ArticleEnvironmental research2026
Associations between greenspace and memory: Evidence from the COMPASS cohort in Chicago.
Article in Environmental research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Evidence increasingly links greenspace exposure to better cognitive health, yet its relationship to memory remains unclear, particularly among racial and socioeconomic minority groups. This study examined associations between residential greenspace and memory performance in the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS) cohort, predominantly composed of socioeconomically disadvantaged racial minority adults. We analyzed data from 4048 adults aged 26-94 years residing in Chicago, Illinois (2013-2018). Greenspace exposure within a 1000m buffer of participants' residences was quantified using high-resolution satellite imagery and land cover maps. To account for human mobility, measures of street connectivity and integration were incorporated to capture greenspace accessibility. We reported odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for associations between greenspace and memory, adjusted for socioeconomic and demographic factors and street networks. Analyses were stratified by age, sex, education, race, marital status and income, and sensitivity analyses were conducted across multiple buffer distances to assess robustness. Both overall greenness, as measured by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and percentage of grass/shrub cover were positively associated with memory performance. We observed positive associations between interquartile range (IQR) increases in greenspace and memory for both NDVI (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.10-1.19) and grass/shrub cover (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.14-1.23), while no associations were found for tree canopy. These associations were consistent across smaller buffer distances (100m, 500m) and when using access-based measures. Effect sizes varied across sociodemographic subgroups: NDVI effects were stronger among females and those with higher education, whereas grass/shrub cover showed greater benefits among males and individuals with lower education. Both indicators demonstrated stronger associations among non-Hispanic Black, single and lower-income participants. Our findings suggest that both the quantity and type of greenspace contribute to cognitive benefits, particularly among racial and socioeconomic minority groups. Enhancing neighborhood greenspace may therefore be a promising strategy to reduce cognitive health disparities.
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