Associations between Body Mass Index and Urban “Green” Streetscape in Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1
Senseable City Lab, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
2
Department of Geography, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(10), 2186; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102186
Received: 8 September 2018 / Revised: 30 September 2018 / Accepted: 3 October 2018 / Published: 6 October 2018
(This article belongs to the Section Environmental Health)
Public health researchers are increasingly interested in assessing the impact of neighborhood environment on physical activities and chronic health issues among humans. Walkable streets and proximity to green space have long been believed to promote active lifestyles in cities, which contribute to positive health outcomes among residents. Traditionally, urban environmental metrics were calculated at the area level to describe the physical environment of neighborhoods. However, considering the fact that streets are the basic unit for human activities in cities, it is important to understand how the streetscape environment can influence human health conditions. In this study, we investigated the influence of street greenery and walkability on body mass index in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Different from the area level and overhead view greenery metrics, we used the green view index calculated from the Google Street View to represent the amount of street greenery. The Walk Score was used to indicate the walkability of neighborhoods also at the street level. Statistical analysis results show that the Walk Score has a more significant association with decreased BMI for males than females and the street greenery has a more significant association with decreased BMI for females than males in Cleveland, Ohio. The results of this study would provide a reference for designing gender-specific healthy cities.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Li, X.; Ghosh, D. Associations between Body Mass Index and Urban “Green” Streetscape in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 2186. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102186
AMA Style
Li X, Ghosh D. Associations between Body Mass Index and Urban “Green” Streetscape in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15(10):2186. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102186
Chicago/Turabian StyleLi, Xiaojiang; Ghosh, Debarchana. 2018. "Associations between Body Mass Index and Urban “Green” Streetscape in Cleveland, Ohio, USA" Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 15, no. 10: 2186. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102186
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