Abstract

Background

Residential greenness has been associated with health benefits, such as lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, obesity, adverse birth outcomes and asthma and better psychological health. However, the variation in greenness across socioeconomic and demographic characteristics in urban areas of Canada has not been well documented.

Data and methods

Respondents to the 2016 Census long-form questionnaire were assigned estimates of exposure to residential greenness based on the mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (from 2012 or the most recent year available) within a 500 m buffer around their home, based on postal code. Census weights were used to determine differences in average exposure to greenness according to selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

Results

Mean residential greenness among the 5.3 million census respondents in urban Canada was 0.44 units of the NDVI (standard deviation = 0.18 units). Greenness was lower among immigrants (particularly recent immigrants), some groups designated as visible minorities (particularly people of Filipino ancestry), lower-income households and tenants (i.e., NDVI values ranging from 0.40 to 0.43 units). Greenness values were highest among White non-immigrants and higher-income households (i.e., NDVI values ranging from 0.46 to 0.47 units).

Interpretation

Given the potentially multifaceted role that greenness plays in health outcomes, the inequalities in residential greenness described here may contribute to producing or exacerbating existing health inequalities in the Canadian population.

Keywords

greenness, green space, environment, environmental justice

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.25318/82-003-x202100500001-eng

Findings

Living in a home surrounded by trees, gardens and natural vegetation (i.e., greenspace, or greenness) may confer numerous health benefits. Notably, studies in Canada, the United States and Europe have found inverse associations between residential greenness and all-cause or non-accidental, respiratory and cardiovascular mortality, after adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic confounders. Associations with mortality are stronger among certain groups: in Canada, among women and people with higher income and education, and, in England, among the lowest income group. In addition to mortality outcomes, a Dutch study found that better self-assessed general health was associated with exposure to greenness within both 1 km and 3 km of a person’s home, and a Toronto study found better perceived health was associated with higher street tree density. [Full article]

Authors

Lauren Pinault (lauren.pinault@canada.ca), Tanya Christidis and Toyib Olaniyan are with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Dan L. Crouse is with the Health Effects Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

 

What is already known on this subject?

  • Residential greenness is associated with better health, including lower risk of mortality.
  • In other countries, greenness is lower in neighbourhoods of greater socioeconomic deprivation and for specific populations designated as visible minorities.
  • In Canada, greenness is negatively correlated with income.

What does this study add?

  • Residential greenness is distributed unequally among urban Canadians.
  • Lower residential greenness was found for lower-income households; recent immigrants; young adults; tenants; and people belonging to groups designated as visible minorities, particularly those who self-identified as Filipino.
  • Higher residential greenness was found for higher-income households, White populations and non-immigrants.

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