Mireia Gascon

• PostDoc Position at Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology

Emerging evidence suggests that residential greenspace is associated with a lower prevalence of health risk behaviours, but it remains unclear whether these effects are generalizable across countries or different types of nature contact. Using representative cross-sectional samples from 18 countries/regions, we examined the associations between two...

Background Air pollution and greenness are emerging as modifiable risk and protective factors, respectively, in child psychopathology. However, research shows inconsistencies. Here, we examined associations between air pollution and surrounding greenness with internalizing and externalizing behaviors. In addition, the potential modifying role of th...

Background: Some synthetic phenols alter hormonal pathways involved in successful pregnancy and fetal development. Despite high within-subject temporal variability of phenols, previous studies mostly utilized spot urine samples to assess pregnancy exposure. Herein we investigated associations between pregnancy exposure to eight phenols assessed in...

Health implications of mobility during pregnancy entail a need to understand pregnant women’s activity spaces. We present ActMAP, a framework for quantifying multiple aspects of activity spaces from distinct trips and stays derived from GPS data. We applied ActMAP to data from 238 pregnant women in Barcelona, Spain (2018–2020) and explored weekday,...

Background Loneliness, a major public health concern, could be alleviated through social interventions with nature contact as a primary component. “Friends in Nature” is a complex nature-based social intervention designed to be implemented as part of “Reimagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in...

Neuroimaging research on functional connectivity can provide valuable information on the developmental differentiation of the infant cerebral cortex into its functional areas. We examined healthy neonates to comprehensively map brain functional connectivity using a combination of local measures that uniquely capture the rich spatial structure of ce...

Maternal exposure to green space during pregnancy has been associated with lower risk for adverse birth outcomes; however, the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unknown. Epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation (DNAm), might be one of the molecular mechanisms contributing to this association. The placenta is the key organ for foeta...

Purpose of Review This scoping review aims to assess the impact of air pollution, traffic noise, heat, and green and blue space exposures on the physical and cognitive development of school-age children and adolescents. While existing evidence indicates adverse effects of transport-related exposures on their health, a comprehensive scoping review i...

The effects of ‘nature’ on mental health and subjective well-being have yet to be consistently integrated into ecosystem service models and frameworks. To address this gap, we used data on subjective mental well-being from an 18-country survey to test a conceptual model integrating mental health with ecosystem services, initially proposed by Bratma...

The environment plays an instrumental role in the developmental origins of health and disease. Protective features of the environment in the development of asthma and atopy have been insufficiently studied. We used data from the CHILD (Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development) Cohort Study to examine relationships between living near natura...

Planetary Health has emerged as a new approach to respond to the existential risks that the clime and global environmental crises pose to human societies. As stated by various stakeholders, the challenges involved in Planetary Health are of such magnitude that education must be at the forefront to obtain a meaningful response. Universities and high...

Contact with natural environments is associated with good health and well-being. Although childhood nature experiences may be important in the development of an individual's relationship with nature and subsequent well-being, previous studies have tended to focus on ‘nature’ in general, and the mechanisms by which childhood experiences influence we...

Background Air quality contributes to incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) although the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are unclear. This study was aimed to examine the association between air pollution and concentrations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers and amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition. Participants and methods The sample included 15...

In this chapter, Mathew P. White, Lewis R. Elliott, Mireia Gascon, Bethany Roberts and Lora E. Fleming present an overarching review of the evidence from the current research literature and from the findings of the research carried out in the BlueHealth project in order to provide the best evidence planners and designers can use to support their po...

The aim of this chapter by Mart Külvik, Monika Suškevics, Mireia Gascon, Lewis R. Elliot, Jekaterina Balicka, Marina Cervera Alonso de Medina and Frederico Meireles is to present the ways in which co-design and public participation can be undertaken, with examples of stakeholder and local community involvement using the BlueHealth case studies in P...

Background Early life exposure to air pollution can affect lung health. Previous studies have not assessed the implications of both pre- and postnatal exposure to air pollutants on lung function at repeated ages during childhood. In addition, there is the need to identify potential mediators of such effect. Objectives To longitudinally assess the...

