Subscribe to the RSS feed.Living near Greenspaces proven to positively influence health
There is new evidence that living near a ‘green space’ has health benefits. New research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health indicates that living near “green spaces” has tangible benefits to human health. The best health benefits come from living less than one kilometer (3/5 of a mile) from a green space. The research shows that the impact is particularly noticeable in reducing rates of depression.
Other health indicators that benefit from proximity to greenspaces include:
- Coronary heart disease
- Neck, shoulder, back, wrist and hand complaints
- Depression and anxiety
- Diabetes
- Respiratory infections and asthma
- Migraine and vertigo
- Stomach bugs and urinary tract infections
While people often report that time in nature reduces their stress and helps them feel better both physically and mentally, this is the first study to demonstrate that proxmity to nature translates into fewer health problems.
Researchers looked at the health records of 195 family doctors and 350,000 individuals across the Netherlands, and tracked how often patients were diagnosed with 24 different disease types. Researchers mapped the amount of green space near each patient’s household by using postal codes and land use data.
The study:
Maas J, Verheij RA, de Vries S, et al. Morbidity is related to a green living environment. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 2009.
The study is available by subscription at the of Epidemiology and Community Health, which is a subsidiary of the British Medical Journal.
