Green spaces have helped limit depression during the COVVI-19 pandemic

The study indicates that people living in greener urban areas were less likely to. Furthermore, suffer from depression during the first months of the pandemic.

These benefits were more marked in people who were not depressed before the pandemic.

The protective effect of green spaces was also more pronounced in low -income people. Similarly, mobility problems, but only if they were not already depressed.

“The protective effects that occurred during the pandemic could be explained by the fact that green spaces constitute a refuge against factors of financial stressors. Therefore, others, in addition to the repairer and therapeutic effects of access to nature”, can be read in the study, co-written by university and federal researchers in public health.

Researchers claim that this study is considered the first to assess the evolution of mental health before. Meanwhile, after the pandemic in connection with access green spaces have helped limit to nature.

It has been widely shown that urban green spaces reduce the risks of chronic diseases. For example, while offering environmental advantages, since they decrease air pollution and extreme temperatures.

Other studies have also shown that urban greenery is associated with a reduction in depression. loneliness, in addition to helping to reduce mental health disorders linked to socio-economic environments.

The main author. Professor Paul Villeneuve of Carleton University in Ottawa, says that the study underlines how town planning and mental health policies should favor fair access to green spaces as a means of strengthening the resilience of communities.

“This shows the importance of integrating green spaces into the design of cities and neighborhoods,” he said.

The study was conducted with more than 13. 000 people aged 50 and more alive in urban areas who participate in the Canadian longitudinal study on aging, a larger national study.

The study revealed green spaces have helped limit that the prevalence of depression had almost doubled among the participants. going from around 11 % before the 22 % pandemic during the surveys between May and December 2020.

From the postal codes of the participants. the researchers assessed the area of ​​the green spaces present within a radius of 500 meters around their places of residence.

Among people who were not already depressed. people living in the greenest areas were about 19 % less likely to suffer from depression than those living in areas where nature is rarer.

The study also suggests that people with mobility problems have benefited significantly from the green spaces in their neighborhood. Researchers assume that this could be explained by the “crucial role” played by these spaces in the immediate vicinity. at a period when certain public and parks were inaccessible or limited.

The vegetation index used by researchers does not distinguish between the green spaces have helped limit type of greenery. its location, whether it is a football field or a cemetery. Mr. Villeneuve indicates that a future research axis would be to determine whether certain “aspects of greenery”. such as a park or garden, produce certain advantages compared to others.

The study measuring only the green spaces around the place of residence of the participants. therefore omitting the distant spaces where people could have surrendered to relieve themselves during the pandemic.

But Mr. Villeneuve noted that. as people probably did not move away from their homes as much during the pandemic as they would have done normally, the green spaces in the immediate vicinity had become greater.