Examining the Benefits of Greenness on Reducing Suicide Mortality Rate: A Global Ecological Study

Autor: Aji Kusumaning Asri, Hui-Ju Tsai, Pei-Yi Wong, Hsiao-Yun Lee, Wen-Chi Pan, Yue-Leon Guo, Chi-Shin Wu, Huey-Jen Su, Chih-Da Wu, John D. Spengler
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 10 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2296-2565
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.902480
Popis: ObjectiveThis study applied an ecological-based analysis aimed to evaluate on a global scale the association between greenness exposure and suicide mortality.MethodsSuicide mortality data provided by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were employed. The generalized additive mixed model was applied to evaluate with an adjustment of covariates the association between greenness and suicide mortality. Sensitivity tests and positive-negative controls also were used to examine less overt insights. Subgroup analyses were then conducted to investigate the effects of greenness on suicide mortality among various conditions.ResultsThe main finding of this study indicates a negative association between greenness exposure and suicide mortality, as greenness significantly decreases the risk of suicide mortality per interquartile unit increment of NDVI (relative risk = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.59–0.81). Further, sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings. Subgroup analyses also showed a significant negative association between greenness and suicide mortality for various stratified factors, such as sex, various income levels, urbanization levels, etc.ConclusionsGreenness exposure may contribute to a reduction in suicide mortality. It is recommended that policymakers and communities increase environmental greenness in order to mitigate the global health burden of suicide.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals