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Associations of residential greenness with obesity and BMI level among Chinese rural population: findings from the Henan Rural Cohort Study

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Abstract

In recent years, increasing evidence supports the notion that obesity risk is affected by residential greenness. However, limited studies have been established in low- and middle-income countries, especially in China. The study aimed to evaluate the associations of residential greenness with obesity and body mass index (BMI) level in Chinese rural-dwelling adults. A total of 39,259 adults from the Henan Rural Cohort Study (HRCS) were included in the analyses. According to the guideline for prevention and control of overweight and obesity in Chinese adults, obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2. Residential greenness was measured by satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI). Generalized linear mixed models were used to study the associations between exposure to residential greenness with obesity and BMI level. Higher residential greenness was significantly correlated with lower odds of obesity and BMI level. For example, in the full-adjusted analyses, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in EVI500-m was linked with reduced odds of obesity (OR = 0.77, 95%CI 0.72–0.82) and BMI level (β =  − 0.41 kg/m2, 95%CI − 0.48 to − 0.33 kg/m2). Mediation analyses showed air pollution and physical activity could be potential mediators in these associations. Besides, we found that the association of NDVI500-m with BMI was stronger in females and low-income populations. Higher residential greenness was associated with a lower prevalence of obesity and BMI level, particularly among females and the low-income population. These relationships were partially mediated by reducing air pollution and increasing physical activity.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CI:

Confidence interval

EVI:

Enhanced vegetation index

HRCS:

Henan Rural Cohort Study

IQR:

Interquartile range

MODIS:

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

NASA:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NCD:

Noncommunicable disease

NDVI:

Normalized difference vegetation index

NO2 :

Nitrogen dioxide

OR:

Odds ratio

PM1 :

Particle matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1.0 μm

PM2.5 :

Particle matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm

PM10 :

Particle matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm

RMSE:

Root mean square error

SD:

Standard deviation

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Acknowledgements

We thank the support of all participants in the Henan Rural Cohort Study.

Funding

This study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OOP1148464), Wuhan Center for Disease Control & Prevention (1602–250000196), and Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (WY19A01).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China

    Jie Jiang, Zixi Xiang, Feifei Liu & Hao Xiang

  2. Global Health Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China

    Jie Jiang, Zixi Xiang, Feifei Liu & Hao Xiang

  3. Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Na Li

  4. The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China

    Shuyuan Mao

  5. School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, China

    Bo Xie

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  1. Jie Jiang
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  4. Na Li
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Contributions

JJ: statistical analysis and drafting article; ZX: methodology; FL, NL, and SM: investigation, supervision, and validation; BX and HX: reviewing and fund acquisition.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hao Xiang.

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The study was reviewed by the Zhengzhou University review board. All participants offered signed informed consent.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Jiang, J., Xiang, Z., Liu, F. et al. Associations of residential greenness with obesity and BMI level among Chinese rural population: findings from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 74294–74305 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20268-0

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