Residential natural hazard risk and mental health effects.

Mental health effects are frequently reported following natural disasters. However, little is known about effects of living in a hazard-prone region on mental health. We analyzed data from 9,312 Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study participants who completed standardized mental health questionnaires including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (depression=score≥10), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 (anxiety=score≥10), and Primary Care PTSD Screen (PTSD=score≥3). Geocoded residential addresses were linked to census-tract level natural hazard risk scores estimated using the National Risk Index (NRI). We considered an overall risk score representing 18 natural hazards, and individual scores for hurricanes, heatwaves, coastal flooding and riverine flooding. Log binomial regression estimated prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between risk scores (quartiles) and mental health outcomes. Increasing hurricane and coastal flooding scores were associated with all mental health outcomes in a suggestive exposure-response manner. Associations were strongest for PTSD, with PRs for the highest vs. lowest quartile of hurricane and coastal flooding risks of 2.29(1.74-3.01) and 1.59(1.23-2.05), respectively. High heatwave risk was associated with anxiety (PR=1.25(1.12-1.38)) and depression (PR=1.19(1.04-1.36)) and suggestively with PTSD (PR=1.20(0.94-1.52)). Results suggest that living in areas prone to natural disasters is one factor associated with poor mental health status.

How do natural features in the residential environment influence women's self-reported general health? Results from cross-sectional analyses of a U.S. national cohort.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between health and human interaction with nature is complex. Here we conduct analyses to provide insights into potential health benefits related to residential proximity to nature. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine associations between measures of residential nature and self-reported general health (SRGH), and to explore mediation roles of behavioral, social, and air quality factors, and variations in these relationships by urbanicity and regional climate. METHODS: Using residential addresses for 41,127 women from the Sister Study, a U.S.-based national cohort, we derived two nature exposure metrics, canopy and non-gray cover, using Percent Tree Canopy and Percent Developed Imperviousness from the National Land Cover Database. Residential circular buffers of 250 m and 1250 m were considered. Gradient boosted regression trees were used to model the effects of nature exposure on the odds of reporting better SRGH (Excellent/Very Good versus the referent, Good/Fair/Poor). Analyses stratified by urbanicity and regional climate (arid, continental, temperate) and mediation by physical activity, social support, and air quality were conducted. RESULTS: A 10% increase in canopy and non-gray cover within 1250 m buffer was associated with 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00-1.03) and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01-1.04) times the odds of reporting better SRGH, respectively. Stronger associations were observed for the urban group and for continental climate relative to other strata. Social support and physical activity played a more significant mediation role than air quality for the full study population. DISCUSSION: Findings from this study identified a small but important beneficial association between residential nature and general health. These findings could inform community planning and investments in neighborhood nature for targeted health improvements and potential societal and environmental co-benefits.

Earth Observation-Based Ecosystem Services Indicators for National and Subnational Reporting of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Decision-making that impacts sustainability occurs at national and subnational levels, highlighting the need for multi-scale Earth observations (EO) and geospatial data for assessing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). EnviroAtlas, developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and partners, provides a collection of web-based, interactive maps of environmental and socio-economic data relevant to the SDGs. EnviroAtlas maps ecosystem services indicators at national, regional, and local extents that can contribute to targets set forth in numerous goals, such as SDG 6 for clean water, SDG 11 for sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 15 for life on land. Examples of EnviroAtlas indicators that provide a way to view spatial inequalities, help fill gaps in environmental indicators, and integrate socio-economic and environmental data for the SDGs are explored herein. Remotely sensed EO data are essential for producing these indicators and informing planning and decision-making for the SDGs at subnational scales. The National Land Cover Dataset is the basis for many EnviroAtlas maps at the national extent, while National Agriculture Imagery Program and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data are used to classify Meter-scale Urban Land Cover in select US metro areas. These 30 meter and 1 meter land cover products are combined with demographic and other geospatial data (remotely sensed and otherwise) to produce integrated indicators that can aid in target setting of the SDGs. Though EnviroAtlas was created for the conterminous US, the methods for indicator creation are transferable, and the open-source code for the EnviroAtlas resource may serve as an example for other nations. Achieving the SDGs means assessing targets and decision-making outcomes at local, regional, and national levels using consistent and accurate data. Geospatial resources like EnviroAtlas that provide open access to indicators based on EO data and allow for assessment at multiple extents and resolutions are critical to broadly addressing national to subnational SDG goals and targets.

A Community EcoHealth Index from EnviroAtlas Ecosystem Services Metrics.

Human health is inextricably tied to ecosystem services (ES), including those associated with greenspace in urban communities. EnviroAtlas provides close to 100 maps of ES metrics based on high-resolution land cover data in featured communities across the contiguous United States. Using selected EnviroAtlas ES metrics, a Community EcoHealth Index (CEHI) was created based on an ecohealth framework including health promotion and hazard buffering domains. Aggregation of eight selected ES metrics in these domains entailed a weighted distance measure, where objective, data-driven weights were generated. CEHI was calculated by Census Block Group (CBG) at both the local level and the national level for 22 EnviroAtlas communities. Results were mapped to show one- to five-star CBGs or neighborhoods within and across all 22 featured communities. At the national level, CEHI favors communities in forested ecoregions. The local version of CEHI is more appropriate to inform social, economic, and environmental decision-making for improving community ES associated with human health.