Stress and Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Neighborhood Context

Nature exposure and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Navigation Guide systematic review with meta-analysis

Prior reviews have highlighted that nature exposure was a valuable coping strategy enhancing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no existing reviews have determined the quality of evidence and risk of bias of the empirical studies supporting this claim. To address this gap, we employed a Navigation Guide systematic review and meta-analysis approach to investigate associations between nature exposure and mental health during the pandemic. Searches in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycInfo retrieved relevant articles published between January 1, 2020, and March 4, 2024. We used the Navigation Guide methodology to assess the risk of bias and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) assessments to evaluate the overall quality of evidence. Our search retrieved 113 studies that met the inclusion criteria and reported diverse types of exposure, including nature availability, nature visit frequency, green space accessibility, and green space type, alongside associations with 12 mental health outcomes. Meta-analyses found access to gardens was associated with lower odds of depression [(Pooled odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, 95%CI = 0.61, 0.82), I2 = 0%, n = 3] and anxiety [(Pooled OR = 0.73, 95%CI = 0.63, 0.84), I2 = 0%, n = 3]. Increased time in green spaces was associated with lower level of stress [(Pooled Corr = -0.11, 95%CI = -0.17, -0.05), I2 = 0%, n = 2]. Higher frequency of visits to nature was associated with improved mental well-being [(Pooled standardized beta = 0.10, 95%CI = 0.07, 0.14), I2 = 0%, n = 2] and general mental health [(Pooled standardized beta = 0.11, 95%CI = 0.03-0.38), I2 = 82%, n = 2]. However, the number of pooled studies was small and the overall quality of evidence was "very low" for all outcomes, and high levels of bias were observed (26% of studies had high, 71% probably high). Nonetheless, given the trends in the results, nature-based solutions emphasizing exposure to gardens and green spaces near the home may have promoted psychological resilience during this public health crisis.

Pediatric obesity during COVID-19: the role of neighborhood social vulnerability and collective efficacy

INTRODUCTION

Childhood obesity increased in the first year of COVID-19 with significant disparities across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Social distancing led to fewer physical activity opportunities but increased screen time and high-calorie food consumption, all co-determined by neighborhood environments. This study aimed to test the moderation effects of neighborhood socioeconomic and built environments on obesity change during COVID-19.

METHODS

Using electronic health records from a large pediatric primary care network in 2018-2022, we cross-sectionally examined 163,042 well visits of 2-17-year-olds living in Philadelphia County in order to examine (1) the pandemic's effect on obesity prevalence and (2) moderation by census-tract-level neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, crime, food and physical activity-related environments using interrupted-time-series analysis, Poisson regression, and logistic regression.

RESULTS

Weekly obesity prevalence increased by 4.9 percent points (pp) during the pandemic (January 2021-August 2022) compared to pre-pandemic (March 2018-March 2020) levels. This increase was pronounced across all age groups, racially/ethnically minoritized groups, and insurance types (ranging from 2.0 to 6.4 pp) except the Non-Hispanic-white group. The increase in obesity among children racially/ethnically minoritized groups was significantly larger in the neighborhoods with high social vulnerability (3.3 pp difference between high and low groups), and low collective efficacy (2.0 pp difference between high and low groups) after adjusting for age, sex, and insurance type.

CONCLUSIONS

Racially/ethnically minoritized children experienced larger obesity increases during the pandemic, especially those in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. However, the buffering effect of community collective efficacy on the disparities underscores the importance of environments in pediatric health.

Pathophysiological, immunological, and inflammatory features of long COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause severe global disruption, resulting in significant excess mortality, overwhelming healthcare systems, and imposing substantial social and economic burdens on nations. While most of the attention and therapeutic efforts have concentrated on the acute phase of the disease, a notable proportion of survivors experience persistent symptoms post-infection clearance. This diverse set of symptoms, loosely categorized as long COVID, presents a potential additional public health crisis. It is estimated that 1 in 5 COVID-19 survivors exhibit clinical manifestations consistent with long COVID. Despite this prevalence, the mechanisms and pathophysiology of long COVID remain poorly understood. Alarmingly, evidence suggests that a significant proportion of cases within this clinical condition develop debilitating or disabling symptoms. Hence, urgent priority should be given to further studies on this condition to equip global public health systems for its management. This review provides an overview of available information on this emerging clinical condition, focusing on the affected individuals' epidemiology, pathophysiological mechanisms, and immunological and inflammatory profiles.

