%0 Journal Article
%T Association between greenery and health indicators in urban patients with symptomatic heart failure: a retrospective cohort study in Lithuania.
%A Cerkauskaite S
%A Kubilius R
%A Dedele A
%A Vencloviene J
%J Int J Environ Health Res
%V 34
%N 7
%D 2024 Jul 26
%M 37883741
%F 4.477
%R 10.1080/09603123.2023.2274381
%X Urban green spaces benefit physical, mental health, and reduses the risk of cardiovascular disease. A study in Kaunas, Lithuania collected health data from 100 patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) during 2006-2009. Residential greenness was measured by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). We assessed the impact of greenness on health indicators and on changes in health markers after 6 months. Higher greenness levels based on the NDVI 1-km radius were related to higher mean values of heart rate (HR) and ejection fraction and lower left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic diameter index (LV EDDI), LV end-systolic volume (ESV), left atrium size (LAS), and right atrium size (RAS) at baseline. After 6 months, a decrease in DBP and HR and an improvement in spiroergometric parameters were associated with exposure to high levels of greenness.  The long-term rehabilitation group experienced significant changes in spiroergometric indicators. The results confirm that the greenness of the residential environment can improve health indicators in patients with HF.