Urban green spaces and cancer: a protocol for a scoping review

Abstract

IntroductionGreen space in the built environment is an important topic on the health agenda today. Studies have shown that access to green spaces is associated with better mental and physical health, yet green spaces can also be detrimental to health if they are not managed appropriately. Despite the increasing interest in urban green spaces, little research has so far been conducted into the links between green spaces and cancer.ObjectiveThe purpose of this scoping review is therefore to map the literature available on the types of relationship between urban green spaces and cancer.Method and analysisWe followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 guideline to report the protocol. To conduct this scoping review, we will use a structured search strategy based on controlled vocabulary and relevant key terms related to green space, urban space and cancer. We will search MEDLINE (PubMed), GreenFILE (EBSCOhost), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCOhost) and ScienceDirect as electronic database as well as hand-search publications for grey literature. This review will therefore provide evidence on this current topic, one which could have practical implications for policy-makers involved in choices which are more conducive to healthy living.Ethics and disseminationNo primary data will be collected since all data that will be presented in this review are based on published articles and publicly available documents, and therefore ethics committee approval is not a requirement. The findings of this review will be presented at workshops and conferences, and will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Beyond the map: evidencing the spatial dimension of health inequalities

“…Data to provide a nationwide measure of food, alcohol and tobacco retail environments are not currently available in France [46]. Similarly, we do not currently have consistent, reliable and comprehensive data in France to measure spatial coverage dedicated to greenspaces [12,13]. As developing countries can lack from freely available data, the use of data from satellite images can be considered as interesting option to measure the physical environments.…”

“…• Physical environments: Studies considering physical environment generally focused on exposure to a single environmental exposure such as air pollution [8], noise [9], water contaminants [10], ultraviolet radiation [11] or green spaces [12]. Moreover, environment contributes also to healthy behaviours, raising the question of urban planning [13] and food environment [14]. • Social characteristics of the population: This dimension is well-known thanks to deprivation indices developed at a small area level by social epidemiology, such as in the United Kingdom [15,16] or in France [17,18].…”

Relationship Between Urban Green Spaces and Cancer: A Scoping Review

“…The protocol of our scoping review has been published elsewhere [28]. We followed the PRISMA extension for scoping statement to report our findings (www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/prisma-scr).…”

“…In order to gain a more precise vision of the nature of the research on links between green spaces and cancer and to identify the knowledge needs on the effects of green spaces on cancer, we conducted a scoping review whose protocol was published in 2018 [28]. This review takes place within the framework of the GREENH-City research project [29].…”

Urban greenspace quandaries: Can systems thinking offer any solutions?

“…It is widely accepted that quality greenspace provides many benefits (House of Commons, 2017); for example, the promotion of mental well-being (Porcherie et al, 2018) through facilitating concentration and relaxation (World Health Organization, 2016;Branas at al., 2011), and 'social sustainability' (Dempsey et al, 2011: 291). Greenspace also supports physical health by encouraging people to exercise, which in turn helps in 'reducing obesity and improving cardiovascular and respiratory health' (Branas et al, 2011(Branas et al, : 1296.…”