Neighbourhood-Scale Air Pollution Exposure, Walkability and Heart Disease

Health Impacts of the Built Environment: Within-urban Variability in Physical Inactivity, Air Pollution, and Ischemic Heart Disease Mortality (34 page pdf, Steve Hankey, Julian D. Marshall, Michael Brauer, Environ Health Perspect, Oct. 17, 2011)

Today we review some research into the link between physical inactivity, air pollution and health impact at the inter-urban scale. The results indicate that while inactivity has the greatest single health impact, this impact can be increased in densely inner city neighbourhoods with higherer levels of PM pollution.



Key Quotes:

“the World Health Organization cited physical inactivity (4th) and exposure to outdoor urban air pollution (14th) among the top 15 risk factors for the Global Burden of Disease”

“Population density has been shown to be a predictor of per capita automobile travel and trip length, both of which are predictors of bicycling and walking”

“NOx and PM2.5 concentrations were highest near the city center and major roadways,whereas O3 concentrations were higher in the outer-lying areas…..Average per capita physical activity was 50% higher in high- than in low-walkability Neighborhoods”

“Because of spatial patterns associated with each pollutant, urban residents were often highly exposed to at least one but not all pollutants (e.g., high exposure to O3 in low-walkability neighborhoods or high exposure to PM2.5 in high-walkability neighborhoods)”

“estimated mortality due to increased PM2.5 and NOx were greater in high- than in low-walkability neighborhoods, whereas estimated IHD mortality due to increased O3 was greater in low- than in high-walkability neighborhoods”

“population health benefits from increased physical activity in high-walkability neighborhoods may be offset by adverse effects of air pollution exposure”

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