Going green: the benefits of green space

Posted on Mon, 26 Dec 11

As the world becomes increasingly urbanised the importance of maintaining our connection with green spaces such as parks and gardens is becoming appreciated. Green spaces appear to be generally associated with a number of important health benefits but just how they influence our health is not completely understood.

The classic assumption is that green spaces, in particular parks and fields, would encourage more physical activity but the relationship may not be that simple. Some studies for example have found that physical activity fails to account for the health benefits of green spaces.

A study in the Netherlands found that living in close proximity to green space (within a 3 kilometre radius) predicted better stress coping ability and mental health.  And another study found stronger associations between green space and mental health than physical health, which was not accounted for by physical activity.

It seems that green space may provide a psychological buffer against the negative health effects of stress, which may be mediated by increased social interaction in such places, or simply by the presence of trees, grass, fields and flowers in an otherwise fabricated urban environment.

References:

1. Lee AC, Maheswaran R. The health benefits of urban green spaces: a review of the evidence. J Public Health (Oxf). 2011 Jun;33(2):212-22.

2. Hillsdon M, Panter J, Foster C, Jones A. The relationship between access and quality of urban green space with population physical activity. Public Health. 2006 Dec;120(12):1127-32.

3. van den Berg AE, Maas J, Verheij RA, Groenewegen PP. Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health. Soc Sci Med. 2010 Apr;70(8):1203-10.

4. Sugiyama T, Leslie E, Giles-Corti B, Owen N. Associations of neighbourhood greenness with physical and mental health: do walking, social coherence and local social interaction explain the relationships? J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008  May;62(5):e9.