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Park H, Brown CD, Pearson AL. A systematic review of audit tools for evaluating the quality of green spaces in mental health research. Health Place 2024; 86:103185. [PMID: 38340496 PMCID: PMC10957304 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Research showing the relationship between exposure to green space and health has yielded conflicting results, possibly due to the oversight of green space quality in quantitative studies. This systematic review, guided by the PRISMA framework (registered under Prospero ID CRD42023279720), focused on audit tools for green space quality in mental health research. From 4028 studies, 13 were reviewed, with 77 % linking better mental health outcomes to higher green space quality. Eight tools, especially Public Open Space and Dillen et al. tools demonstrated strong correlations with mental health. Certain green space qualities like grass, pathways, and water elements showed positive health associations. Future research should aim for standardized quality metrics and robust methodologies to support causal inferences and efficient assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunseo Park
- Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Catherine D Brown
- Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Amber L Pearson
- Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand; CS Mott Department of Public Health, Michigan State University, Flint, MI, USA.
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Patwary MM, Bardhan M, İnan HE, Browning MHEM, Disha AS, Haque MZ, Helmy M, Ashraf S, Dzhambov AM, Shuvo FK, Alam MA, Billah SM, Kabir MP, Hossain MR, Azam MG, Rahman MM, Swed S, Sah R, Montenegro-Idrogo JJ, Bonilla-Aldana DK, Rodriguez-Morales AJ. Exposure to urban green spaces and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from two low and lower-middle-income countries. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1334425. [PMID: 38496388 PMCID: PMC10940342 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1334425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health globally, with limited access to mental health care affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the most. In response, alternative strategies to support mental health have been necessary, with access to green spaces being a potential solution. While studies have highlighted the role of green spaces in promoting mental health during pandemic lockdowns, few studies have focused on the role of green spaces in mental health recovery after lockdowns. This study investigated changes in green space access and associations with mental health recovery in Bangladesh and Egypt across the pandemic. Methods An online survey was conducted between January and April 2021 after the first lockdown was lifted in Bangladesh (n = 556) and Egypt (n = 660). We evaluated indoor and outdoor greenery, including the number of household plants, window views, and duration of outdoor visits. The quantity of greenness was estimated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). This index was estimated using satellite images with a resolution of 10x10m during the survey period (January-April 2021) with Sentinel-2 satellite in the Google Earth Engine platform. We calculated averages within 250m, 300m, 500m and 1000m buffers of the survey check-in locations using ArcGIS 10.3. Multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate relationships between changes in natural exposure and changes in mental health. Results The results showed that mental health improved in both countries after the lockdown period. People in both countries increased their time spent outdoors in green spaces after the lockdown period, and these increases in time outdoors were associated with improved mental health. Unexpectedly, changes in the number of indoor plants after the lockdown period were associated with contrasting mental health outcomes; more plants translated to increased anxiety and decreased depression. Refocusing lives after the pandemic on areas other than maintaining indoor plants may assist with worrying and feeling panicked. Still, indoor plants may assist with depressive symptoms for people remaining isolated. Conclusion These findings have important implications for policymakers and urban planners in LMICs, highlighting the need to increase access to natural environments in urban areas to improve mental health and well-being in public health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Mainuddin Patwary
- Environment and Sustainability Research Initiative, Khulna, Bangladesh
- Environmental Science Discipline, Life Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Mondira Bardhan
- Environment and Sustainability Research Initiative, Khulna, Bangladesh
- Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States
| | - Hüseyin Ertan İnan
- Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States
- Department of Tourism Management, Faculty of Tourism, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye
| | - Matthew H. E. M. Browning
- Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States
| | - Asma Safia Disha
- Environment and Sustainability Research Initiative, Khulna, Bangladesh
- Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Zahidul Haque
- Environment and Sustainability Research Initiative, Khulna, Bangladesh
- Environmental Science Discipline, Life Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Mai Helmy
- Psychology Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Arts, Menoufia University, Shibin el Kom, Egypt
| | - Sadia Ashraf
- Environmental Science Discipline, Life Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Angel M. Dzhambov
- Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Research Group “Health and Quality of Life in a Green and Sustainable Environment”, SRIPD, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Environmental Health Division, Research Institute at Medical University of Plovdiv, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Institute of Highway Engineering and Transport Planning, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Md. Ashraful Alam
- Department of Computational Diagnostic Radiology and Preventive Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sharif Mutasim Billah
- Environment and Sustainability Research Initiative, Khulna, Bangladesh
