SYDNEY, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A new study led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) has found that urban reforestation can be a population-level intervention to protect cardiovascular health, especially for people living in houses.
"We find that people living in houses are more likely to benefit from living closer to trees and tree canopies -- for their heart in particular," Xiaoqi Feng, lead author and professor from the UNSW Sydney said on Tuesday. "This could reduce the risk of developing heart attack and heart disease-related mortality."
After examining over 100,000 Australian adults living in apartments or houses, investigating nearby green space and analyzing 10 years of hospitalization and death data, the researchers concluded that for those living in houses, a 10 percent increase in total green space was associated with a 3-percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.
Meanwhile, according to their study published in the Heart, Lung and Circulation journal, a 10 percent increase in tree canopy cover was linked to reduced risks of all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, and fatal or non-fatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
However, not all green space was equally beneficial, as an increase in open grass was followed by a rising risk of fatal or non-fatal AMI in residents of houses. For those living in apartments, green space wasn't associated with better cardiovascular health outcomes, which made the researchers call for more research in this area.
"One reason is that apartments are normally quite dense and may be even crowded. So you can imagine that if you plant the same number of trees in a low-density area and then a high-density area, the ratio of trees to people changes," Feng said.
As green space remains important in urban planning, particularly given the challenges posed by climate change and city crowding, Feng believed that people should learn more about the type and quality of green space surrounding every apartment block, in a bid to ensure everyone has the opportunity to benefit from nature. ■