{
  "abstract": "Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia, and neighborhood greenness may represent a protective environmental exposure. However, greenness-health associations may depend on how vegetation exposure is defined across spatial and temporal scales. We examined the influence of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) and modifiable temporal unit problem (MTUP) on associations between Landsat-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and incident AD among Medicare beneficiaries in Miami-Dade County, Florida. NDVI exposure was evaluated at four resolutions (30, 120, 250, and 500 m), using single-date imagery and seasonal composites, baseline 2011 and combined 2011+2016 exposure specifications, and census-block-level mean and range metrics. The primary exposure specification was baseline 2011 seasonal mean NDVI; single-date imagery, 2011+2016 NDVI, and NDVI range were evaluated as sensitivity analyses. Generalized estimating equation logistic regression models estimated associations with AD incidence from 2012 to 2016 after adjustment for demographic and neighborhood characteristics. Model performance was compared using the Quasi-likelihood under the Independence Model Criterion. Higher mean NDVI was consistently associated with lower AD incidence, although effect magnitude, precision, and model fit varied across spatial and temporal specifications. Seasonal composites produced stronger and more stable associations than single-date imagery, indicating that temporal aggregation influences greenness exposure assessment. Seasonal mean NDVI at 250 m provided the strongest relative model performance within this comparison. NDVI range was positively associated with AD incidence but was less stable and more sensitive to spatial resolution, supporting its interpretation as an exploratory measure of within-block spectral variability rather than a primary greenness exposure metric. These findings demonstrate that finer spatial resolution does not necessarily improve epidemiologic inference and highlight the need for scale-aware exposure specification in environmental health research and urban planning for healthy aging.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "SAGE GeoAI Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA",
    "University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, FL 33136, USA",
    "SAGE GeoAI Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; Corresponding author."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Anusha Chaudhary"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Julius R. Dewald"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jane Southworth"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ruixuan Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mohammad Safaei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jose Szapocznik"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Scott C. Brown"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d85h6r274fssc.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.envadv.2026.100765",
  "fulltext_url": "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765726000839",
  "id": "d85h6r274fssc",
  "issns": [
    "2666-7657"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2026.100765",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "GE1-350"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2307|Urban Green Space and Health"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220655232",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765726000839/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d85h6r274fssc.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:43:33Z",
      "native_id": "7702988ca54b4327b6e0dff70b9604fb",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2026.100765"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2307|Urban Green Space and Health",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Spatial and temporal scale sensitivity in NDVI-based greenness exposure assessment for Alzheimer’s disease incidence: a Miami-Dade County Medicare Cohort Study",
  "title_text": "Spatial and temporal scale sensitivity in NDVI-based greenness exposure assessment for Alzheimer’s disease incidence: a Miami-Dade County Medicare Cohort Study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:43:33Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d85h6r274fssc",
  "venue": "Environmental Advances",
  "versions": []
}