Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Green space and mental health

People who live near parks and green spaces are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. A Dutch study of 345,143 people compared information from medical records with a land-use database and found that those living near more green spaces had lower rates of 15 different medical conditions. Greater amounts of green space within a kilometer of one's home was related to small reductions in heart disease, diabetes, neck and back pain, asthma and migraine but the strongest connections were with depression and anxiety. There was a 50% higher rate of depression in people living in predominanlty built-up areas compared to those living in predominantly green ones. The relationship between green space and health was particularly strong among children and lower-income groups.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE59J3SG20091020?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

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