The role of perceived public and private green space in subjective health and wellbeing during and after the first peak of the COVID-19 outbreak

Poortinga, Wouter; Bird, Natasha; Hallingberg, Britt; Phillips, Rhiannon; Williams, Denitza

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104092

Cited by 182 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Echoing the current study's findings, a European study found that having green-blue nature views from the home was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety [61], and in Bulgaria, visible greenery from the home was associated with reduced depressive/anxiety symptoms [62]. Nature-based engagement in a private green space [63], near home [56], in local green spaces [64], or even within the home (e.g., houseplants) [62] have all been shown to support mental health in other global research during the pandemic. In the current study, some of the more passive forms of nature contact were the most commonly reported alternatives to outdoor nature experiences, and included indoor bird watching, listening to birdsong, and smelling rain or plants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Increased Use of Porch or Backyard Nature during COVID-19 Associated with Lower Stress and Better Symptom Experience among Breast Cancer Patients

Pearson

Breeze

Reuben

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Contact with nature has been used to promote both physical and mental health, and is increasingly used among cancer patients. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges in both access to nature in public spaces and in cancer care. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the change in active and passive use of nature, places of engaging with nature and associations of nature contact with respect to improvements to perceived stress and symptom experience among breast cancer patients during the pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of people diagnosed with breast cancer using ResearchMatch (n = 56) in July 2020 (the first wave of COVID-19). In this US-based, predominantly white, affluent, highly educated, female sample, we found that, on average, participants were first diagnosed with breast cancer at 54 years old and at stage 2 or 3. Eighteen percent of participants experienced disruptions in their cancer care due to the pandemic. As expected, activities in public places significantly decreased as well, including use of parks/trails and botanical gardens. In contrast, spending time near home, on the porch or in the backyard significantly increased. Also observed were significant increases in indoor activities involving passive nature contact, such as watching birds through a window, listening to birdsong, and smelling rain or plants. Decreased usage of parks/trails was significantly associated with higher stress (Coef = −2.30, p = 0.030) and increased usage of the backyard/porch was significantly associated with lower stress (Coef = −2.69, p = 0.032), lower symptom distress (Coef = −0.80, p = 0.063) and lower symptom severity (Coef = −0.52, p = 0.009). The most commonly reported alternatives to outdoor engagement with nature were watching nature through a window (84%), followed by looking at images of nature (71%), and listening to nature through a window (66%). The least commonly enjoyed alternative was virtual reality of nature scenes (25%). While outdoor contact with nature away from home decreased, participants still found ways to experience the restorative benefits of nature in and around their home. Of special interest in planning interventions was the fact that actual or real nature was preferred over that experienced through technology. This could be an artifact of our sample, or could represent a desire to be in touch with the “real world” during a health crisis. Nature contact may represent a flexible strategy to decrease stress and improve symptom experience among patients with cancer, particularly during public health crises or disruptions to cancer care.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Increased Use of Porch or Backyard Nature during COVID-19 Associated with Lower Stress and Better Symptom Experience among Breast Cancer Patients

Pearson

Breeze

Reuben

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…[102,107]. Recent evidence shows that private gardens can also compensate for the lack of access to public green spaces, being a fundamental resource for mental wellbeing in times of health crisis [108,109]. The existence of green spaces in an urban context, however, is not always equal to an environment which promotes greater well-being.…”

Section: Analysis Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ratio of building height to street width is also a key spatial design factor to promote mental well-being [109,149]. Building heights that excessively exceed the street width could lead to feelings of claustrophobia and perceptions of insecurity.…”

Section: Analysis Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Building heights that excessively exceed the street width could lead to feelings of claustrophobia and perceptions of insecurity. A correct building height/street width proportion can generate greater spatial comfort and positive benefits for mental well-being [109,144]. Similarly, building heritage is also associated with higher perceived well-being.…”

Section: Analysis Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental Well-Being and the Influence of Place: Conceptual Approaches for the Built Environment for Planning Healthy and Walkable Cities

