Use nearby green space for walking, strolling or sitting
More residential greenery within 500 meters was associated with about 4% lower mortality per 0.1 increase in a vegetation index. This measures where people live, not park-visit frequency. Greener areas can also be wealthier and less polluted, so do not read it as proof that park visits extend life. Consider green space when choosing where to live.
What it takes
Free, especially when on your route.
What you may gain
A meta-analysis of 9 cohort studies in 7 countries included 8.32 million people. Residential greenness within 500 meters was measured by normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI. Each 0.1 increase corresponded to pooled all-cause mortality HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94–0.97, about 4% lower, with an interval of about 3%–6% lower. Seven studies found statistically significant inverse associations and two found none.
Context & considerations
Disputed: between-study inconsistency was high, I²=95%. Greenness is not the number of park visits, and wealth, air quality and physical activity are difficult to separate from it. The source's practical inference is to consider nearby greenery, not promise longevity from park trips. NDVI is near 0 for bare ground/concrete and near 1 for dense vegetation; the author illustrates a 0.1 change as roughly moving from a bare block to one with rows of street trees, rather than a universal conversion.
Research & references
Rojas-Rueda D, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, Gascon M, Perez-Leon D, Mudu P (2019). Green spaces and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. The Lancet Planetary Health, 3(11), e469-e477. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(19)30215-3