Association between city parks neighbourhood and birth weight

Abstract

Background: There is some evidence that the urban green space, city parks improve physical and mental health and well-being by increasing physical activity, reducing air pollution, noise, and stress. This evidence to a green space would also be able to affect pregnancy outcomes. Aims: We examined the association between city parks neighbourhood and newborns birth weight. Methods: We conducted a prospective 3416 pregnant women cohort study in Kaunas (Lithuania). We have selected woman who’s during pregnancy were exposed to green space during vegetation period at least for 5 moths (1636), and estimated maternal residence distance from green space classified as a Formal park. Women’s home locations were mapped using the ArcGIS 10 Geographical Information System (GIS) and combined with a comprehensive GIS database of neighbourhood and green space characteristics. According to the distance from the residents’ homes of each respondent to the nearest park, we determined three women groups: residing within 300 m, 300-1000 m and more than 1000 m. The associations between distance from parks and birth weight were analysed by linear regression models with adjustment for body mass index, gestational duration, maternal smoking, education, marital status, parity, and infant sex. We also used the distance from the residents’ homes as an exposure continuous variable. Results: Our data shows that newborn who mother resident place was within 300 m from city park mean birth weight was 3454.77±27.14 g, and residence place was >1000 m from city park mean birth weight was 3383.45±37.84 g. Using the distance from the residents’ homes as a continuous variable we found slight (2.76 g) but statistically significant (p=0.041) birth weight reduction per every increase in 100 m residential distance from city park. Conclusions: The findings suggest that city park neighbourhood has positive impact on newborns birth weight.