- Environmental Science Discipline, Life Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Pervez Kabir
- Environment and Sustainability Research Initiative, Khulna, Bangladesh
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Md. Riad Hossain
- Institute of Disaster Management, Khulna University Engineering & Technology, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Golam Azam
- Remote Sensing, Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Mijanur Rahman
- Department of Geography and Environment, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sarya Swed
- Faculty of Medicine, Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria
| | - Ranjit Sah
- Green City Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Department of Microbiology, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, India
| | - Juan J. Montenegro-Idrogo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Service, Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru
- Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas-Institución Universitaria Visión de las Américas, Pereira, Colombia
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
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Hunter RF, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Fabian C, Murphy N, O'Hara K, Rappe E, Sallis JF, Lambert EV, Duenas OLS, Sugiyama T, Kahlmeier S. Advancing urban green and blue space contributions to public health. Lancet Public Health 2023; 8:e735-e742. [PMID: 37633681 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(23)00156-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Urban green and blue spaces (UGBS) have the potential to improve public health and wellbeing, address health inequities, and provide co-benefits for the environment, economy, and society. To achieve these ambitions, researchers should engage with communities, practitioners, and policy makers in a virtuous circle of research, policy, implementation, and active citizenship using the principles of co-design, co-implementation, co-evaluation, and co-translation. This Viewpoint provides an integrated perspective on the challenges that hinder the delivery of health-enhancing UGBS and recommendations to address them. Our recommendations include: strengthening the evidence beyond cross-sectional research designs, strengthening the evidence base on UGBS intervention approaches, evaluating the effects on diverse population groups and communities, addressing inequities in the distribution and quality of UGBS, accelerating research on blue space, providing evidence for environmental effects, incorporating co-design approaches, developing innovative modelling methods, fostering whole-system evidence, harnessing political drivers, creating collaborations for sustainable UGBS action, and advancing evidence in low-income and middle-income countries. The full potential of UGBS as public health, social, economic, and environmental assets is yet to be realised. Acting on the research and translation recommendations will aid in addressing these challenges in collaboration with research, policy, practice, and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carlo Fabian
- Institute for Social Work and Health, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Otten, Switzerland
| | - Niamh Murphy
- School of Health Sciences, South East Technological University, Waterford, Ireland
| | - Kelly O'Hara
- Department of Sports Science, University Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Erja Rappe
- The Age Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - James Fleming Sallis
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, California, CA, USA; Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Estelle Victoria Lambert
- Research Centre for Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS), Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Takemi Sugiyama
- Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sonja Kahlmeier
- Department of Health, Swiss Distance University of Applied Science (FFHS), Zurich, Switzerland
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Liu Y, Zhao B, Cheng Y, Zhao T, Zhang A, Cheng S, Zhang J. Does the quality of street greenspace matter? Examining the associations between multiple greenspace exposures and chronic health conditions of urban residents in a rapidly urbanising Chinese city. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 222:115344. [PMID: 36693460 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous studies have demonstrated that greenspace(GS) exposure is associated with health improvements in individuals with hypertension and diabetes. However, studies examining the associations between multiple GS exposures and chronic health conditions in developing countries are limited. METHODS Geospatial data and spatial analysis were employed to objectively measure the total neighbourhood vegetative cover (mean value of normalised difference vegetation index [NDVI] within specific buffer zone) and proximity to park-based GS (network distance from home to the entrance of park-based GS). Street view imagery and machine learning techniques were used to measure the subjective perceptions of street GS quality. A multiple linear regression model was applied to examine the associations between multiple GS exposures and the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in neighbourhoods located in Qingdao, China. RESULTS The model explained 29.8% and 28.2% of the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, respectively. The results suggested that: 1) the total vegetative cover of the neighbourhood was inversely correlated with the prevalence of hypertension (β = -0.272, p = 0.013, 95% confidence interval (CI): [-1.332, -0.162]) and diabetes (β = -0.230, p = 0.037, 95% CI: [-0.720, -0.008]). 2) The street GS quality was negatively correlated with the prevalence of hypertension (β = -0.303, p = 0.007, 95% CI: [-2.981, -0.491]) and diabetes (β = -0.309, p = 0.006, 95% CI: [-1.839, -0.314]). 3) Proximity to park-based GS and the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus were not significantly correlated. CONCLUSIONS This study used subjective and objective methods to comprehensively assess the greenspace exposure from overhead to eye level, from quantity, proximity to quality. The results demonstrated the beneficial relationships between street GS quality, total vegetative cover, and chronic health in a rapidly urbanising Chinese city. Furthermore. the effect of street GS quality was more pronounced in potentially mitigating chronic health problems, and improving the quality of street GS might be an efficient and effective intervention pathway for addressing chronic health issues in densely populated cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawen Liu
