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BACKGROUND: In recent years, research has been increasingly devoted to understanding the complex human health-environment relationship. Nevertheless, many different measurements have been applied to characterize the environment. Among them, the application of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data is becoming more noticeable over time. AIMS: This research aims to analyse the reliability of Land Use and Land Cover data (LULC) data as a suitable describer of the environment in studies relating human health to the environment. With a specific focus on the methodologies using LULC data, we also examine the study designs and analytical methods that have been commonly performed so far. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We gathered studies relating human health outcomes to Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data. A Boolean search limited to reviews was conducted in February 2019 using Web of Science Core Collection search engines. Five reviews were selected as our preliminary starting set of literature and from those, two backward snowballing searches were conducted. The first backward snowballing search used the reference lists of the first 5 reviews and revealed 17 articles. From these, the second search gathered 24 new articles also fulfilling the inclusion criteria established. In total, 41 articles were examined. RESULTS: Our main results reported that Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data national level data was preferred over LULC international level data. However, this tendency seems to be strongly related to the specific aims of the articles. They essentially defined the living environment either through buffer zones, using the administrative boundaries wherein the individuals reside, or using the specific location of the individuals assessed. As for the characterization of the environment, authors performed 4 principal methodologies: extracting the percentage of green space, computing the "Land Use mix", recording the type of land cover, and using the percentage of tree canopy. Besides, all the articles included measurements in urban contexts and most of them evaluated the accessibility of individuals to their surroundings. Furthermore, it was clearly stated that the complexity of the topic and the challenging data leads authors to carry out advanced statistical methods and mostly cross-sectional designs with no causal relations. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data has been demonstrated to be a versatile tool supporting both local-focused studies with few individuals involved and broad territorial-scoped studies with huge populations. Promising synergy has been highlighted between Electronic Health Records (EHR) and LULC data in studies dealing with massive information and broader scopes with regards to the assessment of territorial realities. As this emerging topic matures, investigators should (1) elucidate subjects of ongoing debate such as the measurement of the living environment and its characterization; (2) explore the whole potential of LULC data, using methodologies that encompass both their biophysical and socioeconomic information; (3) perform innovative designs that are able to establish causal relationships among the studied variables (for example, Cellular Automata models), and (4) expand the current set of studied health outcomes leveraging comprehensive and trustworthy health data sources such as EHR.
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Meio Ambiente , Estudos Transversais , Humanos , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
This study examines the public's perceptions of the ecological restoration of the Congost River over the past thirty years, focusing on the period between 2010 and 2022. We conducted a survey of 112 river users across five key zones identified through a pilot study for their high pedestrian density, aiming to analyse how different sociodemographic groups perceive the river's ecological state. A structured questionnaire was distributed along both sides of the river to engage a diverse range of individuals typically utilizing the river environment. The collected data were analysed using regression models and Mann-Whitney U tests to assess differences between groups, with Bonferroni adjustments applied to control for multiple comparisons. The results reveal a broad increase in appreciation for the river since 2010, alongside measurable ecological improvements supported by scientific data. Despite these positive changes, a majority of surveyed users remain sceptical about the river's recovery, with less pronounced scepticism among older respondents, those with higher education, and environmental volunteers. These groups' perceptions align more closely with empirical evidence, highlighting the influence of sociodemographic factors on environmental awareness. Individuals living closer to natural settings and frequent river visitors were found to be more attuned to changes in the river's environment, particularly in aesthetic and sensory aspects. The study underscores the persistence of a perceptual gap between scientific assessments of ecological health and public sentiment, emphasizing the complex relationship between community perceptions and objective environmental indicators. These insights underline the complex relationship between community perceptions and objective environmental indicators, reflecting a broader trend in environmental awareness and the importance of factual communication in ecological issues.
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The use of Land use and Land cover (LULC) data is gradually becoming more widely spread in studies relating the environment to human health. However, little research has acknowledged the compositional nature of these data. The goal of the present study is to explore, for the first time, the independent effect of eight LULC categories (agricultural land, bare land, coniferous forest, broad-leaved forest, sclerophyll forest, grassland and shrubs, urban areas, and waterbodies) on three selected common health conditions: type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), asthma and anxiety, using a compositional methodological approach and leveraging observational health data of Catalonia (Spain) at area level. We fixed the risk exposure scenario using three covariates (socioeconomic status, age group, and sex). Then, we assessed the independent effect of the eight LULC categories on each health condition. Our results show that each LULC category has a distinctive effect on the three health conditions and that the three covariates clearly modify this effect. This compositional approach has yielded plausible results supported by the existing literature, highlighting the relevance of environmental heterogeneity in health studies. In this sense, we argue that different types of environment possess exclusive biotic and abiotic elements affecting distinctively on human health. We believe our contribution might help researchers approach the environment in a more multidimensional manner integrating environmental heterogeneity in the analysis.
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Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Agricultura , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Monitoramento Ambiental , Humanos , EspanhaRESUMO
The heterogenous distribution of both COVID-19 incidence and mortality in Catalonia (Spain) during the firsts moths of the pandemic suggests that differences in baseline risk factors across regions might play a relevant role in modulating the outcome of the pandemic. This paper investigates the associations between both COVID-19 incidence and mortality and air pollutant concentration levels, and screens the potential effect of the type of agri-food industry and the overall land use and cover (LULC) at area level. We used a main model with demographic, socioeconomic and comorbidity covariates highlighted in previous research as important predictors. This allowed us to take a glimpse of the independent effect of the explanatory variables when controlled for the main model covariates. Our findings are aligned with previous research showing that the baseline features of the regions in terms of general health status, pollutant concentration levels (here NO2 and PM10), type of agri-food industry, and type of land use and land cover have modulated the impact of COVID-19 at a regional scale. This study is among the first to explore the associations between COVID-19 and the type of agri-food industry and LULC data using a population-based approach. The results of this paper might serve as the basis to develop new research hypotheses using a more comprehensive approach, highlighting the inequalities of regions in terms of risk factors and their response to COVID-19, as well as fostering public policies towards more resilient and safer environments.
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Poluentes Atmosféricos , Poluição do Ar , COVID-19 , Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Poluição do Ar/análise , Humanos , Incidência , Material Particulado/análise , Fatores de Risco , SARS-CoV-2 , Espanha/epidemiologia , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
The current body of literature points monoterpenes as one of the determinant factors of the interaction between forests and human health. The present study aims at analyzing the monoterpene absorption by humans during a 2 -hs forest exposure in a Mediterranean holm oak forest focusing on the four most abundant monoterpene compounds: alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, alpha-phellandrene and limonene. Participants' blood samples were collected before and after exposure to forest or urban environment (control). We conducted air and blood sampling using cartridges and head space method and determined the monoterpene compounds through CGMS. We identified the four compounds in forest air during the experimental study being alpha-pinene the monoterpene with the greatest concentration. Results show no significant changes in monoterpene blood concentrations for the forest and control group. However, a negative significant relationship between absorption and baseline blood concentration of the most abundant forest air monoterpenes, alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, was found in individuals visiting the forest, i.e. higher absorption was found the lower the baseline blood concentration was. Although no significant lineal correlation could be spotted between the vital variables and the monoterpene absorption, we found significant correlations between the absorption of the monoterpene compounds. This attempt, first in a Mediterranean holm oak forest, can serve as a starting point and constitute a valuable contribution for further research in regard to experimental design and laboratory analysis.