February 28th

By Mutt Mulligan

Study: green space exposure in childhood linked to happier adulthood

A new study supports other findings TurfMutt has been sharing that suggest having access to green space makes us happier, healthier people. But this recent study is the largest investigation of the association between green space and mental health.

Scientists from Uppsala University in Denmark studied 900,000 people and found that those who grew up with the lowest levels of green space had an increased risk (up to 55% higher) of developing a psychiatric disorder in adulthood. The study was conducted using decades of satellite imagery and comparing that to health and demographic data of the Danish population.

The information is available thanks to the Danish Civil Registration System. It assigns a personal identification number to every Danish citizen. It records gender, place of birth and the identifications of a person’s parents. The information is linked to a number of databases that record things like mental health status, socioeconomic status and place of residence.

Using the satellite data, researchers calculated the vegetation density around each residence. Then, they compared the risk for developing 16 mental health disorders with how much green space surrounded each person’s childhood residence. Because of the Danish Civil Registration System, they were also able to take into account factors like income and education level – socioeconomic factors that potentially impact studies like this.

The conclusion? Growing up near green space lowers the risk for mental health disorders. And, interestingly, quantity matters. The more childhood time spent close to greenery, the lower the risk of mental health problems in adulthood.

This is just the latest scientific study linking living landscapes to mental and physical well-being. To learn more click here.