From left, researchers Bin Jiang, Yi Lu and William Sullivan found that more green spaces in an area is associated with a lower racial disparity in coronavirus infection rates.
— A higher ratio of green spaces at the county level is associated with a lower racial disparity in coronavirus infection rates, according to a new study.
The research team included William Sullivan, a landscape architecture professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and was led by Bin Jiang, a landscape architecture professor at the University of Hong Kong who completed a Ph.D.
Previous studies by Sullivan, Jiang and Lu have shown that green spaces have positive effects on health.
Most studies examining the racial disparity in coronavirus infections have focused on its association with socioeconomic status or preexisting chronic disease factors.
They collected infection data from county health departments from late January to July 10, 2020, and used the information to calculate the infection rates for Black and white residents of the counties, while controlling for differences in income, preexisting chronic diseases and urban density.
The researchers compared the infection rates of each population within each county, rather than across all the counties studied.
Sullivan, Jiang and Lu said several factors could account for the findings.
“In many counties, Black folks have less access to green space than white folks do.
The coronavirus is spread through aerosol particles, and the spread is heightened in indoor settings without adequate ventilation.
Green spaces also may decrease infection risk by improving air quality and decreasing exposure to air pollutants in dense urban areas.
“One of the things the pandemic has helped us understand is that the built environment has real implications for the spread of disease and for our health.