Introduction: Urban environmental exposures might contribute to the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our aim was to identify structural brain imaging correlates of urban environmental exposures in cognitively unimpaired individuals at increased risk of AD. Methods: Two hundred twelve participants with brain scans and residing in Barcelona,...

Today, urban and transport planners face considerable challenges in designing and retrofitting cities that are prepared for increasing urban populations, and their service and mobility needs. When it comes to health-promoting urban and transport developments, there is also a lack of standardized, quantitative indicators to guide the integration of...

En la mayoría de ciudades el modelo urbano prioriza la movilidad en vehículo privado motorizado, reduciendo el desplazamiento a pie o bicicleta, especialmente en niñas y niños para los que hace pocas décadas suponía el medio de transporte habitual hacia la escuela. Este uso del espacio urbano impacta directamente sobre la calidad del aire, la activ...

Active travel (walking or cycling for transport) is considered the most sustainable form of personal transport. Yet its net effects on mobility-related CO2 emissions are complex and under-researched. Here we collected travel activity data in seven European cities and derived life cycle CO2 emissions across modes and purposes. Daily mobility-related...

Active travel (walking or cycling for transport) is considered the most sustainable and low carbon form of getting from A to B. Yet the net effects of changes in active travel on changes in mobility-related CO2 emissions are complex and under-researched. Here we collected longitudinal data on daily travel behavior, journey purpose, as well as perso...

The perception of the quality of green and blue spaces can be key in the relationship between a community and its local landscape (i.e., place identification). The lack of transdisciplinary training and social-specific education of landscape architects regarding the complexity of landscape as a participative cultural artefact limits reaching the ge...

Active travel (walking or cycling for transport) is considered the most sustainable form of personal transport. Yet its net effects on mobility-related CO2 emissions are complex and under-researched. Here we collected travel activity data in seven European cities and derived life cycle CO2 emissions across modes and purposes. Daily mobility-related...

Active travel (walking or cycling for transport) is generally good for health, the environment and the economy. Yet the net effects of changes in active travel on changes in mobility-related CO2 emissions are complex and under-researched. Here we collected longitudinal data on daily travel behavior, mode choice, as well as personal and geospatial c...

It is clear that our health is also determined by our environment. This book discloses current knowledge (2020) of the main benefits of green spaces on human health. It also includes some unique initiatives that explore the binomial green and health. Finally, proposes strategies and tools to increase the "dose of nature" in health systems. A public...

Exposure to natural environments is associated with a lower risk of common mental health disorders (CMDs), such as depression and anxiety, but we know little about nature-related motivations, practices and experiences of those already experiencing CMDs. We used data from an 18-country survey to explore these issues (n = 18,838), taking self-reporte...

Exposure to outdoor blue spaces can help improve human health by reducing stress, promoting social relationships, and physical activity. While most studies have focused on the adverse health effects of scuba diving, very few have assessed its health benefits. Moreover, when scuba diving is done in large groups with no diving instructor or pre-dive...

Research into the potential health and well-being benefits from exposure to green spaces such as parks and woodlands has led to the development of several frameworks linking the different strands of evidence. The current paper builds on these to provide a model of how exposure to aquatic environments, or blue spaces such as rivers, lakes and the co...

The biodiversity hypothesis that contact with natural environments (e.g. native vegetation) and biodiversity, through the influence of environmental microbes, may be beneficial for human commensal microbiota has been insufficiently tested. We aimed to study the association between living near natural environments in the urban context, and gut micro...

Background the relationships between the built environment characteristics and personal factors influencing public transport use and the ways they interact are not well understood. Objective we aim to advance the understanding of the relationship between built environment and frequency of public transport use in seven European cities, while accoun...

Involving and engaging stakeholders is crucial for studying and managing the complex interactions between marine ecosystems and human health and wellbeing. The Oceans and Human Health Chair was founded in the town of Roses (Catalonia, Spain, NW Mediterranean) in 2018, the fruit of a regional partnership between various stakeholders, and for the pur...

