Association between greenspace exposure before, during, and after pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in offspring

Ours is the first study to report an inverse association between greenspace exposure during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder risk in offspring that was specific to the first trimester. An interquartile range increase in satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index exposure (0.114) within a 270 m radial buffer of the residential address decreased the odds of ASD by 25% (odds ratio=0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.56, 0.99). Future research is warranted to confirm these findings in other populations and explore the pathways by which greenspace may mitigate risk. Implications for urban and city design provide compelling reasons to increase research in this field.