Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Urban trees and the risk of poor birth outcomes

Author: Donovan, Geoffrey H.; Michael, Yvonne L.; Butry, David T.; Sullivan, Amy D.; Chase, John M.

Date: 2011

Source: Health & Place. 17: 390-393

Description: This paper investigated whether greater tree-canopy cover is associated with reduced risk of poor birth outcomes in Portland, Oregon. Residential addresses were geocoded and linked to classified-aerial imagery to calculate tree-canopy cover in 50, 100, and 200 m buffers around each home in our sample (n=5696). Detailed data on maternal characteristics and additional neighborhood variables were obtained from birth certificates and tax records. We found that a 10% increase in tree-canopy cover within 50 m of a house reduced the number of small for gestational age births by 1.42 per 1000 births. Results suggest that the natural environment may affect pregnancy outcomes and should be evaluated in future research.

Keywords: reproductive health, small for gestational age, preterm birth, urban trees

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Citation

Donovan, Geoffrey H.; Michael, Yvonne L.; Butry, David T.; Sullivan, Amy D.; Chase, John M.  2011.  Urban trees and the risk of poor birth outcomes.   Health & Place. 17: 390-393.