Green Space Protects Physical and Mental Health

In an increasingly urbanized world, people are living in environments with dwindling green spaces.  Jolanda Maas, from the EMGO Institute VU University Medical Centre (Netherlands), and colleagues studied the medical records of 345,143 Dutch adults, identifying for the prevalence of 24 health conditions, and classified each study subject’s residence in relation to a nearby green space.  The researchers found that for 15 of the 24 health conditions, the annual prevalence rate was lower in subjects who lived in locations with more green space in a 1-km radius.  This impact was greatest for mental health conditions, with people living in areas with the most green space being one-third less likely to have anxiety disorders and one-fifth less to be clinically depressed (as compared to residents of areas with the least green space).   Similarly, physical health was improved in those living near more green space, as doing  so was linked to protective effects against respiratory diseases (such as asthma and COPD) and upper respiratory infections.