- College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Bing Zhao
- College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
| | - Yingyi Cheng
- College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Tianyi Zhao
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Health and Rehabilitation, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Ao Zhang
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Health and Rehabilitation, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Siqi Cheng
- College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Jinguang Zhang
- College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
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Evaluating green cover and open spaces in informal settlements of Mumbai using deep learning. Neural Comput Appl 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00521-023-08320-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
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Gao J, Mancus GC, Yuen HK, Watson JH, Lake ML, Jenkins GR. Changes in cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone levels immediately after urban park visits. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH 2023; 33:206-218. [PMID: 34879780 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2021.2013454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore physiological and psychological changes immediately after a short-term visit to urban parks in an uncontrolled condition. Sixty park visitors completed a short questionnaire evaluating their subjective well-being (SWB) and donated a saliva sample immediately before and after their park visit. In addition, participants wore a pedometer to track their physical activity level during the park visit. Results indicated the levels of all biomarkers (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], and cortisol/DHEA ratio) decreased while SWB scores increased after the park visit. The duration of park visit was identified as a key variable significantly associated with cortisol reduction, and changes in SWB scores after the park visit were significantly associated with changes in cortisol level. A park visit duration of 21.8 min has the predictive ability to discriminate park visitors who exhibit reductions in cortisol levels after the park visit from those who do not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Gao
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program/Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Science, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Gibran C Mancus
- Capstone College of Nursing, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Hon K Yuen
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - James H Watson
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program/Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Science, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Menesha L Lake
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program/Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Science, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Gavin R Jenkins
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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Zewdie HY, Whetten K, Dubie ME, Kenea B, Bekele T, Temesgen C, Molla W, Puffer ES, Ostermann J, Hobbie AM, Gray CL. The association between urban greenspace and psychological health among young adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 215:114258. [PMID: 36084675 PMCID: PMC10038305 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Psychological disorders are emerging as health priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Ethiopia. Urban greenspace - parks, trees, and other vegetation integrated into urban form - may facilitate population psychological health, but is largely understudied outside high-income countries. We explore greenspace in relation to psychological health among young adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHOD Greenspace exposure was calculated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from publicly available satellite imagery (2018-2019). We used tests of spatial clustering to characterize greenspace distribution. Derived NDVI values were linked to Positive Outcomes for Orphans study participants to explore cross-sectional associations between greenspace exposure and psychological health (measured 2019-2021). Two continuous scores of psychological health were examined: total difficulties from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and depressive symptoms from the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Multilevel generalized linear regression, nested by administrative units, was used to estimate the association between greenspace and psychological health. We also explored effect modification by gender and having income. RESULTS We found greenspace is spatially clustered in Addis Ababa, with high greenspace density in the northeast region and low greenspace density in the center of the city. Our findings suggest residing in greener areas is associated with fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties (β = -1.89; 95% CI: -3.50, -0.29), but not significantly associated with depressive symptomology (β = -0.61; 95% CI: -2.33, 1.11). We observed stronger associations between greenspace and total difficulties among those reporting any income and among males, and for the association between greenspace and depression symptomology among males. CONCLUSION We offer initial exploration into the role of greenspace in psychological well-being in Addis Ababa, with potential implications for urban communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. Further research should continue to explore how the built and natural environment could be leveraged in similar settings to promote population psychological health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiwot Y Zewdie
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, USA.
