Urban grey spaces are associated with increased allergy in the general population.

Background: the built environment in urban areas may have side effects on children's respiratory health, whilst less is known for adulthood.

Aim: to assess the association between increasing exposure to grey spaces and allergic status in an adult general population sample.

Methods: 2070 subjects (age range 15-84 yrs), living in Pisa/Cascina, Italy, were investigated in 1991-93 through a questionnaire on health status and risk factors, skin prick test (SPT), serum Immunoglobulins E (IgE), and serum antibodies to benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts.

Neighbourhood and path-based greenspace in three European countries: associations with objective physical activity.

Background: Greenspace has been associated with health benefits in many contexts. An important pathway may be through outdoor physical activity. We use a novel approach to examine the link between greenspace microenvironments and outdoor physical activity levels in the HEALS study conducted in Edinburgh (UK), the Netherlands, and Athens and Thessaloniki (Greece).

Influence of residential land cover on childhood allergic and respiratory symptoms and diseases: Evidence from 9 European cohorts.

Introduction: Recent research focused on the interaction between land cover and the development of allergic and respiratory disease has provided conflicting results and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In particular, green space, which confers an overall positive impact on general health, may be significantly contributing to adverse respiratory health outcomes. This study evaluates associations between surrounding residential land cover (green, grey, agricultural and blue space), including type of forest cover (deciduous, coniferous and mixed), and childhood allergic and respiratory diseases.

Urban greenspace and the indoor environment: Pathways to health via indoor particulate matter, noise, and road noise annoyance.

Background/aim: The exposome includes urban greenspace, which may affect health via a complex set of pathways, including reducing exposure to particulate matter (PM) and noise. We assessed these pathways using indoor exposure monitoring data from the HEALS study in four European urban areas (Edinburgh, UK; Utrecht, Netherlands; Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece).

Methods: We quantified three metrics of residential greenspace at 50 m and 100 m buffers: Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), annual tree cover density, and surrounding green land use.