Aim: We explored the feasibility of collecting and analyzing human microbiome data in a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of community gardening. Methods & materials: Participants were randomly assigned to gardening (N = 8) or control (N = 8). Participants provided stool, mouth, hand and forehead microbiome samples at six timepoints. Analyse...

Varied categorisations of residential distance to bluespace in population health studies make comparisons difficult. Using survey data from eighteen countries, we modelled relationships between residential distance to blue spaces (coasts, lakes, and rivers), and self-reported recreational visits to these environments at least weekly, with penalised...

Introduction Blue spaces may benefit mental health and promote physical activity, although the evidence is still scarce. And benefits on physical health are less consistent. The objective of this randomized crossover study was to assess psychological and cardiovascular responses to blue spaces’ exposure. Methods A sample of 59 healthy adult office...

Background Cities across the world are undertaking ambitious projects to expand tree canopy by increasing the number of trees planted throughout public and private spaces. In epidemiological studies, greenspaces in urban environments have been associated with physical and mental health benefits for city dwellers. Greenworks Philadelphia is a plan t...

Background Air quality might contribute to incidence of dementia-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of urban environmental exposures (including exposure to air pollution, noise and green space) on cognitive performance and brain structure of cognitively unimpaired individuals at ri...

Background: Cities are an important driving force to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda. The SDGs provide an operational framework to consider urbanization globally, while providing local mechanisms for action and careful attention to closing the gaps in the distribution of health gains. While health and we...

Background: Green spaces have been proposed to be a health determinant, improving health and wellbeing through different mechanisms. We aimed to systematically review the epidemiological evidence from longitudinal studies that have investigated green spaces and their association with all-cause mortality. We aimed to evaluate this evidence with a m...

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest proportion of people using unclean fuels for household energy, which can result in products of incomplete combustion that are damaging for health. Black carbon (BC) is a useful marker of inefficient combustion-related particles; however, ambient air quality data and temporal patterns of personal exposure to...

Introduction Access to natural outdoor environments can promote physical activity, social cohesion, and improved psychological well-being. In 2016, an urban riverside regeneration project to facilitate access to the riverbank for pedestrians and cyclists was conducted in Barcelona (Spain). We aim to evaluate its effect in terms of changes in use an...

Introduction: Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) can increase the risk of reported respiratory symptoms in children. It remains unclear whether these compounds can also impact on lung function. We assessed the association between prenatal exposure to OCs and lung function during childhood. Methods: We included 1308 mother-child...

Background: Although walking for travel can help in reaching the daily recommended levels of physical activity, we know relatively little about the correlates of walking for travel in the European context. Objective: Within the framework of the European Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) project, we aimed to explo...

The ongoing urbanisation worldwide has led to an increasing number of children living in urban areas. Urban children, compared to children from rural areas, are generally exposed to higher levels of a number of environmental hazards such as air pollution, noise and heat, and have limited access to natural environments, including green spaces. At th...

Background: Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been associated with impaired immune and respiratory health during childhood but the evidence is inconsistent and limited for lung function. We studied the association between prenatal PFASs exposure and immune and respiratory health, including lung function, up to age 7 years...

The promotion of physical activity through better urban design is one pathway by which health and well-being improvements can be achieved. This study aimed to quantify health and health-related economic impacts associated with physical activity in an urban riverside park regeneration project in Barcelona, Spain. We used data from Barcelona local au...

Introduction: Cities often experience high air pollution and noise levels and lack of natural outdoor environments, which may be detrimental to health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of air pollution, noise, and blue and green space on premature all-cause mortality in Barcelona using a mega cohort approach. Methods: Both men and...

Background/aim Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) can increase the risk of adverse respiratory symptoms in children and adolescents, but evidence is mainly based on reported symptoms and it is still unknown whether these compounds can impact on lung function. We assessed the longitudinal association between prenatal exposure to OCs...

