Planting more trees could reduce premature heat-related deaths in European cities by a third – new research
Urban development leads to fewer shaded areas and more heat-absorbing paved surfaces. Cities tend to be warmer than their rural surroundings as a result, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect.Read more
Gaining an understanding of how environmental exposures in early life affect our health
Researchers in Spain now have a unique resource for identifying new biomarkers of environmental exposures in early life and understanding their health effects.Read more
Children’s memory development ‘slowed’ by traffic noise
Noise from road traffic has a major impact on the development of crucial memory and attention skills in primary school children, slowing it down significantly, according to new research. A long-term study of around 2,700 children...Read more
‘Why cities are letting down children’
It is often only when we read about the tragic death and legal case of Ella Roberta, the London schoolgirl that died of asthma due to air pollution, or the six-year-old in Madrid who died...Read more
Urban planning ‘may affect a child’s cognitive and motor development’
A new study from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has provided further scientific evidence of the health benefits of well-designed urban planning. It suggests the built environment, green space and air pollution can...Read more
Children in urban areas with high pollution ‘at higher risk of obesity’
Children raised in urban areas with high levels of air pollution, noise and traffic may be more susceptible to childhood obesity, according to researchers in Spain.Read more
Exposure to urban air pollution in pregnancy may increase a child’s blood pressure – study
Exposure to an urban environment characterised by high levels of air pollution and noise in areas with a high building density during the foetal period and in early childhood may contribute to higher blood pressure.Read moreHow air pollution, green space and the ‘built environment’ may shape a child’s body mass index
Exposure to higher air pollution levels and greater population density during the early months of life may be associated with an increase in children’s body mass index (BMI).Read more
Children in polluted cities ‘more likely to suffer from obesity’
Children living in air pollution-plagued cities with high population density, ‘unwalkable’ infrastructure and who have parents who smoke are more likely to become obese, say US researchers.Read more
Watching TV ‘has strongest link’ with childhood obesity – study
Watching television is the lifestyle habit ‘most strongly associated’ with obesity in children, says an international health research centre which looked at city children’s habits. The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) did a study of...Read more