Aims: To provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on objectively measured neighbourhood built environment exposures in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in adults.
Methods and results: We searched seven databases for systematic reviews on associations between objectively measured long-term built environmental exposures, covering at least one domain (i.e. outdoor air pollution, food environment, physical activity environment like greenspace and walkability, urbanization, light pollution, residential noise, and ambient temperature), and CVD events in adults. Two authors extracted summary data and assessed the risk of bias independently. Robustness of evidence was rated based on statistical heterogeneity, small-study effect, and excess significance bias. Meta-meta-analyses were conducted to combine the meta-analysis results from reviews with comparable exposure and outcome within each domain. From the 3304 initial hits, 51 systematic reviews were included, covering 5 domains and including 179 pooled estimates. There was strong evidence of the associations between increased air pollutants (especially PM2.5 exposure) and increased residential noise with greater risk of CVD. Highly suggestive evidence was found for an association between increased ambient temperature and greater risk of CVD. Systematic reviews on physical activity environment, food environment, light pollution, and urbanization in relation to CVD were scarce or lacking.
Conclusion: Air pollutants, increased noise levels, temperature, and greenspace were associated with CVD outcomes. Standardizing design and exposure assessments may foster the synthesis of evidence. Other crucial research gaps concern the lack of prospective study designs and lack of evidence from low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs).
Registration: PROSPERO: CRD42021246580.
Keywords: Air pollution; Built environment; Cardiovascular disease; Exposome; Noise; Umbrella review.
This study is a review of published systematic reviews on the relation between the neighbourhood built environment and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults. There was strong evidence of a relation between increased air pollutants and a greater risk of CVD. There was also strong evidence of a relation between increased residential noise and a greater risk of CVD. There was highly suggestive evidence of a relation between increased ambient temperature and a greater risk of CVD. Systematic reviews that examined other aspects of the built environment, such as the physical activity environment, food environment, light pollution, and urbanization, were scarce or lacking.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.