Form Submission: Participation Entry

Increased surrounding greenness has been linked to human health benefits. In the U.S., where the immigrant population has steadily increased since 1970, little is known about differences in greenness exposure between immigrants and the U.S.-born. To determine greenness exposure, we calculated average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in 2000 and 2010 using satellite imagery for every U.S. Census tract. Applying spatial error regression, we estimated the relationship between % immigrant population and NDVI, adjusted for urbanicity and median household income. Demographic data were sourced from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey. We found that increased % of immigrants was associated with lower greenness. The magnitude of the effect varied by Census geographic region. Furthermore, the association differed depending on the immigrants' continent of origin; while Asia, and Latin America showed consistent negative associations, Europe, North America, and Oceania did not.