Using geographical information system to model the effects of green space accessibility on mortality in Florida

The loss of green space in an increasingly developed landscape may not only have negative environmental impacts but may also be detrimental to human health. The relationship between green space and health is dependent on not only the presence but also access to green space. This cross-sectional ecological study uses a geographical information system to examine the relationships between the presence and accessibility of green space and county-level mortality in the state of Florida. After controlling for some of the leading influences of mortality - including the levels of obesity, smoking, old age, and education - we found that the amount of green space within defined distances of census tracts in each county was associated with both all cause and cardiovascular mortality. Neither the gross amount of green space in a county nor the average distance to green space from census tracts in a county were significantly associated with our mortality measures.