The built environment is a key social determinant of health. Exposure to parks and greenspace can improve physical and mental health and provide other benefits that enhance well-being. Programs and ...initiatives that capitalize on nature-based opportunities offer health care providers with a cost-effective alternative for upstream health promotion.
Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, with most of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India. Research from developed ...countries has consistently demonstrated associations between built environment features and physical activity levels of populations. The development of culturally sensitive and reliable measures of the built environment is a necessary first step for accurate analysis of environmental correlates of physical activity in LMICs. This study systematically adapted the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) for India and evaluated aspects of test-retest reliability of the adapted version among Indian adults. Cultural adaptation of the NEWS was conducted by Indian and international experts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local residents and key informants in the city of Chennai, India. At baseline, participants (N = 370; female = 47.2%) from Chennai completed the adapted NEWS-India surveys on perceived residential density, land use mix-diversity, land use mix-access, street connectivity, infrastructure and safety for walking and cycling, aesthetics, traffic safety, and safety from crime. NEWS-India was administered for a second time to consenting participants (N = 62; female = 53.2%) with a gap of 2-3 weeks between successive administrations. Qualitative findings demonstrated that built environment barriers and constraints to active commuting and physical activity behaviors intersected with social ecological systems. The adapted NEWS subscales had moderate to high test-retest reliability (ICC range 0.48-0.99). The NEWS-India demonstrated acceptable measurement properties among Indian adults and may be a useful tool for evaluation of built environment attributes in India. Further adaptation and evaluation in rural and suburban settings in India is essential to create a version that could be used throughout India.
We investigated the hypothesis that perception of psychological restorativeness during visits to coastal parks is modified by objective and perceived environmental conditions. Visitors (
n = 1153) to ...California beaches completed a survey on perceived weather, environmental quality, and perceived restorativeness. We used generalized ordinal logistic models to estimate the association between environmental parameters and odds of perceiving higher levels of restorativeness. Visitors perceived greater restorativeness at beaches when ambient temperatures were at or below mean monthly temperatures and during low tides. The odds of perceiving the environment as more psychologically restorative were three times greater when visiting on days defined by government policy as having good air quality (OR = 3.25; CI: 1.69–6.28). Visitors’ perception of air (OR = 1.56; CI: 1.14–2.18) and water quality (OR = 1.78; CI: 1.28–2.49) also affected perceived restorativeness; with perceived healthy days more restorative. Warmer temperatures with less space due to sea level rise and poor environmental quality will restrict restorative experiences in recreational facilities designed for urban populations.
► Visitor experience within coastal parks is associated with weather and environmental parameters. ► The perceived psychological and attention restoration provided by a coastal park is influenced by air and water quality. ► Perceived restorativeness is significantly constrained on days with temperatures above the monthly average. ► Perceived restorativeness is significantly constrained during high tides, a proxy for sea living rise and beach crowding. ► Constraints in visitor experience to urban parks and recreational infrastructure could exacerbate psychological maladies.
Measuring Nature Contact: A Narrative Review Holland, Isabel; DeVille, Nicole V; Browning, Matthew H E M ...
International journal of environmental research and public health,
04/2021, Letnik:
18, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
While many studies suggest evidence for the health benefits of nature, there is currently no standardized method to measure time spent in nature or nature contact, nor agreement on how best to define ...nature contact in research. The purpose of this review is to summarize how nature contact has been measured in recent health research and provide insight into current metrics of exposure to nature at individual and population scales. The most common methods include surrounding greenness, questionnaires, and global positioning systems (GPS) tracking. Several national-level surveys exist, though these are limited by their cross-sectional design, often measuring only a single component of time spent in nature, and poor links to measures of health. In future research, exposure assessment combining the quantifying (e.g., time spent in nature and frequency of visits to nature) and qualifying (e.g., greenness by the normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI) and ratings on perception by individuals) aspects of current methods and leveraging innovative methods (e.g., experience sampling methods, ecological momentary assessment) will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the health effects of nature exposure and inform health policy and urban planning.
