaurlaritza, Generalitat Valenciana, Naturvårdsverket, Vetenskapsrådet, Narodowym Centrum Nauki, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Universidad de Oviedo, Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Helmholtz Zentrum München
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