Turning green helps cities make space for better health
WHETHER IT’S going for a stroll in your local park, or doing a spot of gardening, it’s long been recognised that spending time outdoors is good for our health.
Well, now a new study shows a link between green space and the mental health of children living in Bradford. The report, published in the
is believed to be the first of its kind to explore the relationship between the quantity, quality, and use of green space and its effect on mental health.
The research, part of the landmark Born in Bradford (BiB) study, involves tracking the lives of thousands of the city’s children into adulthood and beyond.
This particular study involved 2,594 mothers who were asked to report on their children’s mental wellbeing between 2012 and 2015, with the amount of green space available in their local neighbourhoods then calculated using satellite images.
Researchers looked at the amount of urban green space near to where they lived and the proximity of public parks, including play areas.
Nearly two-thirds of the families taking part lived in some of the more deprived areas of Bradford and one of the report’s authors and BiB director, Dr Rosie McEachan, says it offers an important insight.
“Although we know green spaces are good for health, up until our study we didn’t really know whether quantity, quality or the amount of time children spend outdoors was most important for children’s mental wellbeing.”
With more than 73 per cent of Europe’s population living in urban areas, access to green spaces is becoming increasingly important when it comes to improving quality of life for city dwellers.
“We know that mental wellbeing during childhood is a key predictor of mental health in adulthood, so figuring out the potential of urban green spaces to promote positive mental wellbeing in children is important.”
Dr McEachan says their research revealed some ethnic differences. “Our research also found that South Asian children spent less time playing outside in parks and that their parents were less satisfied with their green places.
“The reasons why South Asian mums are less satisfied with their local parks and use them less, may be because many of these families live in inner city areas where the quality of local parks is not as good as other places.”
The team of researchers, which also included Professor John Wright, Director of Research at the Bradford Institute for Health Research, and Research Fellow, Dr Tiffany Yang – believe their findings should encourage urban planners and public health professionals to work together to increase the availability and improve the quality of green spaces for communities living in inner city areas.
“It is shocking that poorer, inner city families have less access to the health promoting benefits of high quality local parks and green spaces which could have a clear beneficial impact on their health,” says Dr McEachan.
“We hope our research will make policy makers think about innovative ways of making our poorer neighbourhoods and communities greener, and healthier places to live in as this may have a significant benefit on the mental health of our children.
“For South Asian children – and for those other children who live in deprived inner cities around the country – living close to and playing in green spaces can alleviate mental health symptoms and lead to happier and healthier children.
“But we need to think about the quality of our parks and not just the quantity as provision of green space alone is unlikely to produce health benefits.”