The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental study
Abstract Green spaces provide diverse health benefits, and provision of green spaces is often linked to lower incidences of adiposity. Undergraduates, who are at a transitional stage of development, represent a critical population for obesity prevention. However, recent studies suggest that the heal...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Health Geographics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-025-00402-0 |
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| author | Jing Wen Yi Lu Xiangfen Cui Weina Kong Kai Shentu Haoran Yang |
| author_facet | Jing Wen Yi Lu Xiangfen Cui Weina Kong Kai Shentu Haoran Yang |
| author_sort | Jing Wen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Green spaces provide diverse health benefits, and provision of green spaces is often linked to lower incidences of adiposity. Undergraduates, who are at a transitional stage of development, represent a critical population for obesity prevention. However, recent studies suggest that the health effects of green space may vary by type. Furthermore, inferring any causal relationship between green spaces and adiposity using a cross-sectional research design remains challenging. To address these issues, this study utilized a large, representative sample of 21,990 undergraduates from 89 universities across 29 provinces in China, and employed a quasi-experimental approach to explore the impacts of specific green space types on body mass index (BMI). Propensity score matching was used to make the students who were influenced by green spaces comparable to those who were not. A difference-in-differences model was applied to estimate the causal effects of three types of green spaces (trees, bushes, and grass) on BMI. To further explore the underlying mechanisms, we examined two potential mediators: energy expenditure (physical activity) and energy intake (unhealthy food consumption). The results revealed that trees had a negative impact on BMI, whereas bushes and grass had no significant effect. Physical activity serves as a significant mediator linking tree exposure to adiposity changes, while unhealthy food intake showed no statistically significant mediation effect. In the stratified analysis, trees had significantly negative effects only on males. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing green space types and provide causal evidence linking tree exposure to reduced BMI among undergraduates. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b48a34f734a744f491ffcd687df6b57b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1476-072X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Health Geographics |
| spelling | doaj-art-b48a34f734a744f491ffcd687df6b57b2025-08-20T03:46:16ZengBMCInternational Journal of Health Geographics1476-072X2025-07-0124111310.1186/s12942-025-00402-0The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental studyJing Wen0Yi Lu1Xiangfen Cui2Weina Kong3Kai Shentu4Haoran Yang5The Center for Modern Chinese City Studies, East China Normal UniversityDepartment of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong KongFaculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and TechnologyAntai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityZhejiang Economic Information CenterThe Center for Modern Chinese City Studies, East China Normal UniversityAbstract Green spaces provide diverse health benefits, and provision of green spaces is often linked to lower incidences of adiposity. Undergraduates, who are at a transitional stage of development, represent a critical population for obesity prevention. However, recent studies suggest that the health effects of green space may vary by type. Furthermore, inferring any causal relationship between green spaces and adiposity using a cross-sectional research design remains challenging. To address these issues, this study utilized a large, representative sample of 21,990 undergraduates from 89 universities across 29 provinces in China, and employed a quasi-experimental approach to explore the impacts of specific green space types on body mass index (BMI). Propensity score matching was used to make the students who were influenced by green spaces comparable to those who were not. A difference-in-differences model was applied to estimate the causal effects of three types of green spaces (trees, bushes, and grass) on BMI. To further explore the underlying mechanisms, we examined two potential mediators: energy expenditure (physical activity) and energy intake (unhealthy food consumption). The results revealed that trees had a negative impact on BMI, whereas bushes and grass had no significant effect. Physical activity serves as a significant mediator linking tree exposure to adiposity changes, while unhealthy food intake showed no statistically significant mediation effect. In the stratified analysis, trees had significantly negative effects only on males. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing green space types and provide causal evidence linking tree exposure to reduced BMI among undergraduates.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-025-00402-0Green spaceBMIphysical activityDifference-in-differences modelQuasi-experiment |
| spellingShingle | Jing Wen Yi Lu Xiangfen Cui Weina Kong Kai Shentu Haoran Yang The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental study International Journal of Health Geographics Green space BMI physical activity Difference-in-differences model Quasi-experiment |
| title | The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental study |
| title_full | The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental study |
| title_fullStr | The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental study |
| title_short | The impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students: a nationwide quasi-experimental study |
| title_sort | impacts of various green space types on the adiposity of undergraduate students a nationwide quasi experimental study |
| topic | Green space BMI physical activity Difference-in-differences model Quasi-experiment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-025-00402-0 |
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