Research supports a positive link between proximity to greenness and blood pressure in adults. This study aimed to determine if the same relationship applied to children.
This study was conducted with a large nationally representative sample of Iranian schoolchildren, age 7-18. Of the 12,340 children participating, 71.37% were from urban areas; 28.63% from rural areas. Surveys completed by the children provided information about proximity to greenness, with proximity being defined as having access to a green space following a 15-minute walk from home. Green spaces were defined “as parks, land covered with growing trees, agricultural fields, gardens, etc." Surveys completed by the parents provided data on the sociodemographic characteristics of the participating children, family medical history, and basic anthropometric measures (such as height and weight) of the parents. Each child’s blood pressure (BP) was measured twice following a 5-minute interval. The average reading was used as data for this study.
Results showed that 65.11% of the participants had subjective proximity to green spaces. Results also showed a reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in association with subjective proximity to green spaces, but this reduction was not statistically significant. Similarly, there was no observed statistical significance regarding the association between subjective proximity to green spaces and elevated BP. Adjusting for parental employment, low birth weight, parental obesity, single parent, and breastfeeding did not change these results.
This research indicates that subjective proximity to green spaces might not be associated with lower BP in children. More research is warranted with attention to both subjective and objective data on green space exposure. Clear evidence as to the significance of childhood green space exposure could be helpful in designing interventions to prevent noncommunicable diseases from happening later in life.
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