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Yoo EH, Min JY, Choi BY, Ryoo SW, Min KB, Roberts JE. Spatiotemporal variability of the association between greenspace exposure and depression in older adults in South Korea. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:2556. [PMID: 39300384 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19952-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A number of studies based on young to middle aged adult and child samples have found that exposure to greenspace and bluespace can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. However, there is limited research among older adults and the extant studies have provided mixed results. The present study was designed to examine how the association between these forms of exposure and depressive symptoms among older adults varies as a function of different spatially and temporally resolved exposure metrics. METHODS The sample consisted of 617 individuals (46.19% female) aged ≥ 60 years of age. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Individuals' greenspace exposure was quantified using spatially and temporally resolved metrics, including monthly and annual averaged satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) across multiple buffer distances (250 m to 2,000 m) centered at participants' home address. We also quantified exposure to blue-greenspace from a highly detailed land use and land cover dataset. A multivariable logistic regression model assessed the association between greenspace and blue-greenspace exposure and depressive symptoms, adjusting for age, sex, income, education, marital status, current smoking, alcohol status, medical conditions, temperature, crime rate, population density, and per capita park area. RESULTS We found a significant association between exposures to greenspace and blue-greenspace and depressive symptoms (CES-D cutoff ≥ 4) among older adults. After adjusting for confounding variables, the odds of depressive symptoms were significantly decreased by an IQR increment in residential exposure to greenspace [odds ratio (OR) = 0.67; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.49 ~ 0.91] and blue-greenspace (OR = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.41 ~ 0.84) measured nearby their home address (i.e., as close as 250 m). When stratified by household income level, the association was only significant among low-income individuals. We also found temporal variation in the association between depressive symptoms and monthly NDVI-based greenspace exposure, in which the odds of depressive symptoms were the lowest for greenspace in cold months (i.e., January, February, and March). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that neighborhood greenspace may serve as a protective factor against depression among older adults, but the benefits may depend on the spatial and temporal context. More investigation is needed to replicate our findings on the spatial and temporal variations of greenspace exposure metrics and their effects on depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Hye Yoo
- Department of Geography, University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, NY, USA
| | - Jin-Young Min
- Veterans Medical Research Institute, Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Baek-Yong Choi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Woo Ryoo
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung-Bok Min
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - John E Roberts
- Department of Psychology, University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, NY, USA
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Shezi B, Mendoza H, Govindasamy D, Casas L, Balakrishna Y, Bantjes J, Street R. Proximity to public green spaces and depressive symptoms among South African residents: a population-based study. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:925. [PMID: 38553671 PMCID: PMC10981334 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18385-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to green spaces has been suggested to improve mental health and may reduce the risk of depression. However, there is generally limited evidence on the association between green spaces and depression originating from low-and middle-income countries and Africa in particular. Here, we investigate the association between proximity to public green spaces and depressive symptoms among residents of Gauteng Province, South Africa. METHODS We used data from the 2017/2018 Gauteng quality of life survey. We included all individuals aged 18 years or older residing in the nine municipalities of Gauteng Province that completed the survey (n = 24,341). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Proximity to public green spaces was defined as self-reported walking time (either less or greater than 15 min) from individuals' homes to the nearest public green space. To assess the association between access to public green spaces and depressive symptoms, we used mixed-effects models, adjusted for age, sex, population group (African, Indian/Asian, Coloured (mixed race), and White), educational attainment, and municipality. We additionally performed stratified analyses by age, sex, educational attainment, and population group to evaluate whether associations differed within subgroups. Associations are expressed as prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS We observed a 6% (PR = 0.94, 95%CI = 0.92-0.96) prevalence reduction in depressive symptoms for individuals who reported that the nearest public green space was less than 15 min from their homes as compared to those who reported > 15 min. After stratification, this inverse association was stronger among females, individuals aged 35-59 years,those with higher levels of educational attainment, and Coloured individuals as compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that public green spaces close to residential homes may be associated with a reduction in the occurrence of depressive symptoms among urban populations in resource-constrained settings like South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe Shezi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, 491 Peter Mokaba Ridge, Morningside, 4091, Durban, South Africa.
