Associations between green area in school neighbourhoods and overweight and obesity among Norwegian adolescents

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between green areas and adolescents' body mass index (BMI). This is based on the notion that nature environment is known to have beneficial effects on human health, and that some of the explanation for this is that green areas are especially motivating or suitable as arenas for physical activity. We included 10,527 participants from the Norwegian Youth Study, which was conducted between 2001 and 2004. The participants reported body weight, height, and important potential confounding variables about lifestyle, family situation, and neighbourhood characteristics. Green area was assessed from land cover maps and we calculated the percentage of green areas within 1 km and 5 km buffers around the adolescents' schools. We found that the percentage of overweight and obese adolescents increased significantly when the percentage of green areas in the participants' surrounding increased (p < 0.001 for both outcomes and buffer sizes). The same results were found in logistic regression models where we adjusted for a large set of variables. As an example, the odds for being overweight was 1.38 times higher (95% CI: 1.02–1.85) for participants living in the most green surroundings compared to participants living in the least green surroundings (1 km buffer). Norwegian green areas are typically farmland, woods, and mountains, and we speculate if these areas are less accessible and attractive for adolescents, who might need more facilitated green areas for sport and physical activity.

Greenspace with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of epidemiological studies up to 2020

“…Sixteen studies, including two cohort studies 10,36 and 14 cross‐sectional studies, 23,27,33,41–43,50,69,70,72–76 investigated the association between proportion of greenspace in a certain area and dichotomous overweight/obesity (Figure 4). Six studies reported statistically significant lower risks of obesity in association with greenspace 10,23,27,33,36,42 .…”

“…In addition, Dempsey et al 41 found a U‐shaped relationship between urban areas greenspace and obesity within a 1.6‐km buffer zone; those living in areas with the lowest and highest shares of greenspace had the highest probabilities of being obese (BMI ≥ 30). However, two studies 43,75 reported counterintuitive associations between greenspace and obesity. Cummins and Fagg 75 found that residing in areas with the highest proportion of greenspace was significantly associated with greater odds of overweight (12%) and obesity (23%) from 2000 to 2003 but not from 2004 to 2007.…”

“…Cummins and Fagg 75 found that residing in areas with the highest proportion of greenspace was significantly associated with greater odds of overweight (12%) and obesity (23%) from 2000 to 2003 but not from 2004 to 2007. Wilhelmsen 43 reported that the odds for overweight was 1.38 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.85) times larger in the greenest areas compared with the least green areas, within a 1‐km buffer. The remaining five cross‐sectional studies found no statistically significant association between percentage of greenspace and overweight/obesity.…”

“…For example, James et al 16 concluded a lower risk of obesity associated with more greenspace, whereas Schulz et al 15 reported no association. Further, these reviews included articles published before 2016 and so could not incorporate several more recent high‐quality articles on this topic 9,10,28–48 …”

Urban green space and obesity in older adults: Evidence from Ireland

“…For example, although those on the periphery of the cities might be surrounded by green fields, these spaces may be unsuitable for engaging in physical activity. This explanation draws from Wilhelmsen, Skalleberg, Raanaas, Tveite, and Aamodt (2017) , who find using cross-sectional data from Norway that increased amount of green areas within school environments increased the odds of overweight and obesity in adolescents. They argue that this due to variation in the types of green spaces available to adolescents, with rural areas consisting of croplands, forests and mountains, with urban areas tending to have more facilitated green spaces conducive to physical activity.…”