A Longitudinal Empirical Study on the Association Between Urban Green Space Ratio and Population Health Indicators

<b>Background</b>: The positive effects of urban green space (UGS) on public health and well-being have been confirmed. However, most previous studies on the health benefits of UGS have focused on the influencing factors, mechanisms, and different groups of people, with little attention paid to regional heterogeneity. <b>Methods</b>: Using provincial-level panel data from China (2007-2020), this study measures residents' comprehensive health levels (CHLs) through factor analysis encompassing physiological, mental, and social dimensions. Fixed-effects models and panel quantile regressions are employed to analyze UGS-health associations across climatic zones and health status quantiles. <b>Results</b>: The CHL of residents in China has improved as a whole, but with some provinces showing a declining or unpredictable trend. The results of the effects of UGS on the health status of urban residents were inconsistent. Overall, the amount of UGS is positively related to the CHL of the inhabitants (Coef. = 0.113; <i>p</i> < 0.01). In addition, the health-promoting effect of UGS is significantly stronger in provinces with a higher health level than in provinces with a lower health level, and no positive effect was observed in the provinces with the lowest health level. Increasing the amount of UGS can effectively improve the CHL of residents in the mid-temperate (Coef. = 0.189; <i>p</i> < 0.05) and warm temperate (Coef. = 0.135; <i>p</i> < 0.05) regions, but no health-promoting effect was found in the subtropical regions. <b>Conclusions</b>: This study expands our scientific understanding of the effects of UGS on the comprehensive health status of urban residents.