Residential greenspace and lung function throughout childhood and adolescence in five European birth cohorts. A CADSET initiative
Objective of the study on lung function throughout childhood and adolescence
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.
Study design and cohorts for lung function tracking
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.
Methodology to assess lung function throughout development
Cohort-specific associations were assessed using adjusted linear mixed models and combined in a random-effects meta-analysis.
No association found with lung function throughout childhood and adolescence
Residential greenness was not associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) or FEV1/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. Asthma, atopy, air pollution, sex, socioeconomic status and urbanization did not modify the null associations.
Conclusion on lung function patterns in five European cohorts
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.
Authors
Carlos A. Valencia-Hernández, Zhebin Yu, Ulrike Gehring, Gerard H. Koppelman, Marie Standl, Claudia Flexeder, Tamara Schikowski, Sara Kress, Erik Melén, Olena Gruzieva, Mare Lõhmus, Rosa Faner, Alvar Agusti, Jadwiga A. Wedzicha, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Sarah Koch, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Aitana Lertxundi, Ana Esplugues, Ferran Ballester, Elaine Fuertes
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Fecha de publicación
Available online 25 April 2025
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