The Benefits of Community-Level Efforts to Increase Tree Shade Availability for Cancer Prevention and Control

Abstract

Public health efforts to reduce cancer risk often include strategies intended to create community spaces that support healthy behaviors (eg, physical activity, healthy eating) and reduce harmful exposures (eg, tobacco smoke), all of which can help to reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Meanwhile, a growing body of literature has quantified the health, social, and economic benefits that trees bring to communities, including benefits directly related to cancer risk and prevention. However, in the field of cancer prevention and control, little attention has been given to the health benefits that tree shade can bring to communities. In the context of skin cancer prevention, efforts have been made to increase the availability of shade in outdoor community spaces to support sun safety. However, these efforts have often focused on built shade and rarely highlighted the additional health benefits that shade trees can provide. In addition, the larger body of literature documenting the health benefits that trees bring to communities rarely frames this information in the context of cancer types beyond skin cancer. In this topical review, we discuss the benefits of community-level efforts to increase tree shade availability for cancer prevention and control, including reductions in exposure to ultraviolet radiation and heat, improved air quality, and increased physical activity in outdoor community spaces. We then discuss the implications of these benefits, including the value of multisectoral partnerships, the importance of strategic communication about the benefits of tree shade, best practices for increasing and maintaining tree shade, and opportunities for future research to further quantify such benefits in cancer-related health outcomes.