Zumelzu

Herrmann-Lunecke

2021

Sustainability

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Promotion of healthy cities has prompted urban planners and designers to build new conceptual frameworks to improve the design of public spaces, in which mental well-being emerges as a fundamental concept. Mental well-being is related to spatial design, with increasing attention being paid to the built environment as an important predictor of mental well-being. The objective of this article is to advance and contribute new knowledge about the characteristics of the built environment and its potential benefits for mental well-being. A meta-analysis is carried out on various empirical and theoretical approaches from the literature. Using a WOS database as a case study, a methodology based on a bibliometric analysis is proposed to examine which elements of the built environment impact mental well-being in research between 1975 and 2020, using the HistCites and VOSviewer tools. The results show that there are six thematic axes related to the built environment that would favor greater mental well-being in public spaces: walkability, density, spatial design, environmental noise, green areas and social interaction. The six thematic axes are critically analyzed and integrated into a conceptual framework to address the impacts of the built environment on mental well-being in the planning of cities. It concludes with a discussion on the implications of these concepts for urban public policy and the promotion of healthier and more sustainable and walkable environments in Latin American cities.

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“…These studies usually asked participants to indicate if they had views of nature from their windows (Dzhambov et al, 2020;Soga et al, 2020;Pouso et al, 2021;Amerio et al, 2020;Leon et al, 2020). In addition to the availability and visibility of nature, other studies examined access to nature in terms of proximity (measured using walking or Euclidean distances) to publicly available outdoor spaces such as parks, nature reserves, or woodlands (Poortinga et al, 2021;Shoari et al, 2020;Ugolini et al, 2020;Robinson et al, 2021). Several of these exposure measures were considered separately or in combination (Dzhambov et al, 2020;Ugolini et al, 2021;Pouso et al, 2021).…”

Section: Types Of Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Nature’s contributions in coping with a pandemic in the 21st century: A narrative review of evidence during COVID-19

Labib¹,

Browning²,

Rigolon³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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While COVID-19 lockdowns have slowed coronavirus transmission, such structural measures also have unintended consequences on mental and physical health. Growing evidence shows that exposure to the natural environment (e.g., blue-green spaces) can improve human health and wellbeing. In this narrative review, we synthesized the evidence about nature’s contributions to health and wellbeing during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that during lockdowns, people experienced multiple types of nature, including both outdoors and indoors. Frequency of visits to outdoor natural areas (i.e., public parks) depended on lockdown severity and socio-cultural contexts. Other forms of nature exposure, such as spending time in private gardens and viewing outdoor greenery from windows, may have increased. The majority of the evidence suggests nature exposure during lockdowns was associated with less depression, anxiety, stress, and more happiness and life satisfaction. Additionally, nature exposure was correlated with less physical inactivity and fewer sleep disturbances. Evidence was mixed regarding associations between nature exposure and COVID-related health outcomes, while nature visits might be associated with greater rates of COVID-19 transmission and mortality when proper social distancing measures were not maintained. Findings on whether nature exposure during lockdowns helped ameliorate health inequities by, for example, impacting the health of lower-socioeconomic populations more than their higher-socioeconomic counterparts, were mixed. Based on these findings, we argue that nature exposure may have buffered the negative mental and behavioral impacts of lockdowns during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery and resilience during the current and future public health crises might be improved with nature-based solutions, interventions, designs, and governance.

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The role of perceived public and private green space in subjective health and wellbeing during and after the first peak of the COVID-19 outbreak

Cited by 182 publications

References 63 publications

Increased Use of Porch or Backyard Nature during COVID-19 Associated with Lower Stress and Better Symptom Experience among Breast Cancer Patients

Increased Use of Porch or Backyard Nature during COVID-19 Associated with Lower Stress and Better Symptom Experience among Breast Cancer Patients

Mental Well-Being and the Influence of Place: Conceptual Approaches for the Built Environment for Planning Healthy and Walkable Cities

Nature’s contributions in coping with a pandemic in the 21st century: A narrative review of evidence during COVID-19

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