Alleviating mental health disorders through doses of green spaces: an updated review in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Lanza-León, Paloma; Pascual-Sáez, Marta; Cantarero, David

doi:10.1080/09603123.2021.2005780

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“… 100 – 102 Although there are complex social and environmental factors involved, our findings support that contact with natural environment may help alleviate mental health issues, especially during public health crises. 9 , 103 , 104 However, we caution that efforts are needed to ensure that communities are part of decision-making processes when addressing disparities. Factors such as location and types of trees planted, clear descriptions of benefits conveyed, and potential impacts on housing prices should be carefully considered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Redlining and Natural Environment with Depressive Symptoms in Women in the Sister Study

Tsai,

Nash,

Rosenbaum

et al. 2023

Environ Health Perspect

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Background: Improving mental health is recognized as an important factor for achieving global development goals. Despite strong evidence that neighborhood greenery promotes better mental health, there are environmental justice concerns over the distribution of neighborhood greenery. Underlying these concerns are present-day consequences of historical discriminatory financial investment practices, such as redlining which was established by the U.S. Federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930s. The impacts of redlining on environmental and health disparities have been researched extensively. However, the influences of redlining on the associations between neighborhood environment and health outcomes have not been fully assessed. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine whether associations between residential tree cover and depressive symptoms vary across areas subject to HOLC practices. Methods: Depressive symptoms were defined by the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale collected during the period 2008–2012 for 3,555 women in the Sister Study cohort residing in cities subject to HOLC practices across the United States. HOLC rating maps were obtained from the Mapping Inequality Project, University of Richmond, with neighborhoods graded as A (best for financial investment, green), B (still desirable, blue), C (declining, yellow), and D (hazardous, red—known as redlined). Tree cover within and from residences was estimated using 2011 U.S. Forest Service Percent Tree Canopy Cover. Mixed model using climate zone as the random effect was applied to evaluate the associations with adjustments for potential covariates. Analyses were stratified by HOLC grade. Results: Tree cover was significantly higher in neighborhoods with better HOLC grades. A 10% increase in tree cover was associated with reduced odds of depressive symptoms for the full study population, with adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.88, 0.99], and 0.91 (0.85, 0.97) for and buffer, respectively. Across HOLC grades, the strongest associations were observed in redlined neighborhoods, with respective AORs of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.52, 0.99) and 0.63 (95% CI: 0.45, 0.90) for and buffer. Discussion: Findings support a remediation strategy focused on neighborhood greenery that would address multiple public health priorities, including mental health and environmental justice. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12212

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Redlining and Natural Environment with Depressive Symptoms in Women in the Sister Study

Tsai,

Nash,

Rosenbaum

et al. 2023

Environ Health Perspect

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“…The positive impact of the natural environment on the mental health of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed by a systematic review (25 articles) by Lanza-León et al (2021), from Spain and Portugal, Ribeiro et al ( 2021), from a US university environment, Larson et al (2022). Zabini et al (2020) even found a short-term positive effect of watching nature videos on the psyche of Italian respondents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The positive effect of living in the natural environment on human physical and mental health has been documented several times (Pretty 2006;Nisbet et al 2011;Capaldi et al 2014;Lanza-León et al 2021;Barrable et al 2021). Dai et al (2021) states that closeness to nature is potentially valuable in preventing infectious diseases and that it increases the quality of life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of reduced time spent outdoors during the Covid-19 lockdown on the health and well-being of young people in Czechia

Rubáš¹,

Matějček²,

Kroufek³

2022

Auc Geographica

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It was not officially possible to leave the cadastral territory for recreational purposes in Czechia during the period from the 1 March to the 21 March 2021. The aim of this study was to evaluate how this lockdown affected the amount of time young people spent outdoors and their health and mental well-being. Our research was aimed at students at all levels of school. Immediately after the end of the strictest phase of the lockdown, we conducted a questionnaire survey and collected data from more than a thousand students at elementary schools, secondary schools and universities, as well as 160 parents of 269 pre-school and primary school children. The answers to the close-ended questions were evaluated by statistical analysis, while the answers to the open-ended questions were evaluated using thematic analysis. The results show that the impact of restrictive measures on the health and psyche of young people was significant, especially for female students. Lockdown significantly reduced respondents’ opportunities to spend time outdoors. Male students spent significantly more of their free time in front of computer screens. Respondents living in buildings without a garden and young people who could not use a recreational building outside the district of residence were most affected by restrictions during the lockdown.

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“…On the other hand, a US study found that a lack of negative neighbourhood conditions (e.g., crime, violence and traffic) were associated with a lower risk of mental health difficulties during the pandemic including depression, anxiety and loneliness [ 15 ]. In a systematic review of the effects of the natural environment on mental health, which included studies that covered the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lanza-León et al [ 16 ], concluded that exposure to, use and proximity to green spaces had differential effects on mental health across the groups studied. Beneficial impacts were found for the mental health of the elderly, students and patients with underlying pathologies, while negative effects on the mental health of women and young adults were discovered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Area-level deprivation, neighbourhood factors and associations with mental health

Mohan

Barlow

2023

PLoS ONE

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The COVID-19 pandemic saw residential neighbourhoods become more of a focal point in people’s lives, where people were greater confined to living, working, and undertaking leisure in their locality. This study investigates whether area-level deprivation and neighbourhood conditions influence mental health, accounting for demographic, socio-economic and health circumstances of individuals. Using nationally representative data from Ireland, regression modelling revealed that area-level deprivation did not in itself have a discernible impact on mental health status (as measured using the Mental Health Inventory-5 instrument and the Energy and Vitality Index), or likelihood of having suffered depression in the previous 12 months. However, positive perceptions of area safety, service provision, and area cleanliness were associated with better mental health, as was involvement in social groups. Broad ranging policies investing in neighbourhoods, could have benefits for mental health, which may be especially important for deprived communities.

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Alleviating mental health disorders through doses of green spaces: an updated review in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 8 publications

References 54 publications

Association of Redlining and Natural Environment with Depressive Symptoms in Women in the Sister Study

Association of Redlining and Natural Environment with Depressive Symptoms in Women in the Sister Study

The impact of reduced time spent outdoors during the Covid-19 lockdown on the health and well-being of young people in Czechia

Area-level deprivation, neighbourhood factors and associations with mental health

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