28.07.2024

Children living near green spaces have healthier lungs

Children living in greener neighborhoods have better lung function, claims a new study cited by Euronews. The study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), looked at data on 35 children in eight different European countries – Denmark, France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The study found a strong link between early childhood exposure to green spaces and better lung function. Children living in greener neighborhoods have been found to have better lung function. Those who live further from green spaces have smaller lung volumes – the maximum amount of air a person can exhale without time limit after taking a deep breath.

"Our findings highlight the importance of integrating green spaces into the urban environment for better respiratory health, especially in children," says lead study author Martin Vrieheid.

How do green spaces improve respiratory health?

The study authors say our understanding of how green spaces affect lung function is still incomplete, but they have some theories.

"We know that green spaces reduce air pollution, which in turn affects respiratory health. We also believe that green spaces can expose children to beneficial microbiota that can contribute to the development of the immune system and indirectly affect lung function. Finally, green spaces near the home likely reflect the presence of play areas that encourage physical activity at an age when the lungs are still developing," explains Amanda Fernandez, ISGlobal researcher who took part in the study.

The study also looked at mothers' home addresses during pregnancy to see if green spaces had an impact before birth. Greenness was not associated with any of the measures of respiratory health, suggesting that improved lung function is related to something that happens in childhood. Although better lung function was observed in children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, the effect was stronger in those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

"One possible explanation for this could be that families with higher education or higher incomes may have access to higher quality, safer and better maintained green spaces," says Fernandez.