Health Benefits of Physical Activity Related to an Urban Riverside Regeneration
by
Cristina Vert 1,2,3,*
, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen 1,2,3, Mireia Gascon 1,2,3, James Grellier 4,5, Lora E. Fleming 4, Mathew P. White 4 and David Rojas-Rueda 1,2,3,*
Cristina Vert 1,2,3,*, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen 1,2,3, Mireia Gascon 1,2,3, James Grellier 4,5, Lora E. Fleming 4, Mathew P. White 4 and David Rojas-Rueda 1,2,3,*
1
ISGlobal (Global Health Institute Barcelona), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
2
Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08002 Barcelona, Spain
3
CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain
4
European Centre for Environment and Health, University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK
5
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(3), 462; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030462
Received: 18 December 2018 / Revised: 25 January 2019 / Accepted: 1 February 2019 / Published: 5 February 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Environmental Health)
The promotion of physical activity through better urban design is one pathway by which health and well-being improvements can be achieved. This study aimed to quantify health and health-related economic impacts associated with physical activity in an urban riverside park regeneration project in Barcelona, Spain. We used data from Barcelona local authorities and meta-analysis assessing physical activity and health outcomes to develop and apply the “Blue Active Tool”. We estimated park user health impacts in terms of all-cause mortality, morbidity (ischemic heart disease; ischemic stroke; type 2 diabetes; cancers of the colon and breast; and dementia), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and health-related economic impacts. We estimated that 5753 adult users visited the riverside park daily and performed different types of physical activity (walking for leisure or to/from work, cycling, and running). Related to the physical activity conducted on the riverside park, we estimated an annual reduction of 7.3 deaths (95% CI: 5.4; 10.2), and 6.2 cases of diseases (95% CI: 2.0; 11.6). This corresponds to 11.9 DALYs (95% CI: 3.4; 20.5) and an annual health-economic impact of 23.4 million euros (95% CI: 17.2 million; 32.8 million). The urban regeneration intervention of this riverside park provides health and health-related economic benefits to the population using the infrastructure.
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Keywords:
urban regeneration; urban health; blue spaces; physical activity; health impacts
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MDPI and ACS Style
Vert, C.; Nieuwenhuijsen, M.; Gascon, M.; Grellier, J.; Fleming, L.E.; White, M.P.; Rojas-Rueda, D. Health Benefits of Physical Activity Related to an Urban Riverside Regeneration. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 462.
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