Exploring the role of green space in mitigating childhood opportunity across the U.S.

Green space exposure enhances children's well-being and has the potential to mitigate the impact of neighborhood deprivation. However, racial and ethnic disparities in green space availability persist, limiting the potential for equitable access and benefits for children. The Child Opportunity Index (COI) 3.0 was used to measure neighborhood opportunity, while tree canopy coverage and the normalized difference vegetation index were used to assess green space exposure. Tukey's test and correlation analysis were employed to evaluate the relationship between green space, children's neighborhood opportunities, and race or ethnicity across the U.S. at the census-tract level. Census tracts with lower COI scores have significantly less green space than those with higher COI scores, and a significantly higher proportion of Hispanic children live in neighborhoods with limited green space exposure (p < 0.05). The percentage of Hispanic children in a neighborhood shows significant negative associations with all green space measures, with a stronger negative association in high-deprivation neighborhoods compared to low-deprivation neighborhoods (- 0.2 versus - 0.5, p < 0.05). Communities of color disproportionately experience both neighborhood deprivation and limited access to green space, and green space does not currently mitigate the impact of growing up in a deprived neighborhood.