Background/aim Urban regeneration is a growing-up tendency that aims to improve the conditions of an area. Studies have suggested an association between access to natural outdoor environments and increase of physical activity (PA). This study aims to quantify the health and economic impacts of the riverside regeneration performed in 2000 in a fluvi...

Background: Although exposure to natural outdoor environments has been consistently associated with improved perceived general health, available evidence on a protective association between this exposure and specific mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety is still limited. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effe...

Introduction: Until now, estimates of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) have mainly been produced on national or regional levels. These general estimates, however, are less useful for city governments who have to take decisions on local scales. To address this gap, we focused on the city-level burden of disease (BD) due to exposures affected by u...

Background: Natural environments, including green spaces, may have beneficial impacts on brain development. However, longitudinal evidence of an association between long-term exposure to green spaces and cognitive development (including attention) in children is limited. Objectives: We evaluated the association between lifelong residential expos...

Background: A growing number of quantitative studies have investigated the potential benefits of outdoor blue spaces (lakes, rivers, sea, etc) and human health, but there is not yet a systematic review synthesizing this evidence. Objectives: To systematically review the current quantitative evidence on human health and well-being benefits of out...

Background: The association between exposure to air pollutants and mental disorders among adults has been suggested, although results are not consistent. Objective: To analyze the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and history of anxiety and depression disorders and of medication use (benzodiazepines and antidepressants) in...

Background The association between exposure to air pollutants and mental disorders and its symptoms among adults has been suggested, although results are not consistent. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between exposure to air pollution and presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression, history of anxiety and depression disorde...

Background More than half of the population is living in urban areas worldwide, and the global urban population is expected to grow 1,8% approximately every year between 2015 and 2020. Urban regeneration is a growing-up tendency that aims to improve the economics, physical, social and environmental condition of an area that has changed or offers op...

We assessed the effect of three different indices of urban built environment on allergic and respiratory conditions. This study involved 2472 children participating in the ongoing INMA birth cohort located in two bio-geographic regions (Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean) in Spain. Residential surrounding built environment was characterised as 1) resi...

Background: Urban residents may experience cognitive fatigue and little opportunity for mental restoration due to a lack of access to nature. Natural outdoor environments (NOE) are thought to be beneficial for cognitive functioning, but underlying mechanisms are not clear. Objectives: To investigate the long-term association between NOE and cogn...

Background: In 2003 the INMA-INfancia y Medio Ambiente (Environment and Childhood) project, a Spanish national network of birth cohorts including more than 3500 participants, was set up with the aim to assess the health impacts of pre- and postnatal environmental exposures on children. The project has published more than 60 papers on maternal and...

Myopia is one of the major causes of low visual acuity during childhood, and hence of the need for spectacles. It is generally more prevalent in urban areas where children are often less exposed to green spaces than in rural areas. This study evaluated the association between exposure to green space and use of spectacles (as a surrogate measure for...

An accumulating body of evidence is suggestive for health-promoting effects of exposure to natural environments including green spaces. We aimed to systematically review the available observational evidence on the association between long-term exposure to green space and cognition over the life course. PubMed and Scopus were searched using a combin...

Urbanization and the shaping of the built environment have provided a number of socioeconomic benefits, but they have also brought unwanted side effects on health. We aimed to review the current epidemiological evidence of the associations between the built environment, closely related exposures, and child health. We focused on growth and obesity,...

Urban planning and related policies can contribute to improvement in health. Recent epidemiological and quantitative Health Impact Assessment (HIA) studies in Europe and North America suggest that a change from passive (car) to active transportation (cycling, walking) and public transport in daily life could improve health. HIA studies are still la...

Currently half the world population lives in cities, and this proportion is expected to increase rapidly to 70% over the next years. Over the years we have created large, mostly grey cities with many high-rise buildings and little green space. Disease rates tend to be higher in urban areas than in rural areas. More green space in cities could reduc...

The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is often used as a marker of surrounding greenness in epidemiological studies aiming to evaluate the health effects of green space in urban settings. However, it is not clear the relationship between built environment characteristics, including green space, and NDVI. We aimed to evaluate the relatio...