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BackgroundExposure to natural environments is thought to be beneficial for human health, but the evidence is inconsistent.ObjectiveTo examine whether exposure to green and blue spaces in urban environments is associated with mental and physical health in Finland.MethodsThe Helsinki Capital Region Environmental Health Survey was conducted in 2015−2016 in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa in Finland (n=7321). Cross-sectional associations of the amounts of residential green and blue spaces within 1 km radius around the respondent’s home (based on the Urban Atlas 2012), green and blue views from home and green space visits with self-reported use of psychotropic (anxiolytics, hypnotics and antidepressants), antihypertensive and asthma medication were examined using logistic regression models. Indicators of health behaviour, traffic-related outdoor air pollution and noise and socioeconomic status (SES) were used as covariates, the last of these also as a potential effect modifier.ResultsAmounts of residential green and blue spaces or green and blue views from home were not associated with medications. However, the frequency of green space visits was associated with lower odds of using psychotropic medication (OR=0.67, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.82 for 3–4 times/week; 0.78, 0.63 to 0.96 for ≥5 times/week) and antihypertensive (0.64, 0.52 to 0.78; 0.59, 0.48 to 0.74, respectively) and asthma (0.74, 0.58 to 0.94; 0.76, 0.59 to 0.99, respectively) medication use. The observed associations were attenuated by body mass index, but no consistent interactions with SES indicators were observed.ConclusionsFrequent green space visits, but not the amounts of residential green or blue spaces, or green and blue views from home, were associated with less frequent use of psychotropic, antihypertensive and asthma medication in urban environments.

A six‐month winter‐spring study was conducted in a suburb of the northern European city of Kuopio, Finland, to identify and quantify factors determining daily personal exposure and home indoor levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5, diameter

Urban dwellers are simultaneously exposed to several environmental health risk factors. This study aimed to examine the relationship between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5, diameter &lt, 2.5 &micro, m) of residential-wood-burning and road-traffic origin, road-traffic noise, green space around participants&rsquo, homes, and hypertension. In 2015 and 2016, we conducted a survey of residents of the Helsinki Capital Region to determine their perceptions of environmental quality and safety, lifestyles, and health statuses. Recent antihypertensive medication was used as an indicator of current hypertensive illness. Individual-level exposure was estimated by linking residential coordinates with modelled outdoor levels of wood-smoke- and traffic-related PM2.5, road-traffic noise, and coverage of natural spaces. Relationships between exposure and hypertension were modelled using multi-exposure and single-exposure binary logistic regression while taking smooth functions into account. Twenty-eight percent of the participants were current users of antihypertensive medication. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for antihypertensive use were 1.12 (0.78&ndash, 1.57), 0.97 (0.76&ndash, 1.26), 0.98 (0.93&ndash, 1.04) and 0.99 (0.94&ndash, 1.04) for wood-smoke PM2.5, road-traffic PM2.5, road-traffic noise, and coverage of green space, respectively. We found no evidence of an effect of the investigated urban exposures on prevalent hypertension in the Helsinki Capital Region.

Background Epidemiological studies have reported positive associations between the amount of green space in the living environment and mental and cardiovascular human health. In a search for effect mechanisms, field studies have found short-term visits to green environments to be associated with psychological stress relief. Less evidence is available on the effect of visits on cardiovascular physiology. Objectives To evaluate whether visits to urban green environments, in comparison to visits to a built-up environment, lead to beneficial short-term changes in indicators of cardiovascular health. Methods Thirty-six adult female volunteers visited three different types of urban environments: an urban forest, an urban park, and a built-up city centre, in Helsinki, Finland. The visits consisted of 15 min of sedentary viewing, and 30 min of walking. During the visits, blood pressure and heart rate were measured, and electrocardiogram recorded for the determination of indicators of heart rate variability. In addition, levels of respirable ambient particles and environmental noise were monitored. Results Visits to the green environments were associated with lower blood pressure (viewing period only), lower heart rate, and higher indices of heart rate variability [standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), high frequency power] than visits to the city centre. In the green environments, heart rate decreased and SDNN increased during the visit. Associations between environment and indicators of cardiovascular health weakened slightly after inclusion of particulate air pollution and noise in the models. Conclusions Visits to urban green environments are associated with beneficial short-term changes in cardiovascular risk factors. This can be explained by psychological stress relief with contribution from reduced air pollution and noise exposure during the visits. Future research should evaluate the amount of exposure to green environments needed for longer-term benefits for cardiovascular health., published version, peerReviewed

Objective To compare short-term effects of fine particles (PM2.5; aerodynamic diameter

Little information is available on the concentrations of ambient fine particles (PM2.5) in residential areas where wood combustion is common for recreational purposes and secondary heating. Further, the validity of central site measurements of PM2.5 as a measure of exposure is unclear. Therefore, outdoor PM2.5 samples were repeatedly collected at a central site and home outdoor locations from a panel of 29 residents in a suburb in Kuopio, Finland. Source apportionment results from the central site were used to estimate the contributions from local sources, including wood combustion, to PM2.5 and absorption coefficient (ABS) at home outdoor locations. Correlations between the central and home outdoor concentrations of PM2.5, ABS, and their local components were analyzed for each home. At the central site, the average PM2.5 was 6.0 μg m(-)(3) during the heating season, and the contribution from wood combustion (16%) was higher than the contribution from exhaust emissions (12%). Central site measurements predicted poorly daily variation in PM2.5 from local sources. In conclusion, wood combustion significantly affects air quality also in areas where it is not the primary heating source. In epidemiological panel studies, central site measurements may not sufficiently capture daily variation in exposure to PM2.5 from local wood combustion.

Background and Aims: Associations between particulate air pollution (PM) and cardiovascular health have been observed in numerous studies. Exposure to PM can accelerate systemic inflammation, which...

Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. This adverse health effect is suggested to be mediated by inflammatory processes. The purpose of this study was to determine if low levels of particulate matter, typical for smaller cities, are associated with acute systemic inflammation. Fifty-two elderly individuals with ischemic heart disease were followed for six months with biweekly clinical visits in the city of Kotka, Finland. Blood samples were collected for the determination of inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, interferon (IFN)γ, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, myeloperoxidase and white blood cell count. Particle number concentration and fine particle (particles with aerodynamic diameters