BOSTON - A new study finds that increased green spaces in cities could benefit a person’s health and subsequently reduce mortality rates among older adults.
According to the study, published earlier this month in "Frontiers in Public Health," researchers found that between 34,000-38,000 deaths in people 65 and older could have been reduced between 2000 to 2019 if "greenness" increased by 0.1 units in U.S.
metropolitan areas.In addition, approximately 15 to 20 deaths per 10,000 people in the age group could be reduced with an increase in vegetation.Researchers at Harvard and Boston University’s School of Public Health focused their analysis on 35 metropolitan cities, along with people aged 65 and older in order to more easily quantify the potential reductions in mortality in a generally vulnerable population.For the study, the team utilized publicly available population data from the U.S.
Census, mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control WONDER system and greenness data from NASA's Landsat satellites to conduct its health impact assessment.