Park Proximity and Use for Physical Activity among Urban Residents: Associations with Mental Health

Orstad, Stephanie L.; Szuhany, Kristin L.; Tamura, Kosuke; Thorpe, Lorna E.; Jay, Melanie

doi:10.3390/ijerph17134885

Cited by 37 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The safety of green space was associated with better quality of life [ 23 , 25 , 51 ], reduced psychological distress [ 43 ] but did not have significant effects on BMI [ 50 ] of residents. In a mediation analysis, park crimes reduced the benefits of parks on mental health [ 72 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review

Nguyen

Astell-Burt

Rahimi-Ardabili

et al. 2021

IJERPH

174

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(1) Background: As cities densify, researcher and policy focus is intensifying on which green space types and qualities are important for health. We conducted a systematic review to examine whether particular green space types and qualities have been shown to provide health benefits and if so, which specific types and qualities, and which health outcomes. (2) Methods: We searched five databases from inception up to June 30, 2021. We included all studies examining a wide range of green space characteristics on various health outcomes. (3) Results: 68 articles from 59 studies were found, with a high degree of heterogeneity in study designs, definitions of quality and outcomes. Most studies were cross-sectional, ecological or cohort studies. Environment types, vegetation types, and the size and connectivity of green spaces were associated with improved health outcomes, though with contingencies by age and gender. Health benefits were more consistently observed in areas with greater tree canopy, but not grassland. The main outcomes with evidence of health benefits included allergic respiratory conditions, cardiovascular conditions and psychological wellbeing. Both objectively and subjectively measured qualities demonstrated associations with health outcomes. (4) Conclusion: Experimental studies and longitudinal cohort studies will strengthen current evidence. Evidence was lacking for needs-specific or culturally-appropriate amenities and soundscape characteristics. Qualities that need more in-depth investigation include indices that account for forms, patterns, and networks of objectively and subjectively measured green space qualities.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review

Nguyen

Astell-Burt

Rahimi-Ardabili

et al. 2021

IJERPH

174

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…A study which tested associations of objective and subjective park and green space access with psychological distress in youth, found that whilst perceived travel time to parks and green space was associated with lower psychological distress, objectively measured Euclidian distance to the nearest park or green space was not [ 29 ]. Further, a study of adults from New York City found that lower perceived time to walk to a park from home was indirectly associated with fewer days of poor mental health via park-based physical activity in models assessing mediation effects, but only among those not concerned about park crime [ 30 ]. Contrary to our findings, a study in Los Angeles found associations of shorter objective distance from the closest urban parks to participants’ home address with decreased psychological distress [ 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of park access, park use and physical activity in parks with wellbeing in an Asian urban environment: a cross-sectional study

Petrunoff

Dickens

et al. 2021

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

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Background Relationships between park access, park use, and wellbeing remain poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate: (1) perceived and objective park access in relation to park use and physical activity in parks; and; (2) perceived and objective park access, park use and physical activity in parks and their associations with wellbeing. Methods An interviewer-assisted survey collected data on perceived time to walk to parks, park use time, park physical activity time and wellbeing (using a scale containing nine domains) amongst adult participants of the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort. Geospatial maps of parks and the “walkable” street networks were created for the city-state of Singapore to objectively determine distances to accessible points on park boundaries. Multiple linear regression models estimated the importance of park access to park use and associations of park access and park use with wellbeing, adjusting for potential confounders. Results Participants’ (n = 3435) average age was 48.8 years (SD, 12.8), 44.8% were male and 72.6% were of Chinese ethnicity. Better perceived but not true park access was significantly associated with greater park use. Park access (perceived or true) was not associated with physical activity time in parks. Greater participant park time and physical activity time in parks were associated with higher wellbeing scores (p < 0.001). The differences in wellbeing scores between the reference groups, who spent negligible time in parks, and the highest quartiles of time in parks (10.8 h/month) and physical activity in parks (8.3 h/month) were 3.2 (95% CI 2.1–4.4) and 4.2 (95% CI 4.1–6.3) points out of 100 respectively. These associations were similar for most domains of wellbeing, with clear dose-response relationships. Conclusions While perceived park access was strongly associated with park use and well-being, true park access was not, and neither park access measure was associated with park physical activity. Future studies could investigate the influence of park attributes on park use, physical activity in parks and wellbeing. The consistent associations of park use and particularly physical activity in parks with wellbeing suggest that promoting park use, and especially physical activity in parks, is a promising strategy for improving wellbeing in urban settings.

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“…Many studies [72][73][74][75] have considered the association of green space in one's immediate residential vicinity to health outcomes. As urbanization displaces traditional venues for nature contact, nearby greenspace increasingly becomes a key exposure criterion for health outcomes.…”

Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Nature Deprivation and Individual Wellbeing across Urban Gradients under COVID-19

Tomasso

Yin

Laurent

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Lockdown aiming at slowing COVID-19 transmission has altered nature accessibility patterns, creating quasi-experimental conditions to assess if retracted nature contact and perceived nature deprivation influence physical and emotional wellbeing. We measure through on-line survey methods (n = 529) how pandemic mandates limiting personal movement and outdoor nature access within the United States affect self-assessed nature exposure, perceived nature deprivation, and subsequent flourishing as measured by the Harvard Flourishing Index. Results indicate that perceived nature deprivation strongly associates with local nature contact, time in nature, and access to municipal nature during the pandemic, after controlling for lockdown mandates, job status, household composition, and sociodemographic variables. Our hypothesis is that individuals with strong perceived nature deprivation under COVID-19 leads to diminished wellbeing proved true. Interaction models of flourishing showed positive modification of nature affinity with age and qualitative modification of nature deprivation with race. Our results demonstrate the potential of local nature contact to support individual wellbeing in a background context of emotional distress and social isolation, important in guiding public health policies beyond pandemics.

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Park Proximity and Use for Physical Activity among Urban Residents: Associations with Mental Health

Cited by 37 publications

References 69 publications

Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review

Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review

Associations of park access, park use and physical activity in parks with wellbeing in an Asian urban environment: a cross-sectional study

The Relationship between Nature Deprivation and Individual Wellbeing across Urban Gradients under COVID-19

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