ArticleBMJ open2019
Which urban land covers/uses are associated with residents' mortality? A cross-sectional, ecological, pan-European study of 233 cities.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Association of greenness with incidence of cardiovascular disease in China: Evidence from the China Kadoorie Biobank prospective cohort study with 0.5 million adults.Eco-Environment & Health · 2025Article
- Exploring the nexus of urban form, transport, environment and health in large-scale urban studies: A state-of-the-art scoping review.Environmental research · 2024Article
- Impact of built environment change on all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a novel longitudinal method and study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThe study aim was to determine whether the range and distribution of all, and proportions of specific, land covers/uses within European cities are associated with city-specific mortality rates.
setting233 European cities within 24 countries.
participantsAggregated city-level all-cause and age-group standardised mortality ratio for males and females separately and Western or Eastern European Region.
resultsThe proportion of specific land covers/uses within a city was related to mortality, displaying differences by macroregion and sex. The land covers/uses associated with lower standardised mortality ratio (SMR) for both Western and Eastern European cities were those characterised by 'natural' green space, such as forests and semi-natural areas (Western Female coefficient: -18.3, 95% CI -29.8 to -6.9). Dense housing was related to a higher SMR, most prominently in Western European cities (Western Female coefficient: 17.4, 95% CI 9.6 to 25.2).
conclusionsThere is pressure to build on urban natural spaces, both for economic gain and because compact cities are regarded as more sustainable, yet here we offer evidence that doing so may detract from residents' health. Our study suggests that urban planners and developers need to regard retaining more wild and unstructured green space as important for healthy city systems.
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Registered trials
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