| | | | | | - Berhanu Kenea
- Stand For Vulnerable Organization, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tolesa Bekele
- Stand For Vulnerable Organization, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Wesene Molla
- Stand For Vulnerable Organization, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Eve S Puffer
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, USA
| | - Jan Ostermann
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, USA; University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Amy M Hobbie
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, USA
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Mueller W, Wilkinson P, Milner J, Loh M, Vardoulakis S, Petard Z, Cherrie M, Puttaswamy N, Balakrishnan K, Arvind DK. The relationship between greenspace and personal exposure to PM 2.5 during walking trips in Delhi, India. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 305:119294. [PMID: 35436507 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The presence of urban greenspace may lead to reduced personal exposure to air pollution via several mechanisms, for example, increased dispersion of airborne particulates; however, there is a lack of real-time evidence across different urban contexts. Study participants were 79 adolescents with asthma who lived in Delhi, India and were recruited to the Delhi Air Pollution and Health Effects (DAPHNE) study. Participants were monitored continuously for exposure to PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm) for 48 h. We isolated normal day-to-day walking journeys (n = 199) from the personal monitoring dataset and assessed the relationship between greenspace and personal PM2.5 using different spatial scales of the mean Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), mean tree cover (TC), and proportion of surrounding green land use (GLU) and parks or forests (PF). The journeys had a mean duration of 12.7 (range 5, 53) min and mean PM2.5 personal exposure of 133.9 (standard deviation = 114.8) μg/m3. The within-trip analysis showed weak inverse associations between greenspace markers and PM2.5 concentrations only in the spring/summer/monsoon season, with statistically significant associations for TC at the 25 and 50 m buffers in adjusted models. Between-trip analysis also indicated inverse associations for NDVI and TC, but suggested positive associations for GLU and PF in the spring/summer/monsoon season; no overall patterns of association were evident in the autumn/winter season. Associations between greenspace and personal PM2.5 during walking trips in Delhi varied across metrics, spatial scales, and season, but were most consistent for TC. These mixed findings may partly relate to journeys being dominated by walking along roads and small effects on PM2.5 of small pockets of greenspace. Larger areas of greenspace may, however, give rise to observable spatial effects on PM2.5, which vary by season.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Mueller
- Research, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, UK; Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Paul Wilkinson
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - James Milner
- Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Miranda Loh
- Research, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sotiris Vardoulakis
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Zoë Petard
- Centre for Speckled Computing, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Mark Cherrie
- Research, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Naveen Puttaswamy
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Kalpana Balakrishnan
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - D K Arvind
- Centre for Speckled Computing, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
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Impact of COVID-19 Lock-Downs on Nature Connection in Southern and Eastern Africa. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11060872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The response of African countries immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration was rapid and appropriate, with low infections and mortality rates until June 2020. Severe lock-down measures were effective in Africa; however, the reduction in the amount of natural experience influences the quality of life in modern society. This study is conducted as an international comparative study in five African countries on changes in the perception of health recovery and outdoor activities in urban forests during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted with 430 respondents to investigate the relationships between COVID-19 stress, indoor activity, appreciation of greenspaces, perception of health recovery, and use of greenspaces. A structural equation model was used for analysis. The visit frequency and staying time in urban forests after lock-down dramatically decreased, raising concerns about nature-deficit disorder across the target countries after the end of the pandemic. This study confirmed urban dwellers’ desire for natural experiences and health recovery during the pandemic and predicts an explosive increase in urban forest utilization after the pandemic has ended.
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What Happens in Your Brain When You Walk Down the Street? Implications of Architectural Proportions, Biophilia, and Fractal Geometry for Urban Science. URBAN SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/urbansci6010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
This article reviews current research in visual urban perception. The temporal sequence of the first few milliseconds of visual stimulus processing sheds light on the historically ambiguous topic of aesthetic experience. Automatic fractal processing triggers initial attraction/avoidance evaluations of an environment’s salubriousness, and its potentially positive or negative impacts upon an individual. As repeated cycles of visual perception occur, the attractiveness of urban form affects the user experience much more than had been previously suspected. These perceptual mechanisms promote walkability and intuitive navigation, and so they support the urban and civic interactions for which we establish communities and cities in the first place. Therefore, the use of multiple fractals needs to reintegrate with biophilic and traditional architecture in urban design for their proven positive effects on health and well-being. Such benefits include striking reductions in observers’ stress and mental fatigue. Due to their costs to individual well-being, urban performance, environmental quality, and climatic adaptation, this paper recommends that nontraditional styles should be hereafter applied judiciously to the built environment.
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Designing Age-Friendly Communities: Exploring Qualitative Perspectives on Urban Green Spaces and Ageing in Two Indian Megacities. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18041491. [PMID: 33557432 PMCID: PMC7914589 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The World Health Organization and the United Nations have increasingly acknowledged the importance of urban green space (UGS) for healthy ageing. However, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India with exponential ageing populations have inadequate UGS. This qualitative study examined the relationships between UGS and healthy ageing in two megacities in India. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling in New Delhi and Chennai and semi-structured interviews were conducted with consenting participants (N = 60, female = 51%; age > 60 years; fluent in English, Hindi, or Tamil). Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, and analysed using inductive and thematic analysis. Benefits of UGS included community building and social capital, improved health and social resilience, physical activity promotion, reduced exposure to noise, air pollution, and heat. Poorly maintained UGS and lack of safe, age-friendly pedestrian infrastructure were identified as barriers to health promotion in later life. Neighbourhood disorder and crime constrained older adults' use of UGS in low-income neighbourhoods. This study underscores the role of UGS in the design of age-friendly communities in India. The findings highlight the benefits of UGS for older adults, particularly those living in socially disadvantaged or underserved communities, which often have least access to high-quality parks and green areas.
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