On 18th of October the BBC published new evidence about the beneficial impact of green spaces on health, especially mental health, based on research from the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
The VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam carried out the research by looking at the Health Records of 350,000 people who have been registered for over a year with 195 family doctors. The University compared the disease prevalence of people in areas with a high percentage of green spaces within a 1km radius to the disease prevalence of people in areas of a low percentage of green spaces within this radius. They also looked at the impact of green spaces within a 3km radius.
People living in areas with 90% green spaces within a 1km radius had a lower annual rate of diseases than people living in an area with only 10% of green spaces within the same radius. The biggest impact could be noted on anxiety disorders and depression. Other diseases which benefitted were: Coronary heart disease, neck, shoulder, back, wrist and hand complaints, diabetes, respiratory infections and asthma, migraine and vertigo, stomach bugs and urinary tract infections and unexplained physical symptoms.
In the case of anxiety disorders and depression, the research revealed that the relationship was strongest with children under the age of 12. They were 21% less likely to suffer from depression living in greener areas.
The beneficial impact of green spaces within a radius of 3km was only recorded for a few diseases, namely anxiety disorders, infectious diseases of the digestive system and medically unexplained physical symptoms.
Dr Jolanda Maas of the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, said: "It clearly shows that green spaces are not just a luxury but they relate directly to diseases and the way people feel in their living environments."
BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8307024.stm
Original publication: http://www.sustainabilityforhealth.org/designingthebuiltenvironment/rep…
