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Journal article
Midlife exposure to neighborhood greenness and later-life cognitive decline: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
13 Mar 2026
PMID: 41824016
Featured in Collection : Drexel's Newest Publications
Abstract
Purpose
We investigated whether living in greener neighborhoods in midlife is associated with slower cognitive decline in later life.
Methods
We used data on 2,881 participants from the population-based Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Geocoded residential addresses (1980-2009) were used to derive midlife neighborhood greenness exposure defined as a 10-year mean of annual normalized difference vegetation index values (based on satellite imagery) during the midlife period (ages 45-54). Cognitive testing over similar to 10 years, when the participants were >= 55-year-olds, captured global cognition and processing speed. Multivariable linear mixed effects regression estimated associations between the 10-year midlife greenness measure and global cognition and processing speed z-scores in later life and whether greenness-cognition associations varied by age at first cognitive visit.
Results
Greater midlife greenness was associated with slower annual decline in processing speed in the overall sample. We found no differences in associations by age at first cognitive visit.
Conclusion
In an ethnoracially and geographically diverse US cohort, living in greener neighborhoods in midlife was associated with slower cognitive decline (i.e., processing speed) in later life.
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Details
- Title
- Midlife exposure to neighborhood greenness and later-life cognitive decline: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
- Creators
- Lilah M. Besser - Univ Miami, Comprehens Ctr Brain Hlth, Miller Sch Med, 7700 W Camino Real Suite 200, Boca Raton, FL 33433 USALun-Ching Chang - Florida Atlantic UniversityKelly R. Evenson - University of MichiganJames E. Galvin - University of MiamiSusan R. Heckbert - University of WashingtonJana A. Hirsch - Drexel University, Epidemiology and BiostatisticsPeter James - Harvard UniversityMarcia Pescador Jimenez - Boston UniversityJoel Kaufman - University of WashingtonSamuel N. Lockhart - Wake Forest UniversityDiana Mitsova - Florida Atlantic UniversityKari A. Moore - Drexel University, Urban Health CollaborativeBonnie C. Sachs - Wake Forest UniversityTimothy Hughes - Wake Forest UniversityAna V. Diez Roux - Drexel University, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Publication Details
- Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- R21AG075291 / National Institutes of Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative; Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001714691000001
- Other Identifier
- 991022170454004721