Green spaces help beat the blues
Getting out into the countryside or enjoying our cities’ parks and gardens is good for us, confirmed by a review of research on the links between mental health (in particular, depression and anxiety), well-being and green spaces.
Funded by beyondblue: the national depression initiative, the study, “Beyond Blue to Green: The benefits of contact with nature for mental health and well-being” reviews Australian and international research, and shows there is a significant relationship between people’s mental health and the greenness of their local environment.
Associate Professor Mardie Townsend of Deakin University’s Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing and Behavioural Sciences, says there is growing evidence to indicate that having access to the natural environment improves health and well-being, as well as preventing disease and helping people to recover from illness.
“Experiencing nature in an outdoor setting can help tackle not only physical health problems like obesity and coronary heart disease, but also mental health problems – and there is plenty of evidence to support the claim,” she said.
The international literature review shows that green spaces improve health in the population as a whole, as well as in specific population groups including children, young people, older people, Indigenous people and people with chronic and terminal illnesses.
America’s Cornell University research shows that having close proximity to green spaces is associated with less depression, anxiety and other health problems.
Another American study found that areas with natural landscaping, green neighbourhood meeting places and shared gardens for older people reduces the risk of developing chronic illnesses such as depression and cardiovascular disease.
Among the growing body of evidence, a study, involving 350,000 people in The Netherlands, found that people living in areas with the most green spaces were a third less likely to have anxiety disorders that required treatment and roughly one-fifth less likely to receive treatment for depression.
To read a summary of the Literature Review, visit http://www.beyondblue.org.au
