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Urban blue spaces and human health : a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies

Niamh Smith, Michail Georgiou, Abby C. King, Zoë Tieges, Stephen Webb and Sebastien Chastin (UGent)
(2021) CITIES. 119.
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Abstract
Blue spaces, defined as all forms of natural and manmade surface water, are an integral part of cities. This is the first quantitative synthesis of the health impacts of urban blue spaces. Research exploring the health benefits of blue spaces in urban contexts is emergent and, thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence is deemed timely. We searched seven databases from inception to August 2019. From 4493 screened citations, 25 eligible studies were identified. Fourteen of these were included in a quantitative synthesis. We found a beneficial association between urban blue space and obesity (beta = -0.34, 95% CI [-0.19, -0.09], p < 0.001), all-cause mortality (HR = 0.99, 95% CI [0.97, 1.00], p = 0.038), general health (Cohen's d = -0.09, 95% CI [-0.10, -0.08], p < 0.001) and self-reported mental health and wellbeing (Cohen's d = -0.25, 95% CI [-0.44, -0.07], p < 0.001). Effect sizes were small but statistically significant and the overall quality of evidence was good. Evidence for all other health outcomes was incommensurable, and so we provide a narrative description of study results for those outcomes. Although evidence is growing within the field of urban blue space and health, the body of evidence remains small and heterogeneous. More research is required to further understand and harness the benefits of urban blue spaces for public health and guide urban blue space management and development.
Keywords
Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management, Urban Studies, Sociology and Political Science, Development, Blue space, Urban environment, Mortality, Obesity, General health, Mental health, NATURAL OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS, LONG-TERM EXPOSURE, RESIDENTIAL GREEN, MENTAL-HEALTH, MORTALITY, DEPRESSION, BENEFITS, PROXIMITY, OBESITY, ADULTS

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Citation

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MLA
Smith, Niamh, et al. “Urban Blue Spaces and Human Health : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Quantitative Studies.” CITIES, vol. 119, 2021, doi:10.1016/j.cities.2021.103413.
APA
Smith, N., Georgiou, M., King, A. C., Tieges, Z., Webb, S., & Chastin, S. (2021). Urban blue spaces and human health : a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies. CITIES, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103413
Chicago author-date
Smith, Niamh, Michail Georgiou, Abby C. King, Zoë Tieges, Stephen Webb, and Sebastien Chastin. 2021. “Urban Blue Spaces and Human Health : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Quantitative Studies.” CITIES 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103413.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Smith, Niamh, Michail Georgiou, Abby C. King, Zoë Tieges, Stephen Webb, and Sebastien Chastin. 2021. “Urban Blue Spaces and Human Health : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Quantitative Studies.” CITIES 119. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2021.103413.
Vancouver
1.
Smith N, Georgiou M, King AC, Tieges Z, Webb S, Chastin S. Urban blue spaces and human health : a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies. CITIES. 2021;119.
IEEE
[1]
N. Smith, M. Georgiou, A. C. King, Z. Tieges, S. Webb, and S. Chastin, “Urban blue spaces and human health : a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies,” CITIES, vol. 119, 2021.
@article{8738919,
  abstract     = {{Blue spaces, defined as all forms of natural and manmade surface water, are an integral part of cities. This is the first quantitative synthesis of the health impacts of urban blue spaces. Research exploring the health benefits of blue spaces in urban contexts is emergent and, thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence is deemed timely. We searched seven databases from inception to August 2019. From 4493 screened citations, 25 eligible studies were identified. Fourteen of these were included in a quantitative synthesis. We found a beneficial association between urban blue space and obesity (beta = -0.34, 95% CI [-0.19, -0.09], p < 0.001), all-cause mortality (HR = 0.99, 95% CI [0.97, 1.00], p = 0.038), general health (Cohen's d = -0.09, 95% CI [-0.10, -0.08], p < 0.001) and self-reported mental health and wellbeing (Cohen's d = -0.25, 95% CI [-0.44, -0.07], p < 0.001). Effect sizes were small but statistically significant and the overall quality of evidence was good. Evidence for all other health outcomes was incommensurable, and so we provide a narrative description of study results for those outcomes. Although evidence is growing within the field of urban blue space and health, the body of evidence remains small and heterogeneous. More research is required to further understand and harness the benefits of urban blue spaces for public health and guide urban blue space management and development.}},
  articleno    = {{103413}},
  author       = {{Smith, Niamh and Georgiou, Michail and King, Abby C. and Tieges, Zoë and Webb, Stephen and Chastin, Sebastien}},
  issn         = {{0264-2751}},
  journal      = {{CITIES}},
  keywords     = {{Tourism,Leisure and Hospitality Management,Urban Studies,Sociology and Political Science,Development,Blue space,Urban environment,Mortality,Obesity,General health,Mental health,NATURAL OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS,LONG-TERM EXPOSURE,RESIDENTIAL GREEN,MENTAL-HEALTH,MORTALITY,DEPRESSION,BENEFITS,PROXIMITY,OBESITY,ADULTS}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{12}},
  title        = {{Urban blue spaces and human health : a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103413}},
  volume       = {{119}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}
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