Urban greenspace use among adolescents and young adults: An integrative review

Place-Based Differences in the Association Between Greenspace and Suicide-Related Outcomes Among Young People

PURPOSE

This study investigated place-based differences in the association between greenspace and suicide-related outcomes (SROs) among young people, guided by the following two objectives: (1) Contextualize place-based differences in the association between greenspace and SRO prevalence among young people at the community level in five different urbanities (urban, suburban, micropolitan, small towns, and rural/isolated communities) and (2) identify which greenspace metrics (quantity, quality, or accessibility) are most protective for SROs at the community level.

METHODS

Publicly available greenspace datasets were used to derive greenspace quantity, quality, and accessibility metrics. SRO emergency department visits for young people were identified from 2016-2019 in North Carolina, USA. Generalized linear models investigated the association between greenspace metrics and community-level drivers of SRO prevalence. Shapely additive explanations confirmed the most important greenspace variables in accurately predicting community-level SRO prevalence.

RESULTS

The prevalence of SROs was highest in communities with the least amount of public greenspace; this association was most pronounced in suburban communities, with SROs 27% higher in suburban communities with low quantities of greenspace (PRRUrban: 1.11, confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.13; PRRSuburban: 1.27, CI: 1.10-1.46; PRRSmallTowns: 1.21, CI: 1.05-1.39), and in communities with the worst greenspace accessibility (i.e., furthest distance to nearest greenspace) (PRRUrban: 1.07, CI: 1.04-1.10; PRRRural&Isolated: 1.95, CI: 1.54-2.49).

DISCUSSION

Our analysis provides place-based, community-specific findings to guide targeted greenspace interventions aimed at addressing the rising prevalence of SROs among young people. Our findings suggest that greenspace quantity interventions may be most effective in urban, suburban, and small-town communities, and greenspace accessibility interventions may be most useful in urban and rural/isolated communities.

Proximity to high streets, social isolation and social support in British adolescents: A longitudinal analysis of sociospatial influences on social connectedness using geospatial data

High streets have been shown to be central to socio-economic activity, given their diverse residential, leisure, and commercial activities. This study explores the link between adolescent social isolation and proximity to, and land use mix in, high streets. Hypothesising that greater distance from high streets might increase social isolation, measured via social activities, friend contact frequency, and social support, we used multilevel modelling with data from the Millennium Cohort Study. We did not observe a relationship between proximity to high streets and these social isolation indicators, suggesting that high streets may either not significantly influence adolescent social engagement or that young people are willing to travel greater distances.

A greening theory of change: How neighborhood greening impacts adolescent health disparities

Neighborhoods are one of the key determinants of health disparities among young people in the United States. While neighborhood deprivation can exacerbate health disparities, amenities such as quality parks and greenspace can support adolescent health. Existing conceptual frameworks of greening-health largely focus on greenspace exposures, rather than greening interventions. In this paper, we develop and propose a Greening Theory of Change that explains how greening initiatives might affect adolescent health in deprived neighborhoods. The theory situates greening activities and possible mechanisms of change in the context of their ability to modify distal social determinants of health factors, stemming from macrostructural and historical processes that lead to resource inequalities, affecting both the social and built environment in which adolescents live and develop. The framework illustrates both short- and long-term health, economic, and security effects of greening. We also describe how the theory informed the development of Project VITAL (Vacant lot Improvement to Transform Adolescent Lives) in Baltimore, MD, which aims to (1) build a citywide sharable database on vacant lot restoration activities, (2) evaluate the impact of greening initiatives on adolescent health outcomes, (3) conduct cost-effectiveness analyses, and (4) develop best practices for greening programs for improved adolescent health.