September 6th

By Mutt Mulligan

Exposure to green space protects children from asthma

TurfMutt has been touting the health benefits of green space for years. Exposure to living landscapes has been proven to help with everything from surgery recovery to enhanced memory and elevated mood.

Now, there’s even more evidence that green is good for us. Newly released research suggests children who live in greener neighborhoods are less likely to develop asthma.

The study was conducted by economists at the US Forest service and epidemiologists in New Zealand. It tracked the link between the natural environment and asthma in over 49,000 New Zealand children born in 1998 who were followed until 2016.

According to the study results, increased exposure to green neighborhoods lowered a child’s risk for developing asthma. Additionally, if a child was exposed to a broader range of plants, they were even less likely to come down with the chronic lung disease. However, exposure to landscapes with low plant diversity was a risk factor for asthma.

The reason? Scientists hypothesize that living near a diverse range of plants increases a child’s exposure to microbes, which decreases chances they will develop diseases like asthma. Scientists also believe reduced stress and increased physical activity – which are also associated with living closer to green space – may be other contributing factors.

To learn more about the health benefits of your living landscapes, check out TurfMutt’s infographic.