Green CURe In Overheated CITY spaces: An investigation of childhood heat-related health impacts and protective effects of urban natural environments.

Project Information

Green CURIOCITY

Grant agreement ID: 891538

DOI

10.3030/891538

Project closed

EC signature date 9 April 2020

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 31 August 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 172 932,48

EU contribution

€ 172 932,48

Coordinated by

FUNDACION PRIVADA INSTITUTO DE SALUD GLOBAL BARCELONA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Green CURIOCITY (Green CURe In Overheated CITY spaces: An investigation of childhood heat-related health impacts and protective effects of urban natural environments.)

Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The European climate is getting warmer with new heat records set every summer. This environmental threat is particularly concerning for children. Children are vulnerable to heat and negative impacts early in life will influence their health across the life course. In this context, the potential to reduce heat-related health risks for children through nature-based solutions (NBS), calls for further investigation. Previous studies suggest that some heat related health impacts can be reduced by greenspaces, but there is hardly any evidence on childhood health outcomes.
The aim of Green CURIOCITY was to improve knowledge about how heat exposure during pregnancy affects birth outcomes and children’s neurodevelopment. The project also aimed to investigate how adverse effects can potentially be prevented through a greenspace mitigation. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scope of the project was slightly changed and we also aimed to investigate how greenspaces may influence mental health in times of crisis, such as a pandemic.
In conclusion, Green CURICOCITY resulted in a better understanding of a number of contemporary challenges. Findings from the project demonstrate that cumulative exposure to greenspaces is beneficial for early development but that, on the other hand, a combination of low levels of greenness and high levels of air pollution significantly increases the risk of developing ADHD. Preliminary findings also suggest that heat exposure during pregnancy increases the risk of babies being born small for their age and that greenspaces, to some extent, can modify this impact. The project took place in the midst of a pandemic and was exposed to some challenging conditions, but the advantage was the opportunity to use unique data collected during the COVID-19 lockdown. We found that people who lacked views of green from their windows were at a much higher risk of severe depression.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We performed a number of studies within Green CURIOCITY, using various methods and data sources.
For two studies, we used information from a birth cohort (HELIX) with data from Norway, Lithuania, UK, France, Spain, and Greece analysing children’s neurodevelopment and birth outcomes. In the first study, we developed a heat index and then evaluated the impact of heat on various parameters of childhood neurodevelopment. Further, we assessed if greenspaces had a mitigating impact on any negative effects of heat. Results from the analyses did not support our hypothesis of negative impacts of heat on neurodevelopment and we did not find any protective impact of greenspaces.
In the second study, we used the same methodological approach but analysed the impact of heat during pregnancy on birth outcomes. Similarly, we assessed the modifying impact of greenspaces. Preliminary results suggest that exposure to heat during pregnancy has a negative impact on birth weight, but this association is diminished in green areas. The results are summarised in a scientific article under preparation.
In another study, we used data from the Catalonian COVID-19 cohort, and we found that lacking views of greenspace from residential windows during the COVID-19-related lockdown increased the risk of severe depression significantly. This is of very high relevance for urban planning that needs to consider not only access to greenspaces and general tree canopy cover, but must also make sure that trees are evenly distributed and that views are provided for everyone. These results have been communicated to both the health and environmental sectors, for example at the conference of environmental epidemiology in Athens (2022) and at the annual conference of the European Forest Institute.
Other results include a systematic assessment, in collaboration with WHO, of how greenspaces can reduce air pollution as well as two published studies about the beneficial impacts of urban greenspaces on childhood development and ADHD prevalence. Both studies are published in high-impact journals and received notable media attention.
In summary, the results from Green CURIOCITY have been disseminated through three public webinars (in Spain, Canada, and Sweden), five scientific oral presentations at international conferences (online and in person in Spain and Greece), and through numerous social and public media outlets, including, for example, Twitter, LaVanguardia (Spain), CBT News (Canada), and ISGlobal blogs and news. The results have also been communicated at an ERASMUS+ funded summer school in Italy and through policy briefs and various transdisciplinary meetings. The exploitation and dissemination aspects of the project were to some extent hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing some outreach activities, but much could be achieved through online arrangements instead.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Using a number of different methods and data, Green CURIOCITY has provided new knowledge about the impact of heat on childhood health and development and the modifying impact of greenspace. It provided evidence that exposure to heat during pregnancy increase the risk of children being born small for the gestational age and this negative impact can, to some extent, be modified by urban greenspaces. This may be one of the underlying mechanisms behind the numerous health benefits we see from exposure to greenspaces and should as such inspire further research and novel research agendas.
Direct positive impacts of greenspaces on ADHD and neurodevelopment have also been confirmed. This has a strong bearing on how cities shall be planned and designed with children’s health in mind. These findings support actions to provide healthy environments for everyone, especially children who are still under development and where the environmental exposures, positive or negative, will have a life-long impact.
A particularly novel aspect of the project is the results on the detrimental impact of lack of greenspace views on COVID-19-related mental health issues. Following up on these results we are now evaluating how views of greenspaces may have a protective effect on the development of depression and anxiety in a longitudinal cohort following individuals during and after the pandemic.
In summary, the findings ought to have substantial bearing on urban planning aiming to reduce socioeconomically related health inequalities. Equal distribution and provision of trees across a city should be a cost-efficient tool to address health issues and improve health and well-being for everyone. Currently, in Europe, we see an unequal distribution of greenspaces and a large proportion of the population lacks sufficient access to greenspaces. In this context, results from Green CURIOCITY provide strong arguments for broad investments in green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in European cities. This should feed into actions covered under the European Green Deal and other actions that promote a sustainable future in Europe and beyond.

Baby in nature

Young child being exposed to nature