Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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While past research suggests that urban greenspace is associated with weaker income-based mortality inequities, little is known about associations with racial inequities, which may be distinct owing to historical and contemporary forms of racism. We quantified the extent to which different measures of greenspace modified socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities in all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. For every residential census tract in Philadelphia, PA (N = 376), we linked counts of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (years 2008-2015) with measures of greenspace (proportion tree canopy or grass/shrub cover, proportion residents reporting park access, and the normalized difference vegetation index measure of overall greenness) and American Community Survey-based measures of sociodemographic composition (proportion of residents living in poverty, proportion identifying as non-Hispanic Black, and the index of concentration at the extremes (ICE) representing racialized economic deprivation). ⋯ Mortality inequities did not differ substantially by perceived park access, and tree canopy was associated with weaker ICE-based inequities only. In this ecologic analysis, neighborhood greenspace was associated with weaker mortality inequities. However, associations varied across greenspace type and sociodemographic composition metrics, with generally stronger associations with overall greenness and grass/shrub coverage, and for ICE-basedinequities.
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Little is known about the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other major disasters on mental health. Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast in 2017, resulting in substantial costs, significant levels of displacement, and approximately 100 deaths, and was followed in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. We randomly sampled 1167 Houstonians from 88 designated super-neighborhoods and surveyed them about their demographics, event-specific traumas and stressors, and symptoms of current depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ⋯ Overall, we observed evidence for two key findings that are salient for residents of urban environments in the context of multiple disasters. First, stressors were primary influences on depression, whereas both stressors and traumas influenced PTSD. Second, the influences of stressors and traumas on depression and PTSD symptoms faded with time.
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The United States combine high rates of firearm homicides with high gun prevalence. In the past, a significant positive association was found between the two. ⋯ The results demonstrated a very small positive association that diminished after adjusting for crime rates. Findings suggest that the association either attenuated in more recent years, or previous studies had overestimated this association.
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Review Meta Analysis
Long-Term Exposure to Traffic Noise and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Diseases: a Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.
While noise pollution from transportation has become an important public health problem, the relationships between different sources of traffic noise and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain inconclusive. A comprehensive meta-analysis was therefore conducted to quantitatively assess the effects of long-term exposure to road traffic, railway, and aircraft noise on CVDs and relevant subtypes. We systematically retrieved PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for articles published before April 4, 2022. ⋯ For CVD subtypes, the risk increased by 3.4% (1.034, 1.026-1.043) for stroke and 5% (1.050, 1.006-1.096) for heart failure with each 10 dB increment of road traffic noise; the risk of atrial fibrillation increased by 1.1% (1.011, 1.002-1.021) with each 10 dB increment of railway noise; and the risk increased by 1% (1.010, 1.003-1.017) for myocardial infarction, 2.7% (1.027, 1.004-1.050) for atrial fibrillation, and 2.3% (1.023, 1.016-1.030) for heart failure with each 10 dB increment in aircraft noise. Further, effects from road traffic, railway, and aircraft noise all followed positive linear trends with CVDs. Long-term exposure to traffic noise is positively related to the incidence risk of cardiovascular events, especially road traffic noise which significantly increases the risk of CVDs, stroke, and heart failure.
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With rapid urbanization, built environment has emerged as a set of modifiable factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize evidence on the associations of attributes of urban built environment (e.g. residential density, land use mix, greenness and walkability) with cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. hypertension and arterial stiffness) and major CVD events including mortality. A total of 63 studies, including 31 of cross-sectional design and 32 of longitudinal design conducted across 21 geographical locations and published between 2012 and 2023 were extracted for review. ⋯ Sixty-seven percent of the studies were rated as "probably high" risk of confounding bias because of inability to adjust for underlying comorbidities/family history of diseases in their statistical models. Forty-six percent and 14% of the studies were rated as "probably high" risk of bias for exposure and outcome measurements, respectively. Future studies with robust design will further help elucidate the linkages between urban built environment and cardiovascular health, thereby informing planning policies for creating healthy cities.