Conclusion
This paper contributes to the literature on green spaces and obesity by creating a dataset which combines geo-coded Irish longitudinal microdata and green space data from the European Urban Atlas 2012. In particular we add to the relatively limited pre-existing literature by employing objective rather than self-reported measures of obesity. We find suggestive evidence in favour of a u-shaped relationship between green spaces in urban areas and obesity when measured in terms of BMI. Those who have the lowest and highest shares of green space in their surrounding area have a higher probability of being obese. While we cannot be confident in assigning causality in this relationship, we control for a wide range of characteristics at the individual level which allows us to substantially attenuate any omitted variable bias. While these findings confirm the importance of ensuring the availability of adequate levels of green space in high density urban areas, the unexpected result that persons in areas with both the lowest and highest shares of green space have a higher probability of being obese than those in areas with intermediate shares suggests that other characteristics of urban areas may be mediating this relationship. We conclude that future research should incorporate the accessibility of green space (e.g., the network of footpaths) in areas which are more peripheral to urban centres and thus have the highest shares of green spaces.
