# name
Characterisation of the natural environment: quantitative
                indicators across Europe

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recognises the
                importance of natural environments for human health. Evidence
                for natural environment-health associations comes largely from
                single countries or regions, with varied approaches to measuring
                natural environment exposure. We present a standardised approach
                to measuring neighbourhood natural environment exposure in
                cities in different regions of Europe. METHODS: The Positive
                Health Effects of the Natural Outdoor environment in TYPical
                populations of different regions in Europe (PHENOTYPE) study
                aimed to explore the mechanisms linking natural environment
                exposure and health in four European cities (Barcelona, Spain;
                Doetinchem, the Netherlands; Kaunas, Lithuania; and
                Stoke-on-Trent, UK). Common GIS protocols were used to develop a
                hierarchy of natural environment measures, from simple measures
                (e.g., NDVI, Urban Atlas) using Europe-wide data sources, to
                detailed measures derived from local data that were specific to
                mechanisms thought to underpin natural environment-health
                associations (physical activity, social interaction, stress
                reduction/restoration). Indicators were created around
                residential addresses for a range of straight line and network
                buffers (100 m-1 km). RESULTS: For simple indicators derived
                from Europe-wide data, we observed differences between cities,
                which varied with different indicators (e.g., Kaunas and
                Doetinchem had equal highest mean NDVI within 100 m buffer, but
                mean distance to nearest natural environment in Kaunas was more
                twice that in Doetinchem). Mean distance to nearest natural
                environment for all cities suggested that most participants
                lived close to some kind of natural environments (64 +/- 58-363
                +/- 281 m; mean 180 +/- 204 m). The detailed classification
                highlighted marked between-city differences in terms of
                prominent types of natural environment. Indicators specific to
                mechanisms derived from this classification also captured more
                variation than the simple indicators. Distance to nearest and
                count indicators showed clear differences between cities, and
                those specific to the mechanisms showed within-city differences
                for Barcelona and Doetinchem. CONCLUSIONS: This paper
                demonstrates the feasibility and challenges of creating
                comparable GIS-derived natural environment exposure indicators
                across diverse European cities. Mechanism-specific indicators
                showed within- and between-city variability that supports their
                utility for ecological studies, which could inform more specific
                policy recommendations than the traditional proxies for natural
                environment access.

# metadata.dc.relation.isformatof[].value
Reproducció del document publicat a:
                http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12942-017-0090-z

# metadata.dc.relation.ispartof[].value
International Journal of Health Geographics, 2017, vol. 16, num. 1, p. 16

# metadata.dc.source[].value
Articles publicats en revistes (ISGlobal)

# metadata.dc.title[].value
Characterisation of the natural environment: quantitative
                indicators across Europe