Green Streets: Urban Green and Birth Outcomes

Kathryn Abelt and Sara McLafferty
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Kathryn Abelt: Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2066 Natural History Building, 1301 W. Green St. Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Sara McLafferty: Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2066 Natural History Building, 1301 W. Green St. Urbana, IL 61801, USA

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Recent scholarship points to a protective association between green space and birth outcomes as well a positive relationship between blue space and wellbeing. We add to this body of literature by exploring the relationship between expectant mothers’ exposure to green and blue spaces and adverse birth outcomes in New York City. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the NYC Street Tree Census, and access to major green spaces served as measures of greenness, while proximity to waterfront areas represented access to blue space. Associations between these factors and adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth, term birthweight, term low birthweight, and small for gestational age, were evaluated via mixed-effects linear and logistic regression models. The analyses were conducted separately for women living in deprived neighborhoods to test for differential effects on mothers in these areas. The results indicate that women in deprived neighborhoods suffer from higher rates adverse birth outcomes and lower levels of residential greenness. In adjusted models, a significant inverse association between nearby street trees and the odds of preterm birth was found for all women. However, we did not identify a consistent significant relationship between adverse birth outcomes and NDVI, access to major green spaces, or waterfront access when individual covariates were taken into account.

Keywords: greenness; green space; street trees; blue space; birth outcomes; preterm birth; term birthweight; term low birthweight; small for gestational age (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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