URBAN ENVIRONMENT EXPOSURES AND COGNITIVE HEALTH: AN EVIDENCE GAP MAP OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
2024

Urban Environment Exposures and Cognitive Health

Sample size: 57 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Cleland Claire, Hunter Ruth

Primary Institution: Queen’s University Belfast

Hypothesis

The study aims to identify and present all systematic reviews investigating urban environment exposure and its impact on cognitive health outcomes.

Conclusion

The study found that while there is some evidence on the impact of urban environments on cognitive health, significant gaps remain, particularly regarding traffic-related behaviors and child cognitive measures.

Supporting Evidence

  • The EGM included 57 reviews with 257 outcomes.
  • Five reviews were classified as high quality, 43 as moderate quality, and nine as low quality.
  • The evidence base is concentrated on environmental by-products and social environment impacts on dementia and cognitive impairment.

Takeaway

This study looked at how living in cities affects our thinking and memory, and found that there are still many things we don't know about this.

Methodology

The study created an Evidence Gap Map (EGM) that included 57 systematic reviews on urban environment exposure and cognitive health.

Limitations

The study highlights limited evidence in certain areas, such as traffic-related behaviors and child cognitive measures.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.1249

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