Association of combined exposures to greenness and air pollution with cardiovascular diseases biomarkers

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world’s leading cause of death. The protective effect of greenness on CVD is becoming more evident. However, the link between green space and cardiovascular health remains weak, in particular, because it is unclear how exposure to green space influences cardiovascular health and which pathophysiological processes and mechanisms mediate the relationship between green spaces and CVD risk. There is a lack of objective evaluation of the biological processes related to greenness and cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, air pollutants are acknowledged risk factors of CVD and can be reduced by greenness. We aim to evaluate the associations of combined exposures to greenness and air pollution with cardiovascular disease biomarkers and explore the underlying biologic pathways. With the detailed information about individual environmental exposure, this project will improve our knowledge of the mechanisms linking greenness and cardiovascular disease and the role of air pollution in greenness protection of cardiovascular disease. The information generated from this project will be useful for government and public health policymakers (inform how greenness should be included as part of urban planning), as well as the general public themselves (understanding risks and how to reduce them). The project is expected to last 36 months.