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Corner Siemert and Beit Street, Doornfontein, 2028, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Hilbert Mendoza
- Social Epidemiology and Health Policy, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Doornstraat 331, BE-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Darshini Govindasamy
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley, 7501, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lidia Casas
- Social Epidemiology and Health Policy, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Doornstraat 331, BE-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Yusentha Balakrishna
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, 491 Peter Mokaba Ridge, Morningside, 4091, Durban, South Africa
| | - Jason Bantjes
- Mental Health, Alcohol, Substance Use and Tobacco Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley, Cape Town, South Africa, 7501
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape town, Groote Schuur Drive, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Renée Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley, 7501, Cape Town, South Africa
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Hou Y, Chen X, Liu Y, Xu D. Association between UGS patterns and residents' health status: A report on residents' health in China's old industrial areas. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 239:117199. [PMID: 37806479 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117199] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Old industrial areas have low quality and spatial differentiation of urban green space (UGS), which makes it difficult to meet the public's physical activity needs and leads to increased health risks. The purpose of this study is to explore the equity of UGS patterns in old industrial areas and its internal relationship with residents' health status. METHODS This study selecteds relevant indicators to evaluate the equity of UGS patterns in the Harbin area and used linear regression analysis to explore the correlation between attributes of old industrial areas and UGS patterns. Additionally, this study explored the spatial correlation of UGSs using Moran's index and hotspot analysis. Finally, a report on residents' health was generated through a questionnaire survey, using linear regression analysis to explore the factors affecting residents' self-rated health and the significance of their correlation. RESULTS The results showed that there is an excess supply around the core industrial zone in the west, while the rural areas in the south face a serious shortage of supply. The significance between the factors representing age and income in industrial attributes and UGS pattern was less than 0.05. We observed that residents' self-rated health was positively affected by the intensity of physical activity (low intensity B = 2.073, medium intensity B = 2.359, high intensity B = 2.512) and the frequency of physical activity (B = 1.174). Ages (B = -0.597) and three generations living together (B = -3.191), which represent the industrial attributes, had a negative impact on residents' self-rated health. CONCLUSION To a certain extent, industrial attributes aggravate the mismatch of UGS patterns, leading to abnormal areas in spatial clustering. The quality of UGS in the old industrial zone is low and the movement is not strong; thus, the population characteristics and income have become the important factors affecting the health of residents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunjing Hou
- College of Landscape Architecture, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
| | - Xiyu Chen
- College of Landscape Architecture, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
| | - Yiming Liu
- College of Landscape Architecture, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
| | - Dawei Xu
- College of Landscape Architecture, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
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Shareck M, Aubé E, Sersli S. Neighborhood Physical and Social Environments and Social Inequalities in Health in Older Adolescents and Young Adults: A Scoping Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:5474. [PMID: 37107756 PMCID: PMC10139110 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20085474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Poor health and well-being are prevalent among young people. Neighborhoods may play a role in promoting good health. Little is known on if and how neighborhood characteristics affect health, and social inequalities therein, among young people. In this scoping review, we asked: (1) what features of the neighborhood physical and social environments have been studied in association with the physical and mental health and well-being of young people 15 to 30 years old; and (2) to what extent have social differentials in these associations been studied, and how? We identified peer-reviewed articles (2000 to 2023) through database and snowball searches. We summarized study characteristics, exposure(s), outcome(s) and main findings, with an eye on social inequalities in health. Out of the 69 articles reviewed, most were quantitative, cross-sectional, conducted among 18-year-olds and younger, and focused on the residential neighborhood. Neighborhood social capital and mental health were the most common exposure and outcome studied, respectively. Almost half of the studies examined social inequalities in health, mostly across sex/gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Evidence gaps remain, which include exploring settings other than residential neighborhoods, studying the older age stratum of young adulthood, and assessing a broader range of social inequalities. Addressing these gaps can support research and action on designing healthy and equitable neighborhoods for young people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Shareck
- Département des Sciences de la Santé Communautaire, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4, Canada
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