BACKGROUND: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has increased rapidly, with considerable variation between European countries. The study examined the relationship between air pollutants, greenspace, and MetS and its components in the Czech and Swiss populations. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the Czech Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial Factors in Eastern Europe (HAPIEE) (n = 4,931) and the Swiss cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) (n = 4,422) cohorts included participants aged 44-73 years. MetS was defined as abdominal obesity plus two additional components (hypertension, diabetes, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides). Annual mean concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and greenspace (defined as the annual mean of normalized difference vegetation index within 500 m) were assigned to the individual residential level. We estimated odds ratios (OR) using multivariable logistic regressions with cluster-robust standard error, controlling for multiple confounders. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS was significantly higher in the Czech (51.1%) compared with Swiss (35.8%) population as were the concentration means of PM10 and PM2.5. In HAPIEE, a 5 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with 14% higher odds of MetS (OR = 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01, 1.28). In SAPALDIA, no evidence was found for the associations between air pollutants and MetS (e.g. OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.90, 1.13 for PM2.5). No protective effects of normalized difference vegetation index on MetS were observed. Upon inspection of MetS components, PM2.5 and PM10 exposures were associated with higher odds of hypertension and elevated triglycerides in HAPIEE only, while PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 were associated with higher odds of diabetes in SAPALDIA only. CONCLUSION: Individuals with higher exposures to PM2.5 may be at higher risk of MetS. The differential associations with MetS components between the cohorts deserve further investigation.

• Klíčová slova
• Air pollution, Cross-sectional design, Greenspace, Metabolic syndrome, Particulate matter,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Identifying how greenspace impacts the temperature-mortality relationship in urban environments is crucial, especially given climate change and rapid urbanization. However, the effect modification of greenspace on heat-related mortality has been typically focused on a localized area or single country. This study examined the heat-mortality relationship among different greenspace levels in a global setting. METHODS: We collected daily ambient temperature and mortality data for 452 locations in 24 countries and used Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) as the greenspace measurement. We used distributed lag non-linear model to estimate the heat-mortality relationship in each city and the estimates were pooled adjusting for city-specific average temperature, city-specific temperature range, city-specific population density, and gross domestic product (GDP). The effect modification of greenspace was evaluated by comparing the heat-related mortality risk for different greenspace groups (low, medium, and high), which were divided into terciles among 452 locations. FINDINGS: Cities with high greenspace value had the lowest heat-mortality relative risk of 1·19 (95% CI: 1·13, 1·25), while the heat-related relative risk was 1·46 (95% CI: 1·31, 1·62) for cities with low greenspace when comparing the 99th temperature and the minimum mortality temperature. A 20% increase of greenspace is associated with a 9·02% (95% CI: 8·88, 9·16) decrease in the heat-related attributable fraction, and if this association is causal (which is not within the scope of this study to assess), such a reduction could save approximately 933 excess deaths per year in 24 countries. INTERPRETATION: Our findings can inform communities on the potential health benefits of greenspaces in the urban environment and mitigation measures regarding the impacts of climate change. FUNDING: This publication was developed under Assistance Agreement No. RD83587101 awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Yale University. It has not been formally reviewed by EPA. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Agency. EPA does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication. Research reported in this publication was also supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01MD012769. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Also, this work has been supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (2021R1A6A3A03038675), Medical Research Council-UK (MR/V034162/1 and MR/R013349/1), Natural Environment Research Council UK (Grant ID: NE/R009384/1), Academy of Finland (Grant ID: 310372), European Union's Horizon 2020 Project Exhaustion (Grant ID: 820655 and 874990), Czech Science Foundation (22-24920S), Emory University's NIEHS-funded HERCULES Center (Grant ID: P30ES019776), and Grant CEX2018-000794-S funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 The funders had no role in the design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript writing, or decision to publication.

• Klíčová slova
• Effect modification, Greenspace, Heat, Mortality,
• MeSH
• klimatické změny * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mortalita MeSH
• velkoměsta MeSH
• vysoká teplota * MeSH
• životní prostředí MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Finsko MeSH
• velkoměsta MeSH

Urban forests serve as a nature-based solution for mitigating climate change. The active participation of diverse community groups, especially women in the conservation of these resources is essential for effectively addressing climate-related challenges. Female high school students, as a critical demographic within the community, can significantly contribute to the management of urban forests, thereby facilitating the achievement of multiple sustainable development goals including SDG 5, SDG 11, SDG 13, SDG 15, and SDG 17. This study explores the behavioral intentions of female high school students in conserving urban forests for climate change mitigation, addressing a critical research gap in understanding the role of youth, particularly females, in environmental conservation. Employing an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model, this research integrates Environmental Awareness (EA) and Social Responsibility (SR) alongside traditional TPB constructs to enhance explanatory power. Data was collected from 370 students through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results reveal that attitudes, perceived behavioral control, EA, and SR significantly influence students' intentions, while subjective norms show no significant effect. The extended model explains 64.9% of the variance in behavioral intentions, a 21.2% improvement over the initial TPB model. These findings underscore the importance of fostering environmental awareness, cultivating a sense of responsibility, and equipping female students with the skills necessary to contribute to urban forest conservation. The study offers actionable insights for policymakers and educators to design targeted initiatives that empower female youth as agents of change in climate action.

