Establishing associations between residential greenness and markers of adiposity among middle-aged and older Chinese adults through the use of multilevel structural equation models

Abstract

Objectives Residential greenness may prevent overweight/obesity, but the matter has not been investigated among middle-aged and older adults in China. This study 1) assessed associations between residential greenness and markers of adiposity among middle-aged and older Chinese adults and 2) investigated physical activity, sedentary behaviours, particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of <2.5 μm (PM2.5) concentrations, and perennial mean temperature as mediators of the associations. Methods We used data from the World Health Organization's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) between 2007 and 2010. Overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity were measured by body mass index and waist circumference. Exposure to neighbourhood greenness was measured by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Multilevel structural equation models were fitted to investigate the associations between neighbourhood greenness, the four potential mediators, and the prevalence of overweight/obesity and central obesity. Results The results showed that greenness was inversely associated with the odds of overweight/obesity (odds = 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58–0.92) and abdominal adiposity (odds = 0.55, 95% CI 0.33–0.91). The greenness-overweight/obesity association varied significantly by sex and age, and the greenness-central obesity varied significantly by sex, age, and education. We found some indication that PM2.5 concentrations had a suppressive effect on the greenness-adiposity associations. There was no evidence that physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and perennial mean temperature mediated the associations between neighbourhood greenness and markers of adiposity. Conclusions Exposure to higher levels of residential greenness was associated with lower odds of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. However, underlying mechanisms explaining these associations remain unclear requiring longitudinal studies and natural experiments.