Association of residential greenness with chronotype among children

Yiting Chen; Yabin Hu; Rong Li; Wenhui Kang; Anda Zhao; Ruoyu Lu; Yong Yin; Shilu Tong; Jiajun Yuan; Shenghui Li

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166011

Association of residential greenness with chronotype among children

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Dec 10:903:166011. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166011. Epub 2023 Aug 2.

Authors

Yiting Chen¹, Yabin Hu², Rong Li¹, Wenhui Kang¹, Anda Zhao³, Ruoyu Lu¹, Yong Yin⁴, Shilu Tong⁵, Jiajun Yuan⁶, Shenghui Li⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
³ Department of Nutrition, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁵ National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: tongshilu@scmc.com.cn.
⁶ Child Health Advocacy Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: yuanjiajun@scmc.com.cn.
⁷ School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: lsh9907@sjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37541519
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166011

Abstract

Background: The association between residential greenness and chronotype remains unclear, especially among children. The current study aimed to explore the associations between residential greenness and chronotype parameters in children and examine potential pathways for these associations.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 16,421 children ages 3-12 were included. Two satellite-derived vegetation indices, i.e., the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), were used to estimate residential greenness. The mid-sleep point on a workday (MSW) and the mid-sleep point on free days (MSF) were considered. And mid-sleep time on free days adjusted for sleep debt (MSFsc) was used as an indicator of chronotype. In addition to multivariable linear regression models, subgroup analyses were conducted to explore effect modifiers, and mediation analyses were used to explore possible mediating mechanisms of air pollutants underlying the associations.

Results: An interquartile range (IQR) increase in both NDVI_500-m and EVI_500-m was significantly associated with an earlier MSFsc of -0.061 (95 % confidence interval (CI): -0.072, -0.049) and -0.054 (95 % CI: -0.066, -0.042), respectively. Non-linear dose response relationships were discovered between greenness indices and MSFsc and MSF. The results of stratified analyses showed the effect of residential greenness on MSW was stronger among primary school children and individuals with higher household income than among kindergarten children and those with lower household income. The joint mediation effects of PM_2.5, PM₁, PM₁₀, NO₂, and SO₂ on the associations of NDVI_500-m and EVI_500-m with MSFsc were 89.6 % and 76.0 %, respectively.

Conclusions: Higher levels of residential greenness may have beneficial effects on an earlier chronotype in the child population, by reducing the effects of air pollutants, especially PM_2.5. Our research hopes to promote the deployment of green infrastructure and healthy urban design strategies.

Keywords: Children; Chronotype; EVI; Greenness; NDVI.