Journal article
The association between tree planting and birth outcomes
The Science of the total environment, v 975, p179229
01 May 2025
PMID: 40157028
Abstract
Multiple studies have found that exposure to greenspace during pregnancy is associated with increased birthweight (Hu et al., 2021) and a reduced probability of a small-for-gestational-age birth. However, because exposure to greenspace is associated with demographic correlates of health, studies may suffer from residual confounding. In addition, results may be influenced by the self-selection of healthier women into greener neighborhoods. We address these limitations by using the number of trees planted around maternal address as a novel exposure metric. Compared to existing tree cover, new tree planting is less prone to residual confounding or self-selection bias. We found that each tree planted within 100 m of maternal address within the last 10 years was associated with a 2.3 g (95 % CI: 1.5–3.0) increase in birth weight. In addition, we found that 1-SD increase in tree planting was associated with a 4.3 % (95 % CI: 0.3 to 8.2 %) reduced risk of a small-for-gestational-age birth and a 4.9 % (95 % CI: 0.3 to 9.3 %) reduced risk of a preterm birth. All models controlled for mother's race/ethnicity, education, major road density, and existing tree canopy. Our finding that both newly-planted and established trees are associated with improved birth outcomes strengthens the evidence that trees may be an effective public-health intervention.
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•We examined the relationship between tree planting and birth outcomes.•Number of trees planted around maternal address was associated with higher birth weight.•Results are likely not due to healthier people choosing to in areas with more trees.•Tree planting may be a cost-effective way of improving birth outcomes.
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Details
- Title
- The association between tree planting and birth outcomes
- Creators
- Geoffrey H. Donovan - US Forest ServiceJeffrey P. Prestemon - Southern Research StationAbigail R. Kaminski - US Forest ServiceYvonne L. Michael - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- The Science of the total environment, v 975, p179229
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105000974908
- Other Identifier
- 991022045183904721
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