TY - JOUR
T1 - The protective role of green spaces in mitigating myopia prevalence
AU - Barnett-Itzhaki, Guy
AU - Barnett-Itzhaki, Zohar
AU - Mezad-Koursh, Daphna
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 Barnett-Itzhaki, Barnett-Itzhaki and Mezad-Koursh.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Near-sightedness, or myopia, is becoming more prevalent worldwide, but its etiopathogenesis is not fully understood. This review examines the potential protective role of green spaces in reducing myopia prevalence among children and adolescents, based on recent epidemiological studies from various countries. The studies consistently used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to quantify green space exposure. The analysis reveals a significant inverse relationship between exposure to green space and the risk of developing myopia, across multiple studies. For example, a 0.1 increase in NDVI within various buffer zones around schools was associated with a 6.3–8.7% reduction in myopia prevalence. Higher residential greenness within a 100-meter buffer around homes was linked to a 38% reduction in the risk of developing myopia among preschool children. The protective effect was observed across different age groups, from preschoolers to high school students. Urban planning factors, such as the size, connectivity, and aggregation of green spaces, also influenced myopia risk. These findings suggest that increasing access to green spaces in urban environments may be an effective strategy for myopia prevention, with important implications for public health and urban planning policies.
AB - Near-sightedness, or myopia, is becoming more prevalent worldwide, but its etiopathogenesis is not fully understood. This review examines the potential protective role of green spaces in reducing myopia prevalence among children and adolescents, based on recent epidemiological studies from various countries. The studies consistently used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to quantify green space exposure. The analysis reveals a significant inverse relationship between exposure to green space and the risk of developing myopia, across multiple studies. For example, a 0.1 increase in NDVI within various buffer zones around schools was associated with a 6.3–8.7% reduction in myopia prevalence. Higher residential greenness within a 100-meter buffer around homes was linked to a 38% reduction in the risk of developing myopia among preschool children. The protective effect was observed across different age groups, from preschoolers to high school students. Urban planning factors, such as the size, connectivity, and aggregation of green spaces, also influenced myopia risk. These findings suggest that increasing access to green spaces in urban environments may be an effective strategy for myopia prevention, with important implications for public health and urban planning policies.
KW - epidemiology
KW - green spaces
KW - myopia
KW - NDVI
KW - refractive error
KW - school-level myopia prevalence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85206872241&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1473995
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1473995
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C2 - 39430709
AN - SCOPUS:85206872241
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 1473995
ER -