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Li, C.C.* ; Du, Z.C.* ; Fan, S.J.* ; Mute Browning, M.H.E.* ; Knibbs, L.D.* ; Bloom, M.S.* ; Zhao, T. ; Jalaludin, B.* ; Heinrich, J.* ; Liu, X.X.* ; Li, J.X.* ; Zhang, Y.D.* ; Hu, L.X.* ; Xiang, M.D.* ; Chen, G.B.* ; Wang, Q.* ; Han, C.L.* ; Li, S.S.* ; Guo, Y.M.* ; Dadvand, P.* ; Dong, G.H.* ; Zhang, Z.B.* ; Yang, B.Y.*

Association between long-term green space exposure and mortality in China: A difference-in-differences analysis of national data in 2000, 2010 and 2019.

Sci. Total Environ. 887:164023 (2023)
DOI PMC
Open Access Green as soon as Postprint is submitted to ZB.
BACKGROUND: Effects of green space on human health have been well-documented in western, high-income countries. Evidence for similar effects in China is limited. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms linking green space and mortality are yet to be established. We therefore conducted a nation-wide study to assess the association between green space and mortality in China using a difference-in-difference approach, which applied a causal framework and well controlled unmeasured confounding. In addition, we explored whether air pollution and air temperature could mediate the association. METHODS: In this analysis, we collected data on all-cause mortality and sociodemographic characteristics for each county in China from the 2000 and 2010 censuses and the 2020 Statistical Yearbook. Green space exposure was assessed using county-level normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the percentage of green space (forest, grasslands, shrub land and wetland). We applied a difference-in-differences approach to evaluate the association between green space and mortality. We also performed mediation analysis (by air pollution and air temperature). RESULTS: Our sample consisted of 2726 counties in 2000 and 2010 as well as 1432 counties in 2019. In the 2000 versus 2019 comparison, a 0.1 unit increase in NDVI was associated with a 2.4 % reduction in mortality [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.4-4.3 %], and a 10 % increase in percentage of green space was associated with a 4.7 % reduction (95 % CI 0-9.2 %) in mortality. PM2.5 and air temperature mediated 0.3 % to 12.3 % of the associations. CONCLUSIONS: Living in greener counties may be associated with lower risk of mortality in China. These findings could indicate the potential of a population-level intervention to reduce mortality in China, which has important public health implications at the county level.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Corresponding Author
Keywords China ; Difference-in-differences Analysis ; Green Space ; Greenness ; Mortality
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0048-9697
e-ISSN 1879-1026
Quellenangaben Volume: 887, Issue: , Pages: , Article Number: 164023 Supplement: ,
Publisher Elsevier
Publishing Place Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Grants Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program
Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the "Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023" Program
Science and Technology Project of Guangzhou
Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund of South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEE
National Natural Science Foundation of China