The workplace is an important setting for health promotion including nutrition and physical activity behaviors to prevent obesity. This paper explores the relationship between workplace social ...environment and cultural factors and diet and physical activity (PA) behaviors and obesity among employees.
Between 2012 and 2013, telephone interviews were conducted with participants residing in four Missouri metropolitan areas. Questions included demographic characteristics, workplace socio/organizational factors related to activity and diet, and individual diet and PA behaviors, and obesity. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine associations between the workplace socio/organizational environment and nutrition, PA, and obesity.
There were differences in reported health behaviors and socio/organizational environment by gender, race, age, income, and worksite size. For example, agreement with the statement the 'company values my health' was highest among Whites, older employees, and higher income workers. As worksite size increased, the frequency of reporting seeing co-workers doing several types of healthy behaviors (eat fruits and vegetables, doing PA, and doing PA on breaks at work) increased. In adjusted analyses, employees agreeing the company values my health were more likely to engage in higher PA levels (aOR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.09-2.16) and less likely to be obese (aOR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-0.98). Seeing co-workers eating fruits and vegetables was associated with increased reporting of eating at least one vegetable per day (aOR=1.43, 95% CI: 1.06-1.91) and seeing co-workers being active was associated with higher PA levels (aOR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.19-2.05).
This research suggests that social/organizational characteristics of the workplace environment, particularly feeling the company values the workers' health and to seeing co-workers engaging in healthy behaviors, may be related to nutrition and PA behaviors and obesity. These findings point to the potential for intervention targets including environment and policy changes.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cause maternally inherited diseases, while somatic mutations are linked to common diseases of aging. Although mtDNA mutations impact health, the ...processes that give rise to them are under considerable debate. To investigate the mechanism by which de novo mutations arise, we analyzed the distribution of naturally occurring somatic mutations across the mouse and human mtDNA obtained by Duplex Sequencing. We observe distinct mutational gradients in G→A and T→C transitions delimited by the light-strand origin and the mitochondrial Control Region (mCR). The gradient increases unequally across the mtDNA with age and is lost in the absence of DNA polymerase γ proofreading activity. In addition, high-resolution analysis of the mCR shows that important regulatory elements exhibit considerable variability in mutation frequency, consistent with them being mutational ‘hot-spots’ or ‘cold-spots’. Collectively, these patterns support genome replication via a deamination prone asymmetric strand-displacement mechanism as the fundamental driver of mutagenesis in mammalian DNA. Moreover, the distribution of mtDNA single nucleotide polymorphisms in humans and the distribution of bases in the mtDNA across vertebrate species mirror this gradient, indicating that replication-linked mutations are likely the primary source of inherited polymorphisms that, over evolutionary timescales, influences genome composition during speciation.
Urban parks provide spaces and facilities for children's physical activity (PA) and can be a free resource in low-income communities. This study examined whether neighborhood characteristics were ...associated with children's park use and park-based moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in low-income diverse communities and how associations differed between ethnic groups. Data on park visits and MVPA came from 16,402 children 5–10-years old directly observed using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities in 20 parks in low-income neighborhoods with majority Latino or Asian populations in New York City. Neighborhood characteristics included land use mix (LUM), street audits, crime rates, and an area deprivation index. We employed Poisson and negative binomial models to estimate effects of neighborhood-level variables on the number of children observed in parks and engaging in MVPA, overall and by ethnicity. Results for Asian, Latino, and African American children indicated that higher levels of LUM and pedestrian-friendly streets were associated with greater numbers of children in parks and higher MVPA across all three groups. For Asian and Latino children only, quality of environment was positively associated with MVPA, whereas level of deprivation and crime rates in the surrounding neighborhood were negatively associated with children's park-based MVPA. In contrast, a park's access to public transportation was negatively associated with number of all children observed and engaging in MVPA. Study findings suggest that park-based MVPA interventions can be informed by understanding how neighborhood characteristics facilitate and constrain park use and park-based MVPA.
