Older people with sea views at lower risk of depression

OLDER people whose homes have extensive sea views have a significantly lower risk of depression, a recent study has revealed.

Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute showed that having a sea view improved mood, even when other factors were balanced out – poorer people with a sea view had a better mood than poorer people who didn’t, for instance.

This was also the case for other factors such as age, gender, use of medication and social engagement.

The study, which was carried out under a programme funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, is the first to look into the separate effects proximity to the coast and coastal views had on mental health.

Data from The Irish Longitudinal Study On Ageing was linked with data from Ordnance Survey Ireland, identifying how close each respondent’s house was to the coast and the extent of their sea views.

It discovered that people over the age of 50 living closer to the coast had a lower risk of depression than people who lived further away.

However, there was a significant difference between those who had no sea views and those who had the most extensive views – the latter had a much lower risk of depression.

These findings suggest that sea views, rather than the distance from the sea, have a positive mental health impact for older people.

Anne Nolan, associate research professor with the ESRI, said: ‘These findings underlie the public health benefits of policies to protect and enhance coastal blue spaces, and suggest that urban planning should take these benefits into account.’