• Klíčová slova
• Attitude, Climate change, Environmental awareness, Pro-environmental behavior, Social responsibility, Urban greenspace,
• MeSH
• klimatické změny * MeSH
• lesy * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
• studenti * psychologie   MeSH
• úmysl * MeSH
• zachování přírodních zdrojů * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Írán MeSH

Living surrounded by greenery has a relaxing effect and reduces physiological and psychological symptoms of stress. In view of the exponential growth of the urban population and disconnection with nature, supporting the physical and mental health of city dwellers is a huge challenge nowadays. In this context, urban flower meadows (UFMs), a relatively new management strategy cultivated in many cities, can be a very important component of urban greenery, which support human well-being. We investigated the emotional reception of UFMs, taking into account the features of different types of UFMs and the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. Our research shows that urban flower meadows evoke positive emotions regardless of the age, gender and place of origin of respondents. While some structural variables of UFMs, particularly the proportion of green in relation to other colours, the representation of various flower colours, the proportion of yellow flowers, and the presence of alien plant species-influence people's perception. Fewer colours and the absence of alien plant species tend to shift perception towards less positive emotions. The dominance of yellow flowers evokes positive emotions. These results are helpful for the further planning of UFMs to better reinforce the well-being of all city dwellers.

• Klíčová slova
• Human well-being, Open urban greenspace, Physical and mental health of city dwellers, Urban flower meadows,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• emoce MeSH
• květy * růst a vývoj   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• městské obyvatelstvo * MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• velkoměsta MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• velkoměsta MeSH

Cities are growing ecosystems in the modern world. Due to their heterogeneity, urban areas have multifaceted influences on organisms, including bees. However, in many specific city greenspace designs and management implementations, our understanding of their functionality remains limited. This is also true for urban flower meadows (UFMs). We extensively examined UFMs in three large cities to answer the following question: What features of UFMs and their surroundings (urban matrix) are the most important in supporting bees in cities? Our multifaceted approach revealed that the mosaics of habitats surrounding UFMs are at least as necessary to support bees as the local features of UFMs. An abundance of bees responded positively to the number of flowering units and the blue and yellow colors of flowers, and increased cover of industrial areas, green urban areas, and pastures in a 100-m buffer. Increasing the cover of the continuous urban fabric in all buffer zones (100, 300, and 500 m) positively affected bee species richness and abundance. Due to the lack of design guidelines for urban flower meadows, our results are helpful for the further planning of UFMs to optimize bee-friendly areas in urban landscapes.

• Klíčová slova
• designed landscapes, pollinators, urban ecology, urban ecosystems, urban greenspaces,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Urban areas in Europe are facing a range of environmental public health challenges, such as air pollution, traffic noise and road injuries. The identification and quantification of the public health risks associated with exposure to environmental conditions is important for prioritising policies and interventions that aim to diminish the risks and improve the health of the population. With this purpose in mind, the EURO-HEALTHY project used a consistent approach to assess the impact of key environmental risk factors and urban environmental determinants on public health in European metropolitan areas. A number of environmental public health indicators, which are closely tied to the physical and built environment, were identified through stakeholder consultation; data were collected from six European metropolitan areas (Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, London, Stockholm and Turin) covering the period 2000-2014, and a health impact assessment framework enabled the quantification of health effects (attributable deaths) associated with these indicators. The key environmental public health indicators were related to air pollution and certain urban environmental conditions (urban green spaces, road safety). The air pollution was generally the highest environmental public health risk; the associated number of deaths in Athens, Barcelona and London ranged between 800 and 2300 attributable deaths per year. The number of victims of road traffic accidents and the associated deaths were lowest in the most recent year compared with previous years. We also examined the positive impacts on health associated with urban green spaces by calculating reduced mortality impacts for populations residing in areas with greater green space coverage; results in Athens showed reductions of all-cause mortality of 26 per 100,000 inhabitants for populations with benefits of local greenspace. Based on our analysis, we discuss recommendations of potential interventions that could be implemented to reduce the environmental public health risks in the European metropolitan areas covered by this study.

• Klíčová slova
• Air pollution, Attributable mortality, Environmental public health risks, Green spaces, Health impact assessment, Road traffic noise,
• MeSH
• dopravní nehody * MeSH
• environmentální zdraví MeSH
• hluk * MeSH
• hodnocení vlivů na zdraví * zákonodárství a právo   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• velkoměsta MeSH
• veřejné zdravotnictví MeSH
• znečištění ovzduší analýza   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH
• velkoměsta MeSH