•Access to public transportation was negatively associated with children's park use.•Children were active in neighborhood parks with a surrounding of mixed land uses.•Quality of environment associated with Asian and Latino children's active park use•Fewer Asian and Latino children active in parks in deprived neighborhoods•Places to bike associated with more Latino and African American children in parks
Abstract
Study Objectives
To examine associations between 24-hour rest–activity patterns and body mass index (BMI) among community-dwelling US adults. Rest–activity patterns provide a field method to ...study exposures related to circadian rhythms.
Methods
Adults (N = 578) wore an actigraph on their nondominant wrist for 7 days. Intradaily variability and interdaily stability (IS), M10 (most active 10-hours), L5 (least active 5-hours), and relative amplitude (RA) were derived using nonparametric rhythm analysis. Mesor, acrophase, and amplitude were calculated from log-transformed count data using the parametric cosinor approach.
Results
Participants were 80% female and mean (standard deviation) age was 52 (15) years. Participants with higher BMI had lower values for magnitude, RA, IS, total sleep time (TST), and sleep efficiency. In multivariable analyses, less robust 24-hour rest–activity patterns as represented by lower RA were consistently associated with higher BMI: comparing the bottom quintile (least robust) to the top quintile (most robust 24-hour rest–activity pattern) of RA, BMI was 3-kg/m2 higher (p = .02). Associations were similar in magnitude to an hour less of TST (1-kg/m2 higher BMI) or a 10% decrease in sleep efficiency (2-kg/m2 higher BMI), and independent of age, sex, race, education, and the duration of rest and/or activity.
Conclusions
Lower RA, reflecting both higher night activity and lower daytime activity, was associated with higher BMI. Independent of the duration of rest or activity during the day or night, 24-hour rest, and activity patterns from actigraphy provide aggregated measures of activity that associate with BMI in community-dwelling adults.
Funding and financing challenges remain a persistent barrier to implementing nature‐based solutions that enhance ecosystem services, facilitate adaptation to climate change, and combat environmental ...stressors in cities. In the absence of adequate public financial resources, private funds are often expected to fill the gap. But market‐driven, nature‐based solutions can contribute to an inequitable distribution of urban ecosystem services by focusing on net benefits provided by nature. To help foster sustainable development and ensure that nature‐based solutions reach diverse and historically marginalized populations and communities, this scoping review explores the ecosystem services provided by nature‐based solutions and the payment mechanisms that produce and maintain them, focusing on literature on the United States. Findings suggest that the net benefits provided by nature‐based solutions and the available payment mechanisms vary based on the solution utilized (e.g., urban trees, parks, community gardens). Further, the distribution of benefits from nature‐based solutions is influenced by local historical, cultural, political, economic, and environmental contexts, the voices included in decision‐making, and the payment mechanisms used. Inspired by social equity principles, we present a framework for ecosystem service provision that is sensitive to market‐driven funding, financing, and partnerships. Practitioners can use this framework to assess whether payment schemes work in tandem with place (the local context) and process (governance and planning approaches) to ameliorate or exacerbate disparities in nature‐based solutions and the benefits they provide to people.
Nature prescription programs have emerged to address the high burden of chronic disease and increasingly sedentary and screen-based lifestyles. This study examines the base of evidence regarding such ...programs. We conducted a narrative review of published literature using four electronic databases. We included case studies, research design articles, and empirical studies that discussed any type of outdoor exposure or activities initiated by a health-care provider from an outpatient clinic. We examined articles for information on target populations, health outcomes, and structural and procedural elements. We also summarized evidence of the effectiveness of nature prescription programs, and discussed needs and challenges for both practice and research. Eleven studies, including eight empirical studies, have evaluated nature prescription programs with either structured or unstructured formats, referring patients either to nearby parks or to formal outdoor activity programs. Empirical studies evaluate a wide variety of health behaviors and outcomes among the most at-risk children and families. Research is too sparse to draw patterns in health outcome responses. Studies largely tested program structures to increase adherence, or patient follow-through, however findings were mixed. Three published studies explore providers’ perspectives. More research is necessary to understand how to measure and increase patient adherence, short and long-term health outcomes for patients and their families, and determinants of provider participation and participation impacts on providers’ own health.
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