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| Home > Articles > Published articles > Methodological guidance for selecting buffers in greenspace-health studies |
(Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences) (Clemson University) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (Utrecht University) (Delft University of Technology) (University of Cape Coast) (University of Sydney) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (University of California Los Angeles) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute) (Wageningen University & Research) (Medical University of Plovdiv) (Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (Imperial College London) (Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro) (University of São Paulo Medical School) (Uppsala University) (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) (Oregon State University) (Universidad del País Vasco) (Université de Rennes 1. Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) (The University of Sydney) (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Nova York, Estats Units d'Amèrica)) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (Universidad del País Vasco) (Jagiellonian University) (Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences) (University of Glasgow) (Hasselt University) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (Hasselt University) (University of Bari Aldo Moro) (University of California, Berkeley) (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona) (University of Vienna) (Sun Yat-sen University) (Guangzhou Medical University) (Nanjing Forestry University) (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) (Utrecht University) (Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona)
| Date: | 2025 |
| Abstract: | Greenspace can promote health via diverse pathways. A common approach to assessing greenspace exposure is to estimate vegetation availability within buffers surrounding locations where people reside or spend time. However, no clear framework for informed buffer selection exists, and choices made show considerable heterogeneity, impeding evidence synthesis and causal inference. In this Personal View conducted by an interdisciplinary panel of experts, we aimed to establish a framework for informed buffer selection for epidemiological studies on greenspace. We began by reviewing available approaches for the selection of buffer types, which range from single fixed-location approaches to high-resolution mobility-based activity-space approaches, as well as different buffer sizes. We then summarised the determinants of buffer type and size selection including health outcomes and underlying mechanisms, study population, contextual factors, and data characteristics. Finally, based on these determinants, we developed recommendations for future research. Buffer type and size selection should be hypothesis driven, reflecting presumed greenspace-health mechanisms. Buffer selection should target activity-based approaches where feasible, and multiple buffer sizes should be tested. Overall, the assessment of greenspace exposure should shift from ad-hoc approaches to personalised, multiscale, and context-specific methods. We call for standardising and reporting the rationale for buffer selection to minimise bias and enhance comparability and evidence synthesis across studies. |
| Grants: | European Commission 874724 European Commission 101081420 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RYC2021-034215-I European Commission 101084198 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PCI2021-122047-2B Agencia Estatal de Investigación CEX2023-0001290-S |
| Note: | Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya ; Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M |
| Rights: | Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.  |
| Language: | Anglès |
| Document: | Article de revisió ; recerca ; Versió publicada |
| Published in: | The Lancet. Planetary health, Vol. 9, Num. 11 (November 2025) , art. 101370, ISSN 2542-5196 |
