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Residential greenspace association with childhood behavioral outcomes

The association of residential greenness with behavioral outcomes depends on age and distance of green space from homes

Access to greenspace offers wide-ranging physical and mental health benefits to children and adults. While studies have shown that these benefits include reduced risk of neurobehavioral disorders in children, most of that research has focused on externalizing behaviors, such as aggression, hyperactivity, and attention deficit disorder.  Research evaluating the impact of greenspace exposure on internalizing behaviors, such as anxiety and depression, is limited. This study assessed the association between residential greenspace and childhood internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

Children participating in this study were enrolled in the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study.  All enrolled children were selected by the age of 6 months based on where they lived at the time of birth — either near (<400 m) or far (>1500 m) from a major highway or bus route in the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area. At the ages of 1-4, 7, and 12, the children completed three clinical examinations consisting of a medical history, residential history, and physical examinations. Additionally, when the children were 7- and 12-years old, their parents completed the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Parent Rating Scale, Second Edition (BASC-2) which addresses both externalizing and internalizing behaviors.  Estimates of greenspace exposure were also derived for the children at the ages of 7 and 12. These estimates were based on satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images of each child’s residence. Data used for this study was based on 562 children at age 7 and 313 children at age 12.

Analysis of the data showed significant differences between the associations of buffer radii of 200, 400, and 800 meters with behavioral outcomes as measured by the BASC-2.  Results also suggested that the relationship between greenspace and mental health in children differs depending on age. At age 7, increased greenspace was significantly associated with decreased risk of conduct problems at 200- and 800-meter buffer radii.  At age 12, an increase in greenspace was significantly associated with decreased risk of anxiety problems at 200-, 400-, and 800-meter radii.

The overall findings of this study indicate that more residential greenspace in urban neighborhoods lowers the risk of conduct problems at age 7 and anxiety problems at age 12. These results are consistent with other research showing a significant relationship between increased exposure to greenspace and decreased risk of anxiety-related behaviors. While some other studies have reported an association between greenspace and depression-related behaviors, this study did not. The study does, however, support the idea that residential greenness is associated with positive behavioral outcomes for children.

Citation

Madzia, J., Ryan, P., Yolton, K., Percy, Z., Newman, N., LeMasters, G., Brokamp, C., (2019). Residential greenspace association with childhood behavioral outcomes. The Journal of Pediatrics, 207, 233-240.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.10.061

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