Disparities in pediatric obesity during COVID-19: The role of neighborhood social vulnerability and collective efficacy

Introduction

Childhood obesity increased in the first year of Covid-19 with significant disparities across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Social distancing led to fewer physical activity opportunities but increased screen time and high-calorie food consumption, all co-determined by neighborhood environments. This study aimed to test the moderation effects of neighborhood socioeconomic and built environments on racial/ethnic disparities in obesity change during Covid-19.

Methods

Using electronic health records from a large pediatric primary care network in 2018-2022, we cross-sectionally examined 163,042 well visits of 2-17 year-olds living in Philadelphia county in order to examine (1) the pandemic's effect on obesity prevalence and (2) moderation by census-tract-level neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, crime, food and physical activity-related environments using interrupted-time-series analysis, Poisson regression, and logistic regression.

Results

Weekly obesity prevalence increased by 4.9 percent points (pp) during the pandemic (Jan 2021-Aug 2022) compared to pre-pandemic (Mar 2018-Mar 2020) levels. This increase was pronounced across all age groups, racially/ethnically-minoritized groups, and insurance types (ranging from 2.0 to 6.4 pp) except the Non-Hispanic-white group. The increase in obesity among children racially/ethnically-minoritized groups was significantly larger in the neighborhoods with high social vulnerability (3.3 pp difference between high and low groups), and low collective efficacy (2.0 pp difference between high and low groups) after adjusting for age, sex, and insurance type.

Conclusions

Racially/ethnically-minoritized children experienced larger obesity increases during the pandemic, especially those in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. However, the buffering effect of community collective efficacy on the disparities underscores the importance of environments in pediatric health.

Natural environments, psychosocial health, and health behaviors in a crisis - A scoping review of the literature in the COVID-19 context

The COVID-19 outbreak led to major restrictions globally, affecting people's psychosocial health and their health behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the available research regarding nature and health in the COVID-19 context. Keywords relating to natural environments and COVID-19 were combined to conduct a systematic online search in six major databases. Eligibility criteria were a) published since 2020 with data collected in the COVID-19 context b) peer-reviewed, c) original empirical data collected on human participants, d) investigated the association between natural environments and psychosocial health or health behaviors, and e) English, German, or Scandinavian languages. Out of 9126 articles being screened, we identified 188 relevant articles, representing 187 distinct studies. Most research focused on adults in the general population and was predominantly conducted in the USA, Europe, and China. Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. Through a systematic thematic analysis of the extracted data, three primary themes were identified: 1) type of nature assessed, 2) psychosocial health and health behaviors investigated, and 3) heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship. Research gaps in the COVID-19 context were identified regarding I) nature characteristics that promote psychosocial health and health behaviors, II) investigations of digital and virtual nature, III) psychological constructs relating to mental health promotion, IV) health-promoting behaviors other than physical activity, V) underlying mechanisms regarding heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship based on human, nature, and geographic characteristics, and VI) research focusing on vulnerable groups. Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health. However, future research is warranted to fill the mentioned research gaps and to examine the long-term effects of nature exposure during COVID-19.

Urban greenspace and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 20-month follow up of 19,848 participants in England

This study examined the association between greenspace and the growth trajectories of anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from 19,848 urban residents in England who were followed for 20 months between March 2020 and October 2021, we found that living in an area with higher greenspace coverage (exposure) was associated with fewer anxiety symptoms independent of population density, area deprivation levels, socio-demographics, and health profiles. There was limited evidence that greenspace was related to the change of anxiety symptoms over time. No association with anxiety trajectories was found when considering distance to nearest greenspace (proximity), highlighting potentially differential mental health effects of simply having access to local parks and recreation areas versus living in areas of greater natural environment land cover. These findings have important implications for mental health intervention and policymaking.