Accessibility and use of urban… | Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives

Accessibility and use of urban greenspaces, and cardiovascular health: findings from a Kaunas cohort study

An increase in the distance from the living place togreenspaces was related to a higher risk of the incidence of total CVD after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors and other health-related variables; this trend was observed both among men and the whole cohort. Compared to park users living at close distance togreenspaces, a statistically significantly increased risk of non-fatal CVD was observed for the whole population and women who were not park users and living farther away fromgreenspaces.

Tamosiunas, A., Grazuleviciene, R., Luksiene, D. et al

Environmental Health, 13(1), Mar. 2014, p. 20

An increased risk of nonfatal and fatal CVD combined was observed for those who lived ≥629.61 m fromgreenspaces (3rd tertile of distance togreenspace) (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36), and the risk for non-fatal CVD–for those who lived ≥347.81 m (2nd and 3rd tertile) and were not park users (HR = 1.66) as compared to men and women who lived 347.8 m or less (1st tertile) fromgreenspace. Men living further away from parks (3rd tertile) had a higher risk of non-fatal and fatal CVD combined, compared to those living nearby (1st tertile) (HR = 1.51). Compared to park users living nearby (1st tertile), a statistically significantly increased risk of non-fatal CVD was observed for women who were not park users and living farther away from parks (2nd and 3rd tertile) (HR = 2.78).