PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study finds green spaces linked to lower racial disparity in COVID infection rates

A new study is the first to examine the relationship between the supply of green spaces and reduced disparity in infectious disease rates.

Study finds green spaces linked to lower racial disparity in COVID infection rates
2021-04-28
(Press-News.org) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A higher ratio of green spaces at the county level is associated with a lower racial disparity in coronavirus infection rates, according to a new study. It is the first study to report the significant relationship between the supply of green spaces and reduced disparity in infectious disease rates. The research team included William Sullivan, a landscape architecture professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and was led by Bin Jiang, a landscape architecture professor at The University of Hong Kong who received his Ph.D. at Illinois, and Yi Lu, an architecture professor at City University of Hong Kong. They reported their findings in the journal Environment International. Previous studies by Sullivan, Jiang and Lu have shown that green spaces have positive effects on health. Access to green spaces is associated with improved cognitive performance, reduced mental fatigue and stress, reduced impulsiveness and aggressiveness, increased sense of safety, reduced crime rate, increased physical activity and increased social cohesion. Prior studies also provide strong evidence that green spaces may mitigate racial disparities in health outcomes. However, none have looked at the effect on disparities in infectious diseases. Most studies examining the racial disparity in coronavirus infections have focused on its association with socio-economic status or pre-existing chronic disease factors. For this study, the researchers identified 135 of the most urbanized counties in the U.S., with a total population of 132,350,027, representing 40.3% of the U.S. population. They collected infection data from county health departments from late January to July 10, 2020, and used it to calculate the infection rates for Black and white residents of the counties, while controlling for differences in income, pre-existing chronic diseases and urban density. The data showed that the average infection rate for Black residents was more than twice that of white residents - 497 per 100,000 people for white individuals versus 988 per 100,000 people for Black individuals. The researchers compared the infection rates of each population within each county, rather than across all the counties studied. The county-level comparison Is critical because it can minimize the bias caused by differences of socioeconomic, transportation, climate and policy conditions among counties, they said. Sullivan, Jiang and Lu said several factors could account for the findings. They proposed that a greater proportion of green spaces in a county makes it more likely that Black and white individuals have more equal access to the green spaces and the accompanying health benefits. "In many, many counties, Black folks have less access to green space than white folks do. In counties with more green space, that disparity may be less, and it may help account for some of the positive benefits we're seeing," Sullivan said. The coronavirus is spread through aerosol particles, and the spread is heightened in indoor settings without adequate ventilation. Having access to green spaces attracts people outdoors, where air movement and the ease of social distancing can reduce the spread of the virus. More access to green spaces is likely to promote physical activity, which may enhance the immune system. Green spaces enhance mental health and reduce stress, which also promotes immune system health. They strengthen social ties, which is an important predictor of health and well-being, the researchers said. Green spaces also may decrease infection risk by improving air quality and decreasing exposure to air pollutants in dense urban areas. "We did not measure these things, but we know from previous research that all these things are tied to green spaces and have implications for health and well-being," Sullivan said. Jiang described green space as preventive medicine, encouraging outdoor physical activity and social ties with neighbors that will boost the immune system and promote social trust and cooperation to reduce risk of infections. While the study looked at infection rates in the U.S., "we also think the racial disparity issue is not just an American issue. It's an international issue," Jiang said. The research shows the importance for local and regional governments to invest in the development of green spaces, Sullivan said. "One of the things the pandemic has helped us understand is that the built environment has real implications for the spread of disease and for our health. The design of landscape in cities, in neighborhoods, in communities also has really important ways it can contribute to or detract from health and well-being," he said. "There is a lot of competition for investment of public dollars. Lots of times, investments in parks and green spaces are prioritized lower. People think it makes a place look pretty and it's a place to go for walks. What we're finding is these kinds of investments have implications for health and well-being."

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Study finds green spaces linked to lower racial disparity in COVID infection rates

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The science of picky shoppers

2021-04-28
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- There are hard-to-please customers in almost every industry, with certain people being picky about which clothes, houses and even romantic partners they will consider. A new series of studies has found that shopper pickiness can go beyond shopping for the "best" option. The researchers define what it means to be "picky" and also developed a scale for measuring shopper pickiness. Margaret Meloy, department chair and professor of marketing at Penn State, said the findings could help companies devise the best strategies for satisfying their pickier customers. "If a company knows they have a lot of picky customers, they may need to change the way they reward salespeople or dedicate specific salespeople to their pickiest customers, because ...

The diploid genome assemblies in marmoset shows huge variations

2021-04-28
In collaboration with VGP, the research group has published a research paper in Nature on platypus and echidna genomes early this year (see report in the right column). In the Nature current special issue, the research group published another study on the genome of the common marmoset, an important primate model for neurodegenerative diseases, drug development and other biomedical research. The genome includes two sets of chromosomes, one inherited from the mother, the other from the father. In traditional genome sequencing efforts including the human genome project, the sequencing only produced a mosaic reference ...

Soil bacteria evolve with climate change

2021-04-28
While evolution is normally thought of as occurring over millions of years, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered that bacteria can evolve in response to climate change in 18 months. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, biologists from UCI found that evolution is one way that soil microbes might deal with global warming. Soil microbiomes - the collection of bacteria and other microbes in soil - are a critical engine of the global carbon cycle; microbes decompose the dead plant material to recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem and release carbon back into the atmosphere. Multiple environmental factors influence the composition and functioning of soil microbiomes, ...

Stress slows the immune response in sick mice

Stress slows the immune response in sick mice
2021-04-28
The neurotransmitter noradrenaline, which plays a key role in the fight-or-flight stress response, impairs immune responses by inhibiting the movements of various white blood cells in different tissues, researchers report April 28th in the journal Immunity. The fast and transient effect occurred in mice with infections and cancer, but for now, it's unclear whether the findings generalize to humans with various health conditions. "We found that stress can cause immune cells to stop moving and prevents immune cells from protecting against disease," says senior study author University of Melbourne's Scott Mueller (@SMuellerLab) of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute). "This is novel because it was not known that ...

Researchers identify a psychedelic-like drug without the hallucinogenic side effects

Researchers identify a psychedelic-like drug without the hallucinogenic side effects
2021-04-28
Psychedelic drugs have shown promise for treating neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, due to their hallucinatory side effects, some researchers are trying to identify drugs that could offer the benefits of psychedelics without causing hallucinations. In the journal Cell on April 28, researchers report they have identified one such drug through the development of a genetically encoded fluorescent sensor--called psychLight--that can screen for hallucinogenic potential by indicating when a compound activates the serotonin 2A receptor. "Serotonin reuptake inhibitors have long been used for treating depression, but we don't ...

PsychLight sensor to enable discovery of new psychiatric drugs

PsychLight sensor to enable discovery of new psychiatric drugs
2021-04-28
A genetically encoded sensor to detect hallucinogenic compounds has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Named psychLight, the sensor could be used in discovering new treatments for mental illness, in neuroscience research and to detect drugs of abuse. The work is published April 28 in the journal Cell. Compounds related to psychedelic drugs such as LSD and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) show great promise for treating disorders such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorder. These drugs are called psychoplastogens ...

Project to read genomes of all 70,000 vertebrate species reports first discoveries

2021-04-28
It's one of the most audacious projects in biology today - reading the entire genome of every bird, mammal, lizard, fish, and all other creatures with backbones. And now comes the first major payoff from the Vertebrate Genome Project (VGP): near complete, high-quality genomes of 25 species, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator Erich Jarvis with scores of coauthors report April 28, 2021, in the journal Nature. These species include the greater horseshoe bat, the Canada lynx, the platypus, and the kākāp? parrot - one of the first high-quality ...

UChicago scientists harness molecules into single quantum state

UChicago scientists harness molecules into single quantum state
2021-04-28
Researchers have big ideas for the potential of quantum technology, from unhackable networks to earthquake sensors. But all these things depend on a major technological feat: being able to build and control systems of quantum particles, which are among the smallest objects in the universe. That goal is now a step closer with the publication of a new method by University of Chicago scientists. Published April 28 in Nature, the paper shows how to bring multiple molecules at once into a single quantum state--one of the most important goals in quantum physics. "People have been trying to do this for decades, so we're very excited," said senior author Cheng Chin, a professor of physics at UChicago who said he has wanted ...

Protein linked to sex differences in age-related dopamine neuron loss

Protein linked to sex differences in age-related dopamine neuron loss
2021-04-28
PITTSBURGH, April 28, 2021 - It is not every day that scientists come across a phenomenon so fundamental that it is observed across fruit flies, rodents and humans. In a paper published today in Aging Cell, neuroscientists from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences discovered that a single protein--a glutamate transporter on the membrane of vesicles that carry dopamine in neurons--is key to regulating sex differences in the brain's vulnerability to age-related neuron loss. The protein--named VGLUT--was more abundant in dopamine neurons of female fruit flies, rodents and human beings than in males, correlating with females' greater resilience to age-related neuron loss and mobility deficiencies, the researchers found. Excitingly, ...

Childhood air pollution exposure linked to poor mental health at age 18

2021-04-28
DURHAM, N.C. -- A multidecade study of young adults living in the United Kingdom has found higher rates of mental illness symptoms among those exposed to higher levels of traffic-related air pollutants, particularly nitrogen oxides, during childhood and adolescence. Previous studies have identified a link between air pollution and the risk of specific mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, but this study looked at changes in mental health that span all forms of disorder and psychological distress associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollutants. The findings, which will appear April ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Lipids with potential health benefits in herbal teas

Synergically improved energy storage performance and stability in sol–gel processed BaTiO3/(Pb,La,Ca)TiO3/BaTiO3 tri-layer films with a crystalline engineered sandwich structure

International collaboration enabled participatory stock assessment on glass eel fisheries in West Java, Indonesia

Enhanced melanoma vaccine offers improved survival for men

Nearly one-third of patients with TBI have marginal or inadequate health literacy

Genetic causes of cerebral palsy uncovered through whole-genome sequencing

Modesty and boastfulness – perception depends on usual performance

Do sweeteners increase your appetite? New evidence from randomised controlled trial says no 

Women with obesity do not need to gain weight during pregnancy, new study suggests

Individuals with multiple sclerosis face substantially greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccination

Study shows obesity in childhood associated with a more than doubling of risk of developing multiple sclerosis in early adulthood

Rice Emerging Scholars Program receives $2.5M NSF grant to boost STEM education

Virtual rehabilitation provides benefits for stroke recovery

Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests

NJIT research team discovering how fluids behave in nanopores with NSF grant

New study shows association of historical housing discrimination and shortfalls in colon cancer treatment

Social media use may help to empower plastic surgery patients

Q&A: How to train AI when you don't have enough data

Wayne State University researchers uncover potential treatment targets for Zika virus-related eye abnormalities

Discovering Van Gogh in the wild: scientists unveil a new gecko species

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia

Imaging detects transient “hypoxic pockets” in the mouse brain

Dissolved organic matter could be used to track and improve the health of freshwaters

Indoor air quality standards in public buildings would boost health and economy, say international experts

Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

New imaging method illuminates oxygen's journey in the brain

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

Bidirectional link between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

[Press-News.org] Study finds green spaces linked to lower racial disparity in COVID infection rates
A new study is the first to examine the relationship between the supply of green spaces and reduced